Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-10-13
"sAp-o, so SAD ~

AT Prlnce5s Annel Gne OLher Gay, Senator
Bayard appears to have wrought upon the
sensibilities of Democratic gathering in
the court house to an extent that the
thoughtful patriot may not improbably
think extreme. We rely upon the True
Mdrylander's report, which represents Mi.
Bayard thus
.'When look at the way in which un.
principled men," he said, "have outraged
the laws, the trust of the great American
people, the confidence of the better men of
their own party, it does not make me angry
but it makes me sad, so sad" This was
said with pathos, and a sudden oyercloud-
ing of his face that was lighted all up with
energy but moment before. He looked
tired of tile contest, and the people could
not break the spell with applauding.
Few, We presume, will be able to read this
paragraph without at least a tendency to
tears, and quick apprehension how the
Courthouse meeting at Princess Anne must
have felt when, with the overclouding of
the Senator'S face, he said he felt " so sad. ="
The pathos in the i" 30" is noticeable, and
it forms study in dramatic art. If he had
said " so very, uery sad, it is probable that
his auditors must have abandoned them
selves to sobs and hysterical weeping.
Now let us inquire what made Mr.. Bayard
" so sad" Unprincipled men, he said, have
outraged the laws. This is very true. 1t has
brought great sadness indeed upon the Unit
ed States. Thousands of graves have been
filed, and thousands of homes made desc.
late by the rebellion they organized and
waged. Sorrow did indeed sit by many a
hearthstone and reoite with accents of grief
the loss Of those who had been sacrificed
to the unholy ambitions of the leaders in
civil war. Desolated and red with blood,
the border land between the fields of Sla-
very and those of Freedom cried out, with
avoice that will pierce the ages, its lament
for the wickedness of the men, who, in the
interest of human bondage, could raise
their hands to destroy the American Union.
Was it this that overloaded Mr.. Bayards
face? Or was it the later recital of horrors
that comes up from the South? Did he not
learn in Mississippi more than enough OF
the slaughter and outrage by which his OWL
party associates had coerced the Will of tie
psople2 1t ought to bring clouds to the
face of any man to read at this distance the
horrid record of the shotgun policy in tbs
South. but it may well be chat MIR. Bayard
himself. going to the very neighborhoot
where those deeds of barbarism we're per
pstrated, and learning their enormity in al
its fullness of detail, is overcome by the
natural feelings of humane heart The
o1trages upon every principle of free gov
ernment, the overthrow of every pretenct
to respect for the will OF the people, the
prescription of labor for opinions sake
the cruelties of men who, to graft
fy political ends, seem to become
barbarians, lost to all sense oi
Justice and even of humanity -
these things, exhibited in the South this day
by men who are the associates Of Mr.. Bay
ard, Joined with him in common cause,
and for the accomplishment of the same
purpose, may well rise before his vision as
he rises to speak of his country, and they
may well 5mite his conscience with remorse
and open the fountains of his sadness.
There is doubt remaining, it is true,
whether the Senator felt sad for the reasons
we suggest, or not. Perhaps the doubt on
one side is greater than the probability on
the other. And yet who can help the feel
ing that when an American Senator, familiar
with the history of his country for the last
twenty years, and knowing but too well the
source of her Affections, stands before his
fellow citizens feeling sad-O, so sad-he
must be experiencing the pangs that are
natural to apatriot, and not be practicing
the more arts of the political special plead
er?