Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-07-10
LOCAL NEWS.
Tilden and Hendricks.

TIE DEMOCRATIC RATIFICATION MEETING,
SATURDAY EvENING-sPEEoH OF MIR. BAY
ARD.
The Democratic ratification meeting on
Saturday evening was perspiring affair,
devoid Of enthusiasm. Probably five hun
dred people were present. standing in a
loose cluster,in King street, ,at 9Th, butt was
too warm for exertion, and the exuding
moisture dampened whatever ardor might
otherwise have been excited. Mayor White
ley presided, with one vice-President from
each of the wards in the city and the hun
dreds of the county, most of whom we're
conspicuous by their absence. r. H. Tay-
lor, Jacob Butz and VIM. Herbert were the
secretaries, and the City Cornet Band fur
nished the music.
Senator Bayard was the only speaker,
Senator Eaton having been detained at
Washington by sudden sickness. Mr.
Bayard's speech was not by any means
brilliant effort. He seemed i'll at ease, for
some cause, his delivery was labored, and
he scarcely did justice to himself. The is
sues of the campaign are presented, he
said, in reformation of abuses which must
result in a revival of the things which
strengthen Republican Government, or make
Republican Government an impossibility in
this land. Year after year he had seen the
theories of the Republican party receive
| the apparent sanction of the people, but he
| believed the indications now point to re-
formation or change which will bring back
the Government to purity and the respect
| to which it was entitled in the days of the
fathers. The need for change he under
| took to show from the paralysis in industry
and manufacture the shrinkage in values
and the general lack of confidence, all the
result Of paper money of credit, which it
would be just as reasonable for private in
dividuals to print as it is for the Govern
| ment to issue through its officers.
Underlying the reforms needed in the
tariff and civil service is, he said that of
honesty in the administration, without
| which the others are useless. Money, he
declared, is stolen from the treasury after
it gets there, and he made the positive
averment that much more than half the
money paid into the Treasury in the past
ten years had been stolen by dishonest Of
ficers." These abuses the Democratic
House had exposed, he said, but the Re-
with true spirit of disapproval. They
had not punished the thieves and corrup-
tionists, although they have had
control of the courts, the judges
and the attorneys for 16 years, and it is be-
cause of this that the St. Louis nominees
will be elected. There are,h he admitted, bad
men in the Democratic party, but there ie
this difference {: ''they do not rule, as dc
the rogues i'll the Republican party, and il
will be our duty to throttle them as s. J. Til.
den did in New York" Granting that the
disclosures mado had been undertaken in 6
partizan spirit. it made no difference, he ar
gued as the people are benefited. BE ar
raigned the Republican party and press fol
not cooperating in the exposures, and chal
lenged the production of a single instance
wherein a asRepublican had called thief I
thief and denounced his crimes.
The insincerity Of Republican promise oil
reform he undertook to show by the actor
of the Senate in paying to Pinehback $780,.
900 after it had decided him not entitled tt
his seat, and continuing, he said, there il
no chance in the Republican party for any
honest man. Bristow, who knew that mil
lions Of dollars was being stolen from thl
Government in the whiskey traffic, the,
submitted to quickly at first but not willing
ly, but after his prosecutions were begun hI
did not have the support of the Republican
party or press, Of Mr.. Hayes or Mr. Wheel
er, nor of any of those who now euppor
them But notwithstanding Babcocks g ras
calitiee, Pierrepont's disgraceeful actions il
the trial. and the Presidents nomination o
Judge Fisher to office, with all the clou'
which is hanging over him, MIR. Baysrd sai'
. he could not believe chat President Grant
hands are unclean with money. Nor ye
can he say so of Mr.. Hayes, who is thirt
rate man in ability and inferior to Grant
who is powerless with his firm and infexi
BILE WILL and this being the case, "what cal
poor little Hayes do if made President ?'
Mr.. Bayard then went on to state Mr.
Tilden's qualifications for the Presidency
basing his merits upon his fight with thu
Tammany ring and canal thieves, ant
- claiming for him purity of life, noble
. ness of character. frmness of purpos
and an ability to comprehend questions o
Government which Mr., Hayes did not pos
sess. 1t is curious fact that during hi
speech of ali hour and half Mr.. Bayar
did not but once use the name or allude Il
Mr.. Hendricks, and that WAS in naming til
candidates nominated at st. Louis.
@. P. johnson offered series Of resolu
tions demanding change in the Govern
- ment by the election of Tilden and Hen
bricks, endorsing the st. Louis platform
, and inviting the cordial cooperation of a
citizens, which were adopted, and the meet
ing broke up amid mingled cries for White
ley, O'Byrne and peanuts.