The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1876-08-30

| SOVAAy ahu oSIiOuSly. Odtu Lney naQ
already united South, which would
be nearly enough, and that their
Democratic allies in the North dare
not deny them the little more, the few
more votes, that they would need.
This is their idea to-day-to gain by
legislation, by means Of diplomacy
and trickery, what they failed to gain
by means Of force. / believe it; L
know it. AL their expressions sug-
gest it, and all their actions prove It.
What else do they mean2 Why is it
that the State of Missouri has issued to
every former owner of slaves in that
State certificate for 81 900 for every
slave, payable when the General Gov
ernment will pay it2 This very thing,
the total amountoffhe value of theirs
emancipated slaves, is now estimated
as part of the State debt of Missouri.
used to think that this was a Repub.
lican falsehood-the certificate mat
ter. But it is an actual fact, and
these certificates, and all certifcntes
or showings of losses sustained through.
out the State, are being saved up as
carefully as money against the day
when the Democracy, and the rebel
element ruling it in the National
Government, shall have attained to
power. If Missouri will do this thing,
and hold out this promise to pay for
all emencipated slaves, why will not
all the Southern, all worse rebel states
do it, and will not they do it? A
THE CONFEDERATE HOUSE. 81
When these things came to my
knowledge l could do no less than
halt for further developments, watch
ing suspiciously every movement made
thereafter which | could see had
tendency toward drawing tho Democ-
racy North and South nearer together,
union which l could see would inev-
itably put the old rebel element at tie
head of and virtually in control of the
party. Events have eliminated rap
idly since then, and had not long to
wait to see the whole programme. The
Democratic House soon gave me light.
For some time l have been ready to
answer the question, "Have you left
the Democratic party?" have. And
| am often asked now, sis it so. "Wiil
you vote for Hayes and Wheeler ?" 1t
is so; and | will work for them as
we'll as vote for them. My Dem
ocratic friends ask me for my reasons.
They are plenty of them, and all of
them cannot be told in these few re.
marks. 1t is not necessary to tell all.
First, let me say that my abandon
ment of Democracy was not caused,
as has been charged by the press of
that party, because of the currency or
tariff questions. / have no objection
to those planks in the st. Louis plat
form. But my reasons are, as have
already indicated, and will now state i
further. The Democrats who press
me for my reasons may know them.
On the road the other day | met an
old democratic friend--one of the Van |
Buren county Democrats, whom Dave |
Steward, in his screed in the paper
the other day, said never had any
faith in my Democracy after | went
into the war. Quite excitedly he |
wanted to know if it was true the re-
port that | had left the Democratic
party. at is fact" He asked the |
reasons for it. / told him they were
quite plenty and sufficient, and as we
had plenty of time would tell him
some Of them. Something of what |
have already stated here was first said,
and then / said that the first thing | |
didn't like in the Democratic House
was the appointment of Fitzhugh, the
Sergeant.at-Arms of the Confederate
Congress, as doorkeeper of the House,
and the displacement of Union sol.
diers-many of them crippled in tts
WARMTH the ex-members of the
rebel army. He wanted to know if |
they didn't have a right to do this. |
answered that they had, but that /
also had the right TO disapprove and
denounce it, Another thing I didn't
like was Ben Hills rebel speech and |
its bold utteranee of treason, aud 1
didn't like the rebel yell in response
to it all over the South, for l had
heard that yell before, and ! knew
what it meant. They tell me-the
Democrats / am "scared of Ben
Hill" | don't think l am; l don't
think / was scared of any of the
Hills when met them in the
South l do not remember that I was.
Then / told my friend how worse than
all of the many bad and unblushing
acts of the Democratic House, / es-
teemed as Infamous the act ofappoint-
ing to the clerkship of the leading
committee of the House the man
Hanhlaton who noD,aJ his con Tob,