The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-11-06

have not learned to admire the dishonest
system which our enemies have put in its
place With my whole heart / demand the
restoration of sound principles. If that be
Bourbonism, make the most OF it.
Bot bave adverted to these historical facts
for purpose. wish to show why 1t Is that
every man who believes in the whole Ameri-
can system of government should be friend
of General Hancock. He is, and has always
been, for it in every part: His sword defended
the lawful authority of the Union; he threw
his shield before the breast of civil liberty; 1t
was his great order that indicated State SOW
ereignty.
not be denied that he ought to be num-
bered among the greatest benefactors OF his
country. But there are men who, 10 serve IN
terests that are not the interests OF the coun-
try, oppose his election upon certain false
pretences which isgrace themselves, and not
him or his friends. The highest politicians
among his opponents have not hesitated to
predict that the advent of Democracy TO pow
er would be marked by the
PAYMENT OF THE SOUTHERN WAR CLAIMS,
whereby the Federal treasury would be surely
made bankrupt. This does not rise to the
dignity of a humbug, As an electioneer1ng
Our candidate has exploded it by declaring
that he would veto any such measure.
There You have a secure pledge upon
hitherto unsulIied by a single falsehood. But
to show the absurdity of the thing, some little
examination ought to be given to its original
character.
admit that an honest, just and legal claim
of Southern man is as good as If 1t were held
by YOU or me, and ought to be as promptly
paid. But what are called " war claims OF the
South" are no claims at all, in any proper
sense of the word. After the close of the war,
the citizens or subjects of one belligerent can
not claim compensation for damages done 10
their property or persons by the other' Ia the
treaty of peace, in which such compensation
was provided for. This was war..public war
so declared by both parties-snd all neutral
powers treated them as belligerents. There
was no treaty-the south simply gave up the
contest because it was no longer able to carry
it on. By the public law of the world, and by
the rules which prevail, and have prevailed
in all similar cases, the loss which any indi-
vidual may have suffered is damnum absque
injuria, for which he has, and can have no re-
dress. Nor is the claim any better because it
Is set mp by a person who in his heart was OPP
posed to his Government.
THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
have held that the property of a Union man
residing in Virginia during our civil war was
liable to capture or destruction; precisely ike
the property of a person armed and fighting
on the side of his State. Both are public ene-
mics, and the legal rights of both are deter
mined, not by their personal sentiments con-
corning the cause or object of the war, but by
their citizenship or dOmiciie in the hostile ter
ritory. 1t follows that all claims of that kind,
no matter by whom presented, are false
lie Treasury without robbing it. Besides the
people of the Northern States Tor the South
either for the matter OF that, can not be con-
stitutionally taxed to raise money tor sn .t,a
Is expressly limited in the grant to certain
specific objects-"to pay the debts, and pro-
vide for common defense and general welfare
of the United States" Certainly a claim with
out legal foundation is not a debt, nor can the
payment of it be called provision for the
common defense and general welfare. 18
This accusation against the Democracy was
made in 1876 Our then candidate, Mr.. Tilden,
repealed it by declaring that he would pay
none of these claims without special legisla-
on n Gen d goes aasne s ana says
pose. IL were authority, as l am not and
never will be, / would go further still, and
hold that all such legislation. no matter by
whom approved, or how passed, is void and
of no effect. In this view the whole Democ-
racy Is with us, or win be when the subject is
fully considered. The body of the Southern
people assent to it as fully rs the rest of us,
and the most popular of their representative
men I'm both Houses of Congress have said
that such claims ought not to be made or al
lowed. To them, as to all men, we owe equal
and exact justice, according to the law of the
land. III they wanted more, as a condition of
acting with us In the cause of honest govern
ment, they would have to go out from among
rs. We will neither buy them or sellthem, and
rejoice TO know that they are not in the mar
ket or open to any bids 49,. ,,..
THUS THE QUESTION Is SETTLED
as far rs the Democracy is concerned. But
mark the acknowledged corruption of our OPP
ponents on this very subject They them
selves have paid uncounted millions of these
same illegal and unfounded war claims.
can not give the amount, and do not sup
pose that any body knows il accurately, bur
have seen estimates which put it up to nearly
500, 000Oo0 which may or may not be above
the mark; but the amount makes no differ
enee in the principle. You all know how they
passed one or two special acts appropriating
large sums as donation out Of the public
Treasury which were put into the hands of
partisan Commissioners to be distributed as
gratuity among their political friends in the
South The Commissioners were expressly
ordered by the terms of the act itself to con-
fine their favors to loyal men, and so, in the
sgs party he sou we All sR
what Is meant BY loyalty in their vocabulary;
q loyal man Is one who votestf1efr ticket
And I.call this distribution of money among
that class OF persons a corrupt gift to bribe
them. The Republican Congress took the
public money out of the Treasury by pro-
cess not whit honester than stealing. and
placed 1t, as Cakes Ames placed the stock of
the Credit Mobilier. Z" where 1t would do them
the most good"
The speaker then reviewed at some length
the
Boosted FINANCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Of the Republican party while in power, the
direct result of which, he showed, was that
more fortunes were lost by honest people
engaged In legitimate business, and won by
mere spectators, than were ever lost or won
in any other country in the same length of
time. large proportion of all the wealth we
had passed from the many to the few. Never
in the world did the process of making the
rich richer and the poor poorer go on so rap
idly or to such an extent If there be one
thing which the Republican party ought to be
more ashamed of than another, it is its
financial bungling. You remember that at
one time three hundred millions of our bonds
were sold in Germany for an equal amount in
greenbacks, when grcenbacks were worth
here mt home only thirty five cents on the
dollar, and would not pass at all anywhere
else. Really and truly, we got for these three
hundred millions of bonds only little more
than one hundred millions. Other trans
actions of similar character were made
during a period of many years, which,
when taken together, will show that
probably we did not realize more than
an average of 50 per cent ON all the bonds
that were sold. Thus one result of cur system
was to make debt of six thousand millions
for consideration of three thousand millions
received. The people were taxed to pay the
whole sum- We stood up to 1t faithfully, but
it was the heaviest buI1len ever borne by hu-
man shoulders. The taxes, National State
andmunicipe1. absorbed ali the profits of eli
the labor of the country. The men who crea-
ted wealth by their work were Obliged 70 part
With AL their earnings, above what kept life
u their bodies TO swell tbs colossal Sortunes
Of GpecuI0tOrs.