The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-10-09

man. Beside, having III tn1 10; - g !. 49,
and qualities of the great soioier, ne Is u man
~ nenetratio and Judgment, man OF most
remarkable common sense ana sagacIy IA
civil affairs. Take his orders ~ tne S ,.h
e. the sstatesman'' or lawyer OF our times VINO
has exceeded his understanding Oh our GOV,
ernment and its workingsr ihese psPe.s on
his are indeed most remarkable, ana stamp
him as no mere fighting soldier. IKE sheridan,
hut as belonging in intellect to that class OF
great statesmen-soldiers, so 10 speak, OF wnicn
the great Frederick and Napoleon are iius'rr
Gus examples.
Hut, fellow-citizeus, II we must have q states
man for President, insist that he should be
clean statesman; one who has O fair ana honest
public record. The man Who'll elected py nfty
millions of people to I'LL Washngtons seat
should have a character above suspicion; at
least above proof of dishonesty. L approach
now painful feature Of this discussion. For
public morality and decency, could wish that
there was no necessity for any animadversion
upon the personal character OF candidate Tor
such an exalted office. And shall say Dut 9
few words upon q subject so unwclcome and
SO unpleasant. 1t was great misfortune to
the Republican party and to the whole coun-
try that the Chicago Convention. In moment
OF great ex element and enthusiasm, and with
out knowing what II did, passing over Wash
burne and Edmunds, and other honest men,
ing its Presidential candidate from that group
of dozen unsavory and damaged politicians
who, in the most corrupt and yenal period OK
our history, were exposed and disgraced Dy
But the party which has made this great ana
unfortunate blunder, and which, by making
II, has compelled me to discuss the record or
its candidate, now lifts up its bands in holy
horror ut what It calls personal SANDER and
"mud-throwing." The Republican party,
whose ISLANDERS broke the great, good heart Of
Horace Greeley, which has followed Samuel j.
Iilden four years with its lying pens, dipped
In the malice of hell, and which has never yet
failed to assail and blacken the character OF
Ia nrfA
out against " mud throwingr' Gods! what a
protest from such a quarterI
Now, repeat that nothing Is being said
about Mr.. GARFIELD except what Is suggested
by the record of his public sayings and acts.
Every candidate for President must necessa-
rily put these in issue, and when the people
OF discussiss them. this country Is on the high
road to despotism and destruction.
But IL must argue proposition so plain
suppose we turn this matter round and take
an illustration. Suppose now that the day
after General Hancock was nominated at Gin
cinnati it had been discovered that during the
war he had been court-martialed by commits
son say, of five officers, three or them bis own
immediate friends, for dishonesty coDnlying
with some sutler to cheat the soldiers or the
Government. Suppose he had denied the
charge, and had appeared before the commits
sion and sworn that he had had no relations
with the sutler, and had never received any
money from him, but the commission found
that he had, on their oaths, his friends with tho
rest. Now, what do you suppose the Repub-
lican party would have done about this? Do
you think they would have been so meek and
modest that they would ~ haze N Kept pc s.i aooas
Why, who would not concede that, under such
circumstances, they would be justified in
spreading before the people the 9 sworn record
bribetaker and Q perjurer, and UNFIT to be
Now, this is all the Democrats are doing with
General Garfield. He has been court-mar-
tailed by his own party in Congress, found
guilty Of conniviDg with an old political "sut-
Ter" by the name OF Cakes Ames, notw1tn-
standing he swore that he had had no such
dealings with the said Ames. Do l overstate
this matter? This Is. only one charge where
there are good many, bur Is it not fair sub
hour what the leading Republican papers
of the country said about this transaction.
and how they denounced Mr.. GARFIELD, some OF
them demanding his expulsion. These papers
are now supporting him for President, eating
their own words, and are joining In the new
position which the party is fast taking, that,
after all, there was nothing very bad in the
Credit Mobiiier. and that Cakes Ames is a
deeply-wroneed and persecuted mani 1t this
line can only be established, it will carry re
| lief and JOY to Colfax and Patterson and all
Pthe other christian statesmen"
said there are other serious charges against
Mr.. Garfeld-oue of them, at least, as dam
aging as this one-his relation TO the dis
honest District Paving Ring, where II Is CON
fessed that he received hve tnousand do,, hin
-
he made no argument and prepared no brief,
, but did secure, as the Chairman OF the Com
mittee on Appropriations. an appropriation
of millions of the peoples money to put into
the pockets of ring OF swindlers Tor rot
| ten and worthless pavement. This Is most
serious charge, and It Is par. OF the Zen ubbllc
charges, but these are enough. The unques-
toned facts, without straining, show that this
man is destitute of high public integrity, and
| he belongs to that odous class Of our modern
| public men who make unlawful gains and
merchandise ont of public office, and seek TO
| canting and SWIVEL about "freedom and relig-
ion." In the light of the facts us to their cam
didate, submit it will not do for the Repub-
| lican leaders and organs to talk about Sian.
| ders and "mud-throwing" and "Giddiugs' old
| District" nor will it answer for them to come
| to us with the magnanimous proposition to
| call 1t quits between their candidate and ours.
| The Democratic party this time has nomi-
mated q candidate who Is pure and clean. q
candidate who is capable and honest" up to
SeSo wsnse sbinina armor Of truth breaks
1 and turns even the missile OF their political
malice and 1t has no bargains to make, no
Offsets to allow It y the misfortune Of the
whose public record can be successfully as
sailed and for whom no sufficient defense can
be made. So say to them; If we must have
| statesman and an honest one.
| And finally, fellow-citizens, there is one fur
| Their great reason why the Republican party
| ought to die and be swept from the earth. And
| that reason is because it has become the great
| disturber Of the National peace, and the great
| obstacle to National pacification. We must
have an end to sectional feeling and bitter
| ness; and now is the time to have it. There
| was a reason why those Southern delegates ut
Cincinnati called for the nomination of Cen
| eral Hancock. 1t was to put an end to this
eternal cry of the Republican party against
the South. 1t was to show the people of the
North that they meant to be loyal, and that
they were willing to vote for man for Presi-
dent who marshaled the forces of the Union
against them on the field of battle. "Giye US
Hancock" they said, 1.-THE man who fought us
| braveiy in the held-true to his Government
and his duty. surely he was loyal and no
| bloody shirt can be waved against him."
| This is what they said, and this is why the
South will be ''Soiid for Hancock at this
election. II the people Of the North are
thoughtful and wise they will accept this
preferred token of loyalty and good viii, and
make the hero, who was q lion on the heights
of Gettysburg, the President whose mild and
just rule shall usher In lasting era of peace
and fraternity between the once-contending
sections