Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-07-16
Democracy Explained-Bonds Payable I'm
Gold-Nothing about sam Townsend
speech of Jas. A. Bnyard.

Hon. James A. Bayard, U. s. Senator from
this State, and long resident of this city, adj
dressed meeting of the Democracy at City Hall,
Friday evening, the apparent object being to en-.
plain the platform and candidates set up al New
York. The hall, At some periods, was rs full ms
comfort permitted. Toward the close it had thin
ned out very considerably. Many were present
from curiosity to sec Nj. B,whosc habits of life
rarely permit him To minglc with the people
and many Others were Republicans. Edward
Moore acted as Chairman; James Bradford,
Chas. Goodlng and John p. Springer, Vice Prcsi-
dents; and G. r. johnson and l. G. Gruhb, Sec
retaiies. committee, consisting of Messrs.
Grubb, Lore, and DR.. Askcw, reported a rcsolu-
tion endorsing Seymour and Blair, which elected
feeble applause.
The President of the meeting with evident
pleasure, introduced Mr.. &. to the audience,
whcrcupon at the call of Mr.. Lore, three cheers
were given. Mr. Bayard was evidently weary
aud unprcparcd. lie has lost, apparently, all
the fire and enthusiasm he ever possessed, and
utterly failed to awaken any in his audience. lie
accused the Republican party of being Jacohins,
and made several other of the stock charges kept
on hand by gentlemen of hispolitical persuasion.
He said he should conilne himself to the discus
sion of the Third Resolution in the New York
Platform, that on finance, and that Zone Of the
unnumbered ones) which accuses the Republican
party of doing all sorts Of bad things.
On Finance, Mr.. Bayard, after mnch rambine.
talk about the French Revolution, the Assignat4
Adam Smith, and humber of other subjects,
finally became very explicit on the bond question,
much to the disgust, doubtless, of the many PEN
dleton Democrats present. He said he could mt
answer for what Others might mean by that rcso-
luton. but that for himself, the resolution ap-
proving of paying them in lawful money, meant
pay in gold and silver coin, which was the only
lawful money of the United States. As To the
Grecnbacks, Mr.. Bayard intmatcd that they were
bonnd to become worthless in the natural course
of events lie told his audience that under any
| administration the people must suifer some fion
the ills following an imitation of the currency,
| but that under Democratic administration, The
great economy with which the government would
| be administered. would enable the nation still Ia
meet its obligations to its creditors in good faith
and still relieve the people of much Of their tax
alton.
charging tile Republicans with an effort to estai-
| lsh u centralized despotism which should deprive
the States of all power and thus destroy the dis
| tinctve form of our Government.
| On negro suffrage he said he was n white man,
| and made the usual speech which follows this
announcement.
lie defended the doctrine so oldly enunciatcd
| at Dover that the suffrage Is the right Of no
man, but mere privilege, hut stated that il had
| been the effort OF his life to enlarge and extend
| il to all the white men possible. He also devoted
| about fifteen minutes 10 demolishng the move
| ment for woman suffrage. Much as he said on
negro suffrage however, he utterly failed to make
| il clear why the New York Convention had said
so little, had, in fact, ignored the subject al-
! together. There was no doubt from Mr.. b. Is
| speech, that he was opposed to negro suffrage,
| there was no doubt from their response that Ills
audience was equally opposed to it, but there
was nowhere the assurance offered that the Dem
ocratc party as such, longer held to their theory
| that this is II white mans government" n doe
trinc, by the way, which the New York World,
| its leading organ, utterly repudiates, and says
| the party never did assert.
The whole affair was q decided failure, tho
| lack of enthusiasm was evident, while Mr.. Bay
ards speech was fiat, stale and unproillabe and
could not hold his audience to listen to his plai-
tudes. He was evidently unprcpared, and the
effort ii cost him, the weakness OF his voice, and
his frequent severe spell of coughing made every
one delighted when the painful! effort ceased.
The whole thing seems to be an unfortunate
affair, i'll conceived and poorly managed. The
only ones much pleased were the Republicans,
, who watched with delight the blank expression
which came over the faces of the more positive
Democrats, as Mr.. Bayard tried % explain tho
very life out of tho third Reputation resolution.