NORTHAMERICANREVIEW.
No.CCLVL
J
ULY-AUGUST,1877.
ART.
I.-
THE
ELECTORALCONSPIRACY•..Thou
hut
itnew,
King,
Cawdor,Glamia,
all,
Astheweyardwomenpromiaed,IIDdIfearThouplay'datmostfoullyfor·t."
SINCEthefirstformationofwhatWashingtoncalled
II
ourhappysystemofgovernment,"noeventnotaccompaniedwithviolenceor
war
hasexcitedafeelingsointenseastheactof
II
countinginHayes."Butthepublicmenofthecountry,andthepeoplegen-erally,arefarfrombeing
agreed
aboutitscharacteroritsprobableeffectinthefuture.Democrats,whoknewMr.Tildentobeelectedbyanover-whelmingmajority,bothofthepopularvoteandoftheelectorsdulyappointed,weretransportedwithpassionateindignationwhentheysawhisdefeatedcompetitorliftedoverhisheadbyaseriesofmanreuvreswhichtheythoughtalikeincompatiblewithhonestyandlaw.Ineverypartofthecountry,bythepress,fromtheros-trumandinthehallsofCongress,thechargeofbaseandunmiti-gatedfraudwasthunderedintotheearoftheworld.Some,whoindulgedinnovehemenceofobjurgationorreproach,wereboweddownwithshameatthethoughtthattheirproudrightasAmeri-cancitizensofelectingarulerforthemselveshadbeentakenoutoftheirhandsbyatrick,andtransferredtoasetoflowconspira-tors,whomtheycouldnothelpbutholdinutterdetestation.Allthatonceennobledthenationseemedto
be
buriedinthisdeepgravedugbytheReturning
Board
andfilledupbytheElectoralCommission.
VOL.CXXV.-NO.
257.1
2
The
ElectoralConspiracy.
[July,
Butthevoiceoflamentationprovesnothing;neitherdoesthewrathwhich"cleavesthegeneralearwithhorridspeech";forbotharethenaturalutterancesofadefeatedparty,especiallywhenthedefeatcomesunexpectedly,aftervictorywasassured,and
in
waysnotforeseen.Thereisanothersidetothecase.Themenwhodidthisdeedwillnotadmitittohavebeenwrong,orletjudgmentofcondemnationgobydefault.Somemisgivingstheremayhavebeenhereandthere;butnearlyallzealousRepub-licanssawitwithunreservedapprobation.Notonlytheherdoflowpoliticians,whoalwaysrampandswearandblusteronthewin-ningside,buthigh-placedgentlemenofgoodcharacterheardtheannouncementwithpleasure,thatwhatwecalltheLouisianaswin-dlewastoosacredathingtobequestioned.ThedecisionwashailedbyChristianstatesmenwithloudbenedictions.OnSun-day,the4thofMarch,piousRepublicansassembledthemselvestogetherinprayer-meetings,andsimultaneouslysentup
to
heaventhemostferventpetitionsthatGodwouldblesstheReturningBoardsandtheElectoralCommission,sanctifytheworkoftheirhands,andprosperthepseudoPresidentwhomtheyhadplaced
in
power.Elsewherethepartydemonstrateditspleasurebyfiringoffalargenumberofgreatguns.Insomeplacestheadmiringpeoplegatheredingayandfestivecrowds,anddrankdeeppotationstothedefeatofTilden'sbigmajority,whileBradleyandKellogg,Chan-dlerandPackard,Wells,Anderson,andthetwomulattoes,were"intheirflowingcupsfreshlyremembered."InbothHousesofCon-gresstherepresentativesofthepartytowhomMr.Hayesbelongedstoodsquareandsolidindefenceofhistitle.Theyheardthe
im-
putationofdishonestyuponthemselvesandtheirfellow-partisanswithnosignofshameorfear.Onthecontrary,"hopeelevatedandjoybrightenedtheircrests,"astheysawtheimposturepro-gressstepbysteptoitsconsummation.TwomembersfromMas-sachusettsweretroubledwithscruples,andonefromFloridade-nouncedthefraudwhichelectedhimselfaswellasHayes;butthiscouldscarcelybesaidtobreaktheunanimityoftheparty.Sincethecloseofthesessiontheyhaveseemedtoenjoytheirtri-umphmightily,andtheapplauseoftheirbelovedconstituentshasnotbeenwantingtoincreasetheirself-satisfaction.ItisverymanifestfromallthisthatthepartycallingitselfRepublicandiffers
toto
«elo
fromtheDemocraticviewofthesub-
1877.]
Tlu
ElectoralConspiracy.
3
ject.Republicansbelieveeitherthatnofraudhasbeencommit-ted,orelsethatafraudbywhichtheyprofitedwasafitandproperthingforthemtodo.Whichsoeverofthesepositionstheytake,aquestionisraisedwhichdemandsfair,full,andfreediscus-sion,sothattruthmayprevailandjusticebedone.
If
theorgansandrepresentativesoftheDemocracyhavemerelyraisedafalseandmaliciousclamoragainsttheiropponents,theydeservethoseverestreprehensionthatthecensureoftheworldcanvisituponthem;theyshould
be
deprivedofallpoliticalinfluence,andnoshareinpublicbusiness,localornational,shouldeyeragain
be
trusted
to
theircontrolOntheotherhand,ifit
be
truethatwehaveanadministrationofthegeneralgovernmentwhichisnottheresultofanhonestelection,butthemerespawnofacorruptcon-spiracy,thenpopularlibertyhasbeendeeply,perhapsfatally,in-jured,and
all
whoaided
in
thecrime,
all
whogavecomforttothecriminals,andallwhoknowinglypartookoftheiniquitybyreceivingitswages,oughtto
be,
andinthefulnessoftimetheyundoubtedlywillbe,classedamongtheworstmalefactorsoftheage.Theprominentandwell-knownfactsofthecase,setforthintheplainstyleofsimplenarration,willshowwhetherthecountwashonest,and
if
nothonestwhetheranyexcusecan
be
foundforitsfalseness.Buttomakethismoreintelligible,itisnecessarytoremindthereaderofcertainpointsinourpoliticalhistorywhichhavewithinthelasttwentyyearsdividedthetwopartiesanddefinedtheirantagonism.ThepowersoftheFederalgovernment,therightsoftheStates,andthelibertiesofthepeople,-theseconstitutetheessentialpartsofthesystemtowhichourfatherssetthesealoftheirwis-domandvirtue.Thistrinityofpoliticalforces,soharmoniouslyadjustedthateachgavestrengthtotheothers,didindeedseemtomakeagovernmentasnearlyperfectaspossible.Eachwasa
r.ita1
part;the
"life
ofthenation"dependeduponthepreserva-tionofoneasmuchastheother;thegovernment(usingthewordin
its
trueAmericansense)wouldascertainly
be
destroyedbytheoverthrowofpopularliberty,ortheSUbjugationoftheStates,asbysuccessfulresistancetoFederalauthority.ThesenotionsoffidelitytothewholeofthegovernmentandeverypartofitplacedtheDemocracy,duringtheCivilWar,inthemostdifficultattitudethatcan
be
conceived.Theywereobliged
Search History:
Result 00 of 00
00 results for result for
p.
JS BLACK, The Election Conspiracy, The North American Review v125 n257 (1877)
JS Black, The Great Fraud, Presidential Election of 1876
133
Reads
2
Readcasts
2
Embed Views
Recommended
More From This User
Notes
Load more
