The Portland daily press., 1880-09-24


| loathed and shunned,-an not embraced--hov
| high in the armament of the Union would
| glitter the constellation of the SOUTH
| affirm that the broad issue ut this election is
whether our colossal fabric of commercial in
| dustrial and financial interests shall be- under
| the management and protection of those who
| chiefly created and own it, or shall be handed
| over to the sway of those whose share in it is
small, and whose experience, antecedents
theories and practices do not fit them or entitle
them to assume control.
Tariffs, tax laws, finances, currency. banks
courts, appropriations, the maintenance and
enforcement of National as well as State laws
these are the things upon which prosperity
depends, and these are the things at stake in
this election. The party which represents the
tax-paying portion of the country is the party
whose representatives can best be trusted to
vote upon drafts on the treasury.
The consideration of disparity of interest if
II stood alone, ought TO turn the scale in de-
cidlng whether to put the government into the
hands of the Democratic party ''as now con-
stituted and controlled" in the language of
Gen Grant But inferiority of interest or all
tagonism of interest is unfortunately not the
only consideration. Banded sectional resent
ments and sterile hates disfigure and pervert
the political policy of those who dominate the
South, foreboding immeasurable peril and evil
should they come to WELD the whole forces of
the national government.
MIR. Conkling next summed mp the crimes
and feuds which have made the South "solid"
for the Democracy, showed The bad uses of their
political power made at home by the Southern
Democrats in repudiating their State and local
debts, and argued that national obligations
could not be safe in that section if those of
States were not. The speaker continued:
The peril of Democratic ascendancy in all
the branches of the government is deeper
rooted than any measure within the scope of
existing pulic questions. Statesmen abroad
talk Of the "balauce of power and of "cbang-
ing the map of Europe" These sayings mean
not much more than might easily occur here
The resolution admitting Texas to the Union
IN lo45 provided for erecting out of Texas four
additional States. The area and population
are both sufficient. The area is 274 900 square
miles, the population is 100000. Such pro-
ceedlng would add eight to the number of
Southern Senators, and add to Southern power
in the electoral college. From New Mexico
and other territories, whose traditions and
preJudices have descended from save-hoding
Influences, several new States may also be
made. Schemes exist, not in embryo bat far
advanced, to obtain "slice of Mexico" Cat
tie stealing on the Rio Grande border has
been and is a fruitful occasion for incursions
into Mexico. Special cavalry regiments of un-
usual size have been raised and stationed OH
the Texan frontier. 1t is an open secret that
not long ago much exertion and alertness were
needed to keep us out of another Mexican
war
Without violating the constitution or tram
scehdlng the usageS of the Republic, at least
seven new states could be brought in, and in
the case OF some of them very plausible case
could be made. The project would become
nigh party measure. Its success would assure
complete Democratic ascendency in the nation
for generation at least. 1t would put the
government not merely in the hands of the
Democratic party, but of the Southern Demo-
cratic party
Why should not this be done? Who and
what is to prevent it if the Democratic party
is elected? The northern wing could never
resist the southern wing in Congress were
these new states brought forward for admis-
sion. The northern wing never could, never
Will, and never can withstand the pressure of
the lar stronger south wing. Grayitation and
arlthemetic make such resistance impossible,
just as pound cannot outweigh ton, lust as
one man cannot outnumber regiment. The
past is pitiful in its warnings in this behalf.
Despite pledges and northern indignation,
northern Democrats in Congress united in vot
ing down the Wilmot proviso in order to make
California slave state united in voting for
the fugitive slave law; united in the mighty
perhdy which overthrow the Missouri compro-
mise IN order to fasten slavery on Kansas and
other states, and united in defeating the
homestead laval at the behest of the south
ern majority.
Mr. Van Buren, at last, like Macbeth would
go no further In this bloody business" and
political destruction was his reward. Mr..
Douglas at last made a brave stand against
sectional aggression, and he was hunted to
his grave. Caucus is king, and the avenging
angel is hardly more inexorable in decree, or
more unerring in retribution.
Mr. Conkling next described the means by
which the judiciary could be reorganized
through legislation, ithe army enlarged and
its vacant places filed up from rebel veterans,
the revenue laws remodeled so as to strike
down protection" and release whiskey and
tobacco from internal imposts, the laws en-
forcing the war amendments repealed, and
the national banking system destroyed. On
the matter of disloyal war claims, he said
War claims upon the treasury have been
and will be a subject fruitful of much agita-
ton. L am moved to refer to it by the
wholly groundless assertion in regard to it
now going the rounds of party journals. The
fashion of this assertion seems to have been
set by Mr.. Randall, the speaker of the House
of Representatives. Mr.. Randall is one of the
ablest and most intelligent as he is one of the
most courageous men of his party, and 1 speak
of him with much respect. In several speeches
he has taken up the matter of southern claims
always to say that they are barred by the four
teenth amendment of the constitution. 1t
puzzles me to see how so discerning a-man can
have fallen into such an error. The proceed.
ings over which he presdes constantly refute
the assertion.
in the fourteenth amendment stand these
words: Neither the United States nor any
State shall assume or pay any debt or obliga-
tion incurred in aid of insurrection or rebel
lion against the United States, or any claim
for the emancipation of any slave; but all such
debts, obligations and claims shall be held ille-
gal and void" The claims which stand in
staggering totals in bills already before Con-
NJ inc h lie fDh hox
lot touched by this section of the constitution.
For example, it is insisted that the direct
tax imposed by the nation on all States in 1861
should as to the seeded States be refunded.
The amount claimed is $2,492, 10. Again, it
is said the war tax laid on cotton should be
refunded. The argument is that cotton, like
wheat and corn, is product Of the earth and
that wheat and corn were not taxed and
therefore cotton should not have been
taxed. There is plausbility in this;
but petroleum is product of the earth
also, and that was heavily taxed not only dur
ing the war but afterward, and yet Pennsyl-
vania has never claimed that the money should
be refunded. The amount of cotton tax
claimed is $40, ,1S0, 900.
Again, buildings were occupied. crops were
trampled, fences and wood were burned, pro-
visions were consumed, edifices were demol-
ished and regions were laid waste by the ar
mics of the ULion. The total of such claims
dizzies arithmetic. These are not "debts or
obligations incurred in aid OF inSurrection or
ebelion"-decidedly not in aid of rebellion.
They are claims because of acts done to crush
rebellion. The constitutional amendment
does not come within gunshot of them,
The error of the distinguished speaker is
the more puzzling because as reported he
said in another part of hisi address recently
that the Republican majority in Congress had
paid 500, 600 Of such claims. This, Il pre-
sumo, is true if he means that Republicans
have voted to pay Uniony men whose property
was taken for public use the value of the prop
erty so taken. But whether correct in the
amount or not, he is certainly correct in say
ing that vast sum has been so paid. Does
not this fact clearly show that such claims are
not extinguished by the constitution. If they
were so extinguished, surely the law-making
power would not have been so stupid or wick
ed as to pay them year after year, and this
without any member of either house suggest
ing that the constitution stood in the way.
These appropriations for Southern claims also
throw light on the question whether Republi-
can action in Congress has been hostile and
cruel to the South. The statutes on the SUBJ
iect enacted by Republicans made the loyalty
of the claimants sine qua non, aDd the DEM
ocrats have repeatedly voted to repeal the 10y
atty test, and bills for this purpose are now
pending There can be no doubt that the way
is wide open to all the Southern claims which
majority can be found to vote for and Pres
ident to sign.
Tn conclnsion Mr. Copklip0 avnocad +ba