The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-07-10
To Correspondents,
Stirring Words From Senator Bayard.

The Tammany Society, of New York, held
grand celebration on the Fourth of July, at
which eloquent and patriotic speeches were
made by prominent Democrats, who were
present, and manly and vigorous letters read
from some of those who were invited and
were unable to come. Among the letters
was the following from the distinguished and
able Senator Bayard, of Delaware, who
said:
DEAR STRs: My duties in the Senate lave
compelled me to defer until now my acknowl-
edgement OF your invitation TO join you in
renewing on the 4th instant our ancient and
unbEoken allegiance to the principles of con.
slltutional liberty at Tammany Hall, and now
with lnuch regret find will be unable to be
with you on that interesting occasion. am
hopeful of the future in this, that it seems
scarcely possible the thoughtful, conscien-
i. tious and patriotic men of our country can
any longer be kept apart in political action
by thereiteration ofthose hollow catch-words
which for so many years have filled the Rad.
) ical press and the mouths of their party lead
rs 81 sstAAiehy Uttered to provoke sectional and
sSpaFtisan animosities, and which have with
them entirely taken the place of argument
and that reasonable discussion needfui in the
public affairs. The broad question-cyer
and anon arising-old as the hills and now
beseeching the ear of the American people
for recognition and settlement in this gener-
ton is, whether limitation upon the powers
of those who rule us shall be insisted upon,
or whether in the name of the general wei.
fare, and under the old crafty and specous
plea OF public safety, the people shall be de-
prived oflocal self-government, and our Fed
eral system of States united shall harden into
M na,,trn ,al
controlled by class and moneyed interests.
asAVell MAY you cite the burning shames."
OF Louisiana and Arkansas Would to heav-
en- the list ended even there! But add Flor
ida, Alabama and the District of Columbia,
and still the catalogue is incomplete. How
slowly and unwillingly has the hand of the
despoiler been withdrawn from the pock
ct of our merchants Within how few weeks
have we seen the great labor and difficulty
with which the opponents of the Admins
tration at Washington have procured a re-
peal OF those laws which laid our entire mer-
camille community powerless at the feet of n
band of special agents and informers, with
their hired robbers Of private fortune and as
sasslns OF personal reputation. Shall the in
dlgnant and alarmed protest, scarcely week
old, of the worthy Governor of the State of
Virginia, addressed to the President of the
United States, against the lawless and inso.
lent orders of Attorney General Williams is
sued in relation to the local elections in the
city of Petersburg, fall UNDECIDED on the ears
of American freemen? Let us hope not
but rather let us hope that the hearts and
minds OF our countrymcn, ignoring party
prejudces and ties, may be opened and ava
kcncd on this coming anniversary of the
hearty and independent resolution of their
foretathers to the necessity of imposing and
maintaining constant checks uDon official
power. This is the broad issue underlying
the vast field of our political controversies.
If by common consent we all join in giving
over to punishment the citizen who has in
tracted the law, how much more severely
should we visit abuse and usurpation ofpow-
er by the ruler to whom we confided it ? Are
not our liberties in greater danger from the
s.t-.,v avfuospncrc OF our JIines reuoent
With indifference and disregard of the most
Ysolemn pledges TO legal and constitutional
limitations upon power, executive, legislative,
and alas, judicial? And if such pledges are
to be kept, who shall be relied upon to keep
them but honest men?