Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1879 — A Prophecy of Impending Democratic Ruin. [ARTICLE]

A Prophecy of Impending Democratic Ruin.

The Forty-fifth Congress closed its session leaving the political future bright for the Republican party. The Republicans were wise, courageous and patriotic. The Democrats were factious, violent and revolutionary, and have precipitated an extra session which will prove injurious to the country, and therefore destructive of Democratic success in 1880. The Democratic House (1) put upon the Army Appropriation bill a repeal of the existing laws requiring United States troops, when duly called upon by United States Marshals, to prevent election disturbances and “keep the peace at the polls.” They also (2) put upon another Appropriation bill a repeal of the laws authorizing United States Supervisors to witness the Congressional elections in every voting precinct, and punishing fraud and violence at such elections. The Republican Senate refused to agree to these repeals. Conference Committees were appointed, but the House refused to recede. Seeing the close of the session at haniT without the passage of these two necessary Appropriation bills, the Republicans in the House and Senate offered resolutions continuing the corresponding appropriations of the present year until December next, so as to avoid the necessity of an extra session; but the Democrats defeated these offers, and thus took the full responsibility of an extra session, which the President has promptly called for March 18. This persistent Democratic action, justly stigmatized by Senator Conkling as revolutionary, shows the deliberate determination of the Democracy to grasp at unce its political power in the two houses; and thelong, eloquent and able debates of the closing hours clearly show that by such power the revolutionary plan is to be pushed to the uttermost.

The Democratic demands at the extra session will be these: That all laws authorizing the interference of National officers at the Congressional elections—either the pres&nco of the United ©tales ©upervlsOlS, or the arrest or prosecution of fraudulent voters and dishonest election officers, or the interposition of United States civil or military officers to prevent intimidation, disturbances or murder as election practices—shall be wholly and unconditionally repealed. If separate bills embodying these repeals are vetoed by the President they will be placed upon Appropriation bills, and the threat will be squarely made that the Government shall stop for lack of money unless the Election laws are wiped out by the Republican votes or the President’s consent. if this threat prevails, ballot-box frauds, like those of Tilden and Tweed in 1868, will be again unchecked in New York City: the Republican vote at the South will be entirely suppressed; all hope of the effective performance of the great National duty of protecting human rights and a free ballot must be abandoned, and the unrepentant rebels of the South and the “thugs and thieves of Tammany Hall” may elect the next President, to do their bidding in the high executive office so recently filled by Lincoln and Grant. Any Republican who yields to this defiant Democratic demand —nay, more, who does not “do his utmost” to expose its injustice and wickedness and to prevent its consummation—will be falseto his party and recreant to his duty to his country. Necessarily the question of paramount importance inlfie struggle that is close upon us is: What will the President do? Will he yield to the Democracy, or will he defy their clamor and stand firmly to his duty as a Republican President? I am rejoiced to be able to answer this question by predicting that President Hayes will resist the reactionary Democracy at every point; will interpose his veto against every attempt, by special act or by riders on Appropriation bills, to withhold the protection yet possible under the laws to the colored men of the South in the exercise of a free, and to the white people of the whole country in the enjoyment of an honest, ballot, and will unite cordiallv with the Republicans of every grade in fighting the momentous battle tor vital republican principles which is to be waged without intermission from the 18th of March until November, 1880.

The inevitable Conflict thus to come at Washington, between an aggressive, reactionary and revolutionary Democratic majority and a compact, united, unyielding Republican minority, backed by a President using the veto power sot the defense of the most important National safeguards, and of the most sacred interests of humanity, cannot fail to arouse the North and produce Republican victories everywhere. The extra session, caused by Democratic fatuity and obstinacy, will sound of the Democratic party. There are some wise and discreet leaders amqpg them, but the pressure behind, from the hungry and infuriated masses, now. at twenty-two years’ exclusion, again possessing Congressional power, will hurry on the whole organization to certain, destruction. The devil is in them; he cannot be exorcised, and their fate will bethat of the crazy herd of swine which ran violently down a steep place into the sea and were choked. —W. E. Chandler, i n N - Y ’ Tribune \_ _ —The letters of Bayard Taylor from famous men fill fifteen packing boxes in the attic of bis home in Pennsylvania. ' -