The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1880-09-08

Z
And such a speech We have heaiu
but one excuse offered for such heu,
lev of nonsense and incoherence' ana
that is that the speaker must nave
been drunk. After a few minutes OF
vociferation, without point or pun,
and one or two anecdotes too old ana
stale to bring out even DemocrauC
gudaw, with the suggestion that nc
had reryimportant business elsewhere
he quit and left the house.
Then came Mr.. Waterman ana al
ten removing a few more heaps oil
flowers for little larger space, he
took his place on the same corner.
Almost his first utterance was that lie
had not come there to abuse or why
anybody,-the customary announce
ment of an intention TO set in full ope-
ration the mud-throwing machine
His illv conceived purpose was alter
wards fully manifested by spending
large share of his tune in denounclnS
in the screaming accents of an iniurl-
ated fish woman, as "a perJurer ana
brihe takcr." one whom such able ana
arrant Democrats as Senator Thurman
of Ohio, and Judge Black OF Penhsyl-
vania, in public speeches and letters
have pronounced beyond reproach or
the first suspicion of anything moral
ly wrong in the matter referred TO,
and one whom, the people of Ohio bad
delighted to honor with repeated cleo
tions by unparalleled and constantly
increasing majorities. 1t is really
amusing TO see these moral pigmles
with the calibre and range of striped
backed woodchuck essaying to squirt
the accommodations of their vile fluid at
the man, who, in moral grandeur, IS
as far above them as Gabriel Is above
grasshopper. 1t is probable that
MIR. Waterman with his good nature
and excellent ability, would not have
been so unwise as to enter this skunks
cannonade, had not the way been
opened and suitable ammunition pro-
vided for him by the notorious Tdr0or.
In the course of his speech, Mr..
Waterman said that if he should make
any mistakes, he gave leave to any
one there to correct him, and guaran-
tecd that the audience should give a
fair hearing.
In the course Of his remarks he ac-
cused the Republicans of insincerity
and purpose TO create a groundless
alarm when they suggested that the
hundreds of millions of claims already
presented and filed in Congress, and
the thousands of millions that may
yet be presented by Sontherners, may
be allowed and paid if the Government
should fall into the hands Of the parties
to which the claimants belong, because
he said it is 10 or 20 years since those
claims occurred, and they are all "out
lawcd," and besides q provision of the
14th Amendment to the Constitution
provides that they shall not be allow
ed. Who ever before heard that a
claim could not be paid by one willing
TO pay it because it was outlawed?
The trouble is not about the exist
ence of any obligation to pay, but
Of a willingness to pay aCithout obli-
CATION. At the conclusion Of the
speech, Mr.. wilkins, probably not
willing to rest under the implied adj
mission that no mistakes had been
made by going silently away, arose
and suggested that if he correctly un-
derstood the speaker he had made a
mistake in insisting that the rebel
claims could not be allowed without Il
violation of the 14th Amendment Of
the Constitution
Mr.. Waterman commenced to reply
by saying that he did not mean to be
exactly so understood, when an indi-
vidual in the audience passed to him
piece of paper saying "there it is"
Mr.. Waterman read it aloud and when
he pronounced the last word, at a
signal from the Governor, the faithful
ones commenced to stamp and soon
stomped out Of doors, and this was
the ''fair hearing" which Mr.. Water
man had guaranteed.
He had about the same control over
his audience that the Northern Demo-
Gratis have over three-fourths of their
entire party, the solid South. r.
*But neither the United States nor any
State, shall assume to pay any debt or
obligation incurred in aid of Instruction
or rebellion against the United States, or
any claim for the loss or emancipation of
any slave; but all such debts, obliga-
tions, and claims shall be held illegal and
void
This section of the 18th Amend
ment every lawyer understands does
not exclude any Of the many claims of
Southerners who ask the Government
to pay for all the damages done to
Southern plantations, for private pro-
perty taken and destroyed, &C., &c.
Bills introduced in Congress to pay
these claims already foot in amount
several hundred million dollars, and
every lawyer knows, as well as Mr..
Waterman, that all that is necessary
to ensure payment is to pass the Bills
and have them approved by the Presi-
dent Ed.
Senator Edmunds, says the Wor-
cester Spy, met Col. Waddell Of
North Carolina unon the train. recent.