Daily Kennebec journal., 1879-02-06
Southern Claims.

The bottled-up members of the South
ern democracy who desired to ventthem-
selves upon the subject of Southern
claims, were allowed an hour, by Speaker
Randall, the other day, in which to free
their minds. Mr.. Chalmers of Mississip-
pi, was the first to take the floor and be-
gin the work of fiaying Mr.. Bragg of Wis
consin for the heavy charge he had made
against his democratic brethren of the
South. He accused Mr.. Bragg of dishon-
esty, OF being actuated by corruptmotives,
of being less generous to the South than
the hated republicans, and said that 1.-THE
gentleman from Wisconsin had found a
bloodier shirt than had ever waved from
the battlements of the republican party,
and he was stretching his legs in frantic
effort to climb up to the republican plat
form and rob it of its last banner" He
reminded him also that if the Southern
democrats were not allowed to have their
way by their Northern brethren they would
seek other alliances. He also ridiculed
the idea of his being read out of the dem
ocratic church. by Bragg, and remarked
that even if the latter had authority to
speak in the name of the Northern democ-
racy' it was the first time anybody had
ever heard of a minority undertaking to
turn out majority Of the party" Wax
ing still warmer in his speech he said :
"This great leader from the solid demo-
cratic State of Wisconsin proposed to show
him to the door of the democratic party,
and when the South asked for Il small pro-
portion of government aid he treated her
like a mendicant, and said to her, like Won
Beckman to old Rip Van Wrinkle. "Give
her cold potato, and let her GO" That
gentleman reminded him of the Cow
boys" and "Skinners' of the Revolutions
ry War, who belonged to neither party,
but robbed indiscriminately from both and
fled in terror when danger approached.
The man struck first on one side and then
on the other, and whenever question
came up requiring fearless courage and
manhood he rushed in frantic terror into
the republican ranks to shelter his politi-
cal head. If such men were democrats,
upon what principle of democracy did
they stand? In conclusion Mr..
Chalmers remarked ''that if there
were any soreheads ordisappointed repub-
licans in the North who could not get into
Congress without putting on the lions
skins of the democracy, they should be
very careful not to open their mouths toe
wide when they get there"
After Mr.. Chalmers came several Other
Southern democrats with speeches in the
same vein as that of the first speaker
lashing the daring Bragg without mercy
and showing to the Northern democrac,
the path in which they must tread if they
expect any favors from the Solid South.
1t remains TO be seen whether the dem
ocrats of these Northern States will sus
tain Mr.. Bragg in his bold attack upon tn,
schemes of the ex-Confederates to plunde
the treasury for the benefit of that section
or whether they will submit quietly to tn,
flagellation bestowed upon them over tn,
shoulders of Mr.. Bragg. and eat dirt Il,
heretofore before their Southern masters
Ii is quite likely that Bragg will now b,
bottled up, and nothing more be heard al
present of Southern claims. But once let
the democracy gain full control of the ma.
tional government, and then will come in
real earnest and with all the power of tn,
South the demand for restitution for the
losses incurred by that section in the re
bellion.