The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-05-09

want and trouble.
ELECTIONS MUST BE FAIR. |,
senator David Davis Speaking for the
Freedom OF the Ballot.
The great event of the day was the /
speech of Senator Davis of Illinois. HIS ,
assumed political independence OF Dotn {
parties, his personal relations with Mr.. I
Lincoln, and his position as an occa- I
talked of candidate for the {
Presidency, gave additional interest to
his speech. Many members of the ,
House came over to hear what Judge ,
Davis had to say. MIR. Biaino quit his ,
side OF the chamber and took seat .
Immediately In front OF the speaker, so .
that half the time Judge Davis seemed
to be speaking for his especial neneht:
The Senators ON both sides listened
with the closest attention. He read
his speech from manuscript. 1t was
short, concise, admirably poised In tenn
| per, and framed in judicial tone that
gave peculiar force to his argument.
Beginning with repudtation Of any
caucus or party influence, Judge DAVIS
! condemned the excited and sectional
character of the debate. He said there |
1
sions of the war fourteen years after
the war had ceased and while the
Federal Government was Obeyed
throughout tho entire Union. The cry
of revolution he regarded as absurd
when four per cent. bonds wore sold Mt
par. The charge was mere fiction.
But while it had no foundation 1t
tended to demoralize tho country and
unsettle business. Instead of reviving
| kk~< u az y<Nf
politiciOns to devise methods OF RELIEF
to the Impoverished people of the coun-
try. Turning to the disputed section
, of the bill, Mr.. Davis most strongly
condemned the use of troops at the
polls, arguing that 1t was purely war
, measure, and that none of those who
voted for 1t expected 1t to remain as a
i permanent law of the land. Tho days
l. of the republic, he contended, would
l. be numbered whenever the people
"a should consent to put tho ballot box
Il under the protection of the bayonet
y Can 1t be possible that a principle Of
3. common law, the right of the people t.
j. have an election free from the presence
A. of tooops, so dear to Englishmen on
ic hundred years ago, is not equally dea
le to their Descendants Mt the present day
40 Mr.. President, it will require som
III one now living to write accuratei
v, the history of these times future hi'
'Ie torian will be slow to believe thu
,f- there was any basis ON which to res
its such an inquiry in the Congress OF til
United States during the latter part {
tv the nineteenth century. Why the
re should not the law of 1865 be altered
,r- the manner proposed by the bill? 1t
Mt said that President Lincoln signed II
,r- and tho inference is that 1t woul
Iv reflect on his memory to change 1t. Il
A. SsNft Afr rfNn
H. presumption from such predicate
m No man loved Mr.. Lincoln better, q
~ honors his memory more than l dt
it nor had any one greater opportunitie
in to learn tho constitution of his min
nd and character, and his habits {
nm thought. He was large hearted, wise
to than those associated with him, fu
ri of sympathy for struggling humanity
hc without malice, with charity for erin
&C. men, loving his whole country with
nd tleep devotion and intensity; anXiOt
ioi to save it. Believing, as l do, that
lid was raised up by proviaence for tt
nd great crisis of the war of the rebellion
Tho I have equal belief that had he live
rc- we would have been spared much
md the strife OF these latter days, aud tn
vcs we would be on the high road to pro
nal perity. Such n man, hating all forn
ve,l of oppression, and deeply imbucd wi
md tho DrlnClplO JuaL IluuCCu SuS AASA
ell 1776 to resist the stamp tax would nov
havc willingly intrusted power to Il,
uro one, unless war was fiagranr,
he send troops to oversee an elcctit
IF q Why then, I repeat, should not
,im proposed measure pass? There Is
18th rebellion, nor any threatened; nor
the domestic uproar anywhere. The Uni
cle is cemented by the blood that was 81
ym- in defence of its integrity; the laws
and obeyed North and South, East
by West; and our cnly real differeu
:. it relate to the administration OF
we internal affairs of the Government
neS-
ana The desire to return to the whipp
the post is SO strong in Kentucky thar
nos some counties, candidates for the i.c
Il go I,ture nre coinpclIcd to pledge the
will snivcs tn sustain the measure or
our their chance of election. The o'Jec
anu tO save EXPENSE.