Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-03-01
Monthly ,sr fntelligerlcer.
e EVENING, MARCH /. 1880.
Bayard's Peace Speech.

Bayard's Peace Speech.
Certain journals of influence have as
'umed that the republication of Mr..
5ayard's speech in favor of peace, made
20 the people of Delaware at the outset
II our civil war, necessarily takes him
'ut of the field of ofpresidential candidates
and this, not because he may be charged
with any unfriefdliness to the Union or
ack of sympathy with its cause, after
the struggle had been fairly entered into,
but solely because of his belief that the
war should have been avoided. The idea
is not that Mr.. Bayard's disloyalty un-
fits him for presidential candidacy, but
that he is tabooed, because his judgment
was against the Inauguration of war
that resulted successfully and in a re-
stored Union. No accusation Of dislOy-
atty is made; it is simply one of false
judgment; and judgment which, if
false, would at least have spared the
blood and treasure, the debt and death, ,
that the war cost. 1t is not even a
question whether this war was not am
ply repaid by the restored Union; for it
cannot be assumed that the separation
of the states, if then aceeded to, would
have been a permanent one. The inter-
ests of all the people of The United States
summon them to union with each other
in one government and if this is the
fact the states would not have remained
long apart. If it is not the fact, then
certainly the Union would not have been
restored and it ought not to have been ;
if it is not the fact the Union will not
long exist, now that it has been restored.
1t is not to be disputed that a single
democratic government cannot be perm
anently maintained over sections Of di.
verse interests when their political union
is, upon the whole, found to be disadvan-
tageous to any of them. The guarantee
of the perpetuity of our Union is based
upon the mutual interest of the states in
it, or it is founded upon sand.
That Mr.. Bayard has ceased to bt
available as candidate because he wa:
for peace instead of war, even for two
months after Fort Sumter had been firet
upon in 1861, is not so certain as it ha!
been assumed to he at first blush by very
many, if not most.of those who have con
sidered it. The onlyweight it is entitled
to is as an indictment of his politica
judgment, if he was wrong. He bOldl.
assumes now the full responsibility fO
what he said then, and declares that HI
stands just there to-day. 81 am op
posed.' he declares, to internicin'
strife "and he challenges the Republican
party, and asks the Democratic party, t.
make this the issue of the political con
test this year.
The demand is at least worthy of con
sideration. Mr.. Bayard has this advan
tage in his position taken in 1861, that i
was taken by the great mass of the Dem
ocratic party at that time. Their advice
was not taken and their judgment wa
not followed. We are not convinced tha
they were mistaken but it would scarce
ly be wise in us, now that we have pait
our full share of the cost of the opposite
policy, to put ourselves in position t.
reject the profit that may come to us from
it. The Union is now in our hands ant
its power is ours to control the po
litical element that found it to its
advantage to bring on the fratricida
war and which did bring it on for selfisl
purposes. 1t is not to our political ad
vantage to maintain our position of 1861
we can well afford to try the idea then act
ed upon that Union of force is the kint
we have. It is certain to be reversed
whenever the interests of the states be
come too diverse, if they ever do; bu
meanwhile the idea will answer to sub
due every weak show of rebellion.
But we can frankly assume full shar
with Mr.. Bayard for our peace proclivi
ties in 1861. We have no reason to bt
ashamed of them. If we were wrong head
ed our hearts at least were right and w
would not be at all afraid to put VI
now candidate who declared in 1856
that he was for peace. The people ar
not so senselesS as to strike down a goot
man, loyal to the Union all through TIN
war, because he did not want it to be.
Tfthry nave this disposition we hav
very little available presidential timber il
the Democratic party ,and even the Reput
licans would find their public men NOR
than decimated. Mr.. Tilden was thor
oughly with his party in its opposition t
the war, and of course, it is not he VIII
casts this first stone at Mr.. Bay
ard. For Mr.. Tilden and MI
B yard to contend over thi
matter would be veritable Kilkenn,
cat fight. They had better both boldl.
stand by their position in 1861, and tn
Democratic party will stand there alon:
with them.
1t is paying very poor compliment tt
the intelligence of the voter to suppos'
that the war Democrat or war Republi
can of 1861, who believed in war from the
very outset and never doubted it:
expediency after Fort Sumter had
been fired on, will vote against
Mr.. Bayard because he was then fol
peace. If we are to have another civil
war soon, or to be threatened with it, ii
would excuse the Union men fol
voting against him; for he could not bt