The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1879-04-24
MISREPRESENTATION.

IHe republican, party laDOfS IN
ceasingly to maintain its power by
characterization. Every expression ca
pable of being contorted into a
disloyal utterance, is made to bear that
construction. When Lamar delivered
speech in the senate during the last ses-
sion of congress in which he said that
''every fiber of his heart responded to
the cause of the SOUTH" he used the
past tense, and his language was made to
express as clearly as a master of the En-
glish language could, that during the
war his heart was entirely with his Sec
ton. But the republican press trans
formed his words and made it appear
that he said his heart now responds" to
the cause of secession. This species of
Justification would be discreditable to
the members of q backwood's debating
society. But the Inter ocean made that
garbled statement and also extracts from
the Oklahoma States the issue in the mum
icipal election of Chicago. Jeff Davis is
another favorite OF the republicans. If
the president of the southern confederacy
were in danger of dying, no prayers for
his preservation would be more sincere
than those offered by the republican
politicians. They use his name to
brighten the people, IS the Saracens did
that of Richard Cour deLeon to quiet
their children through fear. If JEFF Da-
Wis is such villain, such a covert plotter
against the life of the nation, why did
the republican party spare his life when
he had forfeited it through rebellion 1t
was certainly better that jeff should die
than that he should live to keep the
country agitated through his treason,
stratagem and spoils.
Again, the speech of Blackburn of
of Kentucky is given to the people, mu-
tilated SO as to give Blackburn the fea-
lures of dangerous man man. The
speech in question is one of the most
eloquent and patriotic ever delivered in
the house. Not one sentiment does it
contain which the most sensitive patriot
could not heartily endorse. But repub-
lican congressman, and newspapers have
by ingeniously curtailing sentence,
made it appear that Blackburn took an
| attitude hostile to the amendments grow
ing out of the war. Mckinley of Ohio,
| in pursuance of the unmanly policy of
misquoting, charged Blackburn with
having said that the democrats did not
intend to stop until they had stricken
| from the. statute books the last vestige
| of the war measures" Blackburn in
| formed him that the sentence, as quoted,
was incomplete and requested him to
read the entire sentence. He declined,
stating that he did not have the speech
with him. Blackburn sent him the
speech containing the portion of the
sentence above quoted with the follow
ing modifying clause: (Which, like
these election laws, had been born of
passions incident to civil strife, and look
ed alone to the abridgment of the liberty
of the citizen" Can any reasonable
man, no matter what his politics, declare
that the sentiment contained in the en-
tire sentence is not eminently sound
! Anu can any one acquainted Win TIE
rules Of syntax, believe that the part
quoted by Mckinley and the sentence
used'bY Blackburn are not entirely diff
ferent in meaning and in latitude?
Laws enacted during war and par
ticularly, civil war, and designed to
meet some contingency created by that
war, are entirely unsuited to times of
peace. During war the constitution
must frequently give way to necessity;
during peace it cannot be set aside un-
less through the means prescribed by
itself. The habeas corpus act may be
suspended during a time of rebellion
during peace it remains as an unassaila-
bic safeguard against unjust deprivation
OF liberty. Can any one be so senseless
as to believe that laws enacted when
mems passions ruled their Judgment, or
when the condition of affairs was such
that laws abridging personal rights pro-
NOTED the public good, should not be
repealed when the circumstances which
made their passage polite measure, no
longer exists Blackburn's utterance in
this matter is the thought Of statesman
and the pulling notes of Frye and Nc
Kinley indicate the contemplate dema-
gogue.