The Portland daily press., 1870-09-15
a Challenge 10 Gov. HeGnnn.
[From the Albany Evening Journal ]

"a ChaifcuGC 40 %uFs Ih"As's-%.tr"
[From the Albany Evening journal
General Woodford enters upon the cam
paign with the determination to lea1 his great
Republican column to victory. He has al
ready challenged Gov. Hoffman-who Is as
good as nominated by the Democratic Con-
ventlon-to engage il joint discussion with
him before the people of the State throughout
the canvass.
We trust Governor Hoffman will accept.
When he first ran for Governor, he himself
proposed such discussion to his competitor,
and was anxious to enter the arena. Now
that he can be accommodated, his anxiety
surely cannot be less. If he accepts. he will
hnd General Woodford as courteous and
uroane IN manner as he is vigorous and
trenchant in argument
such discussion between the two leading
candidates OF the opposing parties would ex-
cite great interest throughout the State, and
add much to the sphit of the campaign. Con-
Quoted with entire courtesy, as it certainly
would be upon both sides, it would serve to
bring the principles and policies OF the rival
organizations into bold relief
VICE PRESIDENT CoLFAx has taken the
stump in Indiana and made his opening
speech of the campaign to his old constitu-
ents and townsmen at South Bend on Satur-
day. His review of the political situation of
the country was very able and exhaustive, his
vindication of the Republican party from the
charges of the Democrats complete, and his
arraignment OF the opposition sharp and scath-
ing. Altogether it was an effort that can
not fail to have a telling effect on the canvass
in Indiana and makes us regret more than
ever the determination of Mr. Colfax 10 leave
pOIlfipal nj tla nu1 Of his forr, "a.
dent. We make an extract from his speech:
For the last twenty years it has seemed i'm
possible tor this Democratic organization as a
party, to get on the right side of any issue.
new or cid. When border ruffians drove the
people OF Kansas from their polls aud BY
fraudulent votes elected pro slavery Legisla-
ture, and finally sought to impose hateful
constitution establishing slavery there on a
people who almost unanimously denouncedit,
The Democratic party cham poned this wick
edness. When the Dred Scott decision, in
tended to make slavery national and aI-pow-
erful, was proclaimed, they cordially endorsed
it. All through the war, every measure to
strengthen the nations arm and weaken the
enemy's, whether confscaIion, or emancipa-
ton, or cooretl soldiers, etc., was in
their opinion, all wrong or uncon-
stitutional, and fit only to be denounced.
When the war closed, and the dues
tlon came up whether the insurgent
States should be restored to the rule of
the very men who had used their executive.
legislative and judicial power. to organize the
rebellion and TO raise its armies, or whether
every effort should be made, on the contrary.
to organize them on a basis loyal TO the Union
the democratic party instinct'yely insisted on
the former. When tax bills and draft laws
became necessary to the preservation of the
national existence, they warred upon all their
details as wicked and tyrannical When the
interest on the. national debt could only be
honestly lessened by showing the world that
our national credit would be sacredly main
tanned at The highest point by all parties, their
speakers and presses denounced those who
had lent us the money as if they were swim
dlers, aid in every possible way sought to
poison the public mind against them
When our Sreenbacks, whose ultimate
value they had formerly dscredted were
rising in value toward gold, they clam
ored for issues of hundreds of thou
sands of millions more, to verify their unful-
filled propheses of evil about them. Wien
President Grant commenced paying on ths
debt, with the surplus revenues that his hon
est and efficient administration had col
ected, they denounced his buying the
bonds at their current value in the
market of the world. When a Repub-
Iican Congress passed a bill reducing taxation
SSOOOO,OOO per year, they registered their
votes, as party, against it. When the same
| Congress passed bill to honestly reduce the
interest on our bonds, by mutual agreement
with our creditors, or by paying of our bonds
with the proceeds of the new, they voted
against it. When it passed bill TO enforce
the XIV and XVIII amendments, with pen
aties only against evil doers and offenders,
they resisted 1t with vehemence and Zeal =
When 1t passed the laws for the restoration
OF rebel States to representation in the Union,
the Democracy condemned their provisions
and fought them 10 the bitter end. When a
law to guad the ballot box at national eec-
| tions was passed, Furnishing illegal voting,
shameless repeating, and fraudulent counting,
they denounced it and its penalties, as il the
acts it punished were not the wickedest of
crimes against free government and Republi-
can Institutions. And, finally, when the war
broke out in Europe that outraged the moral
sentiment of the world, and without provoca-
tion Germany was compelled to arm Tor the
protection of the latherIand from invasion
and despoilment, the leading organs as in
| stinctively as IN other cases have cited. took
the wrong side. 1t is this party-a party of
reaction. oil negations, of partisan opposition
| Whose leaders seem determined that it
shall ever be on the side OF wrong-which ap-
peals to the people to day to cloth them with
national power