The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1878-08-15

cent but through which they suffered at
the hands of the party which seeks to in
culpate them. The constitution makes
the house the judge of the election of its
members and in rejecting certain persons
it acted solely in conformity with the
powers with which it Is invested by the
supreme law of the land.
So far, We have criticised the in
consistencies between the address and
the practices Of the republican party,
rather than the address itself. A
party which would accept in their en-
tirety the principles set forth in the ad-
dress, would certainly be the party which
would most advance the interests of the
country. But except in the matter of
finance, the republican party has commit
ted itself to a policy entirely at var
lance with the one outlined in the adj
dress. BY the deeds of its representative
members it has pronounced against civil
service reform. 1t has at all times been
opposed to the restoration of confidence
and good feeling between the sections.
It has been guilty of frauds beside which,
any committed by the democratic party,
are venial. A splendid address can not
purify the corrupt party now in power or
turn it from the error Of its ways. 1t
must be made to taste of adversely.
The address is not ingenious, it is de-
signed to deceive. 1t is intended to at
tract the attention of the people and
cover mountain of corruption. An in
stance of its disingenuousness: The
United States Constitution says:
Neither the United States or any
State shall assume or pay any debt or
obligation incurred in aid of insurrec-
ton, or rebellion against the United
States or any claim for the loss or eman-
cipation OF any slave; but all such debts
obligations and claims shall be held lie
gal and void.
In the face of this provision of the
constitution, the address Stimulates
alarm lest when the democrats come into
power, Hundreds of millions be added
to the public debt in payment Of property
destroyed by the armies, in communities
which were waging war for the destruc-
ton of the union.
The members of the committee are
intelligent men and they proceed DELHI.
erately to make political capital by raising
false alarm. Before any bill Of the
nature referred to can become law, the
constitution must be amended. To dc
this two-thirdS of both houses must
agree to it. 1t must then be submitted tC
the states for ratification, and requires
the assent of three-fourths of the states
of the union before it becomes valid
amendment. Tie allowance of those
claims rests entirely with the people and
not with the party in power Besides
there is nothing in the action OF the late
democratic house which goes to support
the supposition that democrats are at al
favorable to the payment of any suct
claims. Claims which from their nature
barely escaped the application of the
clause of the constitution quoted, were
passed by the house while the republi
cans were in the ascendant there. Never
were there so few claims arising from
the destruction of property during the
war, allowed since the termination Of The
war, than by the present congress. Til
den's letter in response to those idle
vLarsvs, won't further in denying com
| pcn5ation from the general government
| in cases of the destruction Of property
in the course of military operations thai
any republican candidate ever dared Il
go. 1t raised howl fro N the republican
press, that a good claim would be barred
! This silly argument is unworthy the in
! telligence of the men who advance it
BY it they incur the charge of demagog
ism with which they so recklessly charg
| the democrats. They should not hav,
disgraced work on which they show
disposition to pride themselves, by i'm
| posing on the credulity of people VIII,
may be ignorant of the provisions of the
| constitution.