The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-10-30
SENATOR BAYARD.
His Speech mt the Great New York Meeting
-Wretched Falsehcods In Regard TO the
-south-The Candidates Contrasted.

-Wretehed FaIseho Gods in Regard to the
south-The Candidates Contrasted.
Senator Bayard began his speech by calling
attention to tue fact that n new generation,
North and south. now exercises the franchise
atce the close a the war, fifteen years ago.
The boy of fifteen then Is now mature man
of thirty. The constitutional amendments
adopted I'm the interval have been declared
by the Democratic candidate as "inviolable
and if called to the Presidency he should
deem il his duty to resist with ali MS power
ifpy attempt to impair or evade them.
The Thirteenth Amendment, said the
speaker, forever abolished slavery and invol !
untary servitude, except as punishment Tor
crime. The Fourteenth Amendment created
equality ofcitizenship before the law ;provid-
ed for representation in Congress; excluded
persons from holding Office. either state or
Federal, who had engaged in the rebellion,
unless relieved by q two-thrds vote oil both
branches OF Congress secured sne sai ind 1i
ing pensions and bounties from ever being
questioned, and expressly prohibited the
United States any State from assuming or
paying any debt or obligation incurred in aid
of insurrection or rebellion against the United
states, or any claim for the loss or emancipa.
ton, and all such debts, obligations, and
claims should be held Illegal and void. The
Fifteenth prevented the denial or abridS-
nent by the United States or any State oil the
i Isct me p.suss, here for one moment to com
ment upon a charge fiuently made and daily
fs,peated by the Republican press and their
cess the whr debts of the South, the loss of
the slaves and claims for other losses grow
ing out of the war. pensions for their wound.
aes SS p Th Ras q 1Ss q Tie s
votes of q Democratic majority in both
Houses, and the approval of Democratic
There is a proveridal difficulty about prov
ing negatives, and to attempt to meet by
proof every apparition and chifnerathat par
tisan ingenuity can create, and partisan mai
fee and faisehood can suggest, would be idle
and useless, especially before sensible audi
'ences. The best reply to all these wild, ma
,licious. and foolish assertions Is that such
payments would be impossible.
- The good sense or the honesty of that man
Il seriously to be impugned who does not read
I'm the plain mandate of the Fourteenth
Amendment the absolute seal OF illegality
and nulity set upon MI such claims; so that.
until the Constitution Is amended by the con-
current vote of two-fhirds OF all the States,
such claims as those styled "Southern Claims"
,are mere ghosts to alarm the silly and UNI
thinking, or 20 furnish the INSCRIPTIONS with
And here let me say that having been for a
number of years in Washington, l have
whS the Sea aee
past ten years of the class styled southern
claims and in almost every instance the
cts Of Northern and Very Loyal assignees.
who had bought mp these claims for song
from their impecunfous Southern owners, and
s Nots emPaoy Whole eli% beeame sedde i
clothed In the uniform of loyalty and patriotic
duty, and no odor of its Southern and danger
Gus origin could be perceived. At the great
gathering of Republican ladies and gentle
men at the Academy last week, there were
lawyers. bankers and statesmen who had
more money in their pockets from " Southern
=. claims allowed by Republican commissioners
and Republican courts, than the poor South
ever received since the war or ever win re-
yThe checks Of many many, OF those wealthy and
distinguished citizens must have tingled with
shame when they heard the Democratic
fl.ur cIaf
and they knew how large portion had gone
into their ownyp0ckets.1 u ttffr1lf y ff-a
No. gentlemen; It is triaing with your in
telligence I'm the face rof the history of the
times and the plain prohibitions Of the Con-
stitution to ten you the Treasury Is in danger
from southern claims, growing out OF the
orators to seek to fix the stigma of repuda-
tionon the Southern states and people, and
in the same bre tn they would have you be-
leve that they propose to pay every claim,
private and public, in full.
40 WHAT THE SOLID SOUTH MEANS.
The speaker referred mt length to the recent
speech of Senator Conkling. Believing that
tits always easier to be violent than just, he
said. and that II the flames of passion can
only be hndled, argument and reason are
quickly consumed, it seems TO have been de-
hberately decided by the Republican mana
gers that revival OF the passions of the war
and the stimulation OF sectional antagonisms
form o-day their best chance for inducing
the American people to continue public power
I'm their hands.
They raise the cry of the solid South and
declare IL must he antagonized nv a solid
North Rnt n the South he solid for chose
things the North needs and desires then ali
reason for antagonism Is gone and the soiis,itv
ofSoth sections for the same END end and pur
X section. seek TO do which the North shouId
fear? Does the execution of anv scheme of
ifypyer1fment or policv now nronosed nv the
Southern neonle or the noliticai marty which
controls them forbode disaster 10 the citi
zcns OF the North, or to the Government of
the United States2 II it does, then i am OPP
posed to Ii and them and wiiI vote and act n
opposifion.- If believed the success of the
Democratic party imperiled national honor
or interest or involved Injustice to arv men-
Der of the Union. then should cease TO he n
Democrat But convinced as i am that the
unity of our people is essential TO our myth
among our people are the true corner stones
i'm the temple OF our liberty propose TO Law
the foundations broad and wide and deem in
the hearts of our countrymen and TO assist