Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-03-01
nAYARp.s Wax RECORD.

BAYARD'a WAR RECORD,
TIE Nsw York San " expending q
great deal u venom in the attempt to
besmirch the standing aud character Of
good man and true, upon.a yery shah
low pretext, II has for n week been
printing and commenting upon speech
delivered by senator BAyARn IN 1861,
which opposed the war measures OF that
period, aud claims that for thia reason
hs has put himself entirely outside oil
the race for the Presidency.
II there we're naueht but this speech
in the political career Of Senator BAYASn
10 dctmct from his availability asa Pres
iarnIial candidate, there ought To be no
difficulty la electing him. II opposition
TO the Inauguration Of u civil war, and
the advocacy Of peaccablo means
for the settlement Of the issues then
dividing tho country, arc sufficient to
destroy the confidence oi the country ut
this time, in that mans political char
acicr, or Ia shut him out 81 official posi-
ton, there are many mon Who were
most active aud distinguished in the
prosecution OF tho war alter II com
menced, aud who occupied high official
position during the war period, who
would be- liable to the samo judgment.
EDNuSp NJ. STANTON would bc one OF
these, for he occupied about the same
position IA did SENATOR BAYARD At the
period this speech was delivered.
The most sensible and honest review
Of this speech We have seen Is 10y tho
Springfield RcpabiicuH. 1T is not, says
the Republican,, "a secession speech, IA
Il haa been called, but peace speech,
aud We arr bound 10 say that OF u states
mau, though u mistaken ono. II was
calm, dispassionato argument from tho
ground OF State rights IN opposition to
the war for the Union Us Il was being
wagud ut that time, Mr. BArAGD did
not advocate or defend secession, aud
declared that tho state ut Delaware had
no part ia II; never, ho said, has u
thought, "A word, IN act oi ours been un-
faithful 10 tue Union Of our fathers
Ito spoke distinctly aS Northern man,
classed Delaware distinctly with the
North. But lac held that every cousidcra-
ton Of humanity, oi interestand ut right
required the unitci States 10 accept tho
accomplished TACT, recognize the new
conledcracy, aud trust To time "to
bring them again voluntarily into "a
common government with us" Hold
ing. too, that only Congress could dc'
clare war, lac described the acts ol PrrSi-
d,nt LISCo.S ia putting down the re-
hcllion buiurc obtaining the authority ct
Congress ~ usurpation in the large,
and the detail vt arrests without legal
warrants, seizure ut letters aud dis
patches, ~ invasions ol personal liberty
ol the dircst daugnr. The object
ul the meeting was Ia pro.
tesi against these things, aud
to recommend Senators B,NAWp
aud Salisbury tn usc call honorable
means" tu bring the war tu aconcluSion,
even by the acknowledgment ul tho IN
drprndcncc oi the Confederate States.
There iscrrtaiuly no revelation ia all tina,
MIR Bayard'a words were pcrhapsspnkcu
"in corner" but somebody know
about them aud real the resolutions ui
the meeting la the newspapers ot the
day There were good many mCn that
belonged Ia the peace party IN the
early period Of the rebellion, iur instance
Horace Greeley, whose memory we
all reverb. L. F. Bayard aud his lathor,
James 4. Bayard, who WAS then soma
tor, never. We suppose, rctraCtcd their
views ~ tu the uucuuslitutiunaliiy 81
the Prrsilent's exercise oi war powers,
ar To the exclusion ul the powers OF ar
bitrary arrest aud like measures taken
during the war They did not, howey.
or, ombarraSs the government with lac
tious opposition, or with that lnrUnyeu.
lent enthusiasm Tor peace which made
Mr.. Greeley in the dark days at 1861,
when the government needed all the
IL could get, become 4
peace party all by himself and 20 to Nj
agara Falls to negotiate a treaty