Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-10-14

drawing the irrevocable assent which had haar
! finally given. This was done in Indiana and
New Jersey, and Mr.. Tweed did if III New
! York.
From first to last the organs OF Democratic
doctrine have declared these amendments lie
galy carried--illegal, because Democrats,
States that were out fighting were not IN Il
vote. They never yet have said or ADMITTED
that The amendments were legally adopted
They did say in national convention in 1877
that they opposed reopening the question.
settled by the amendments, and they did SAY
in 1876 that they would accept them but thai
they were legally valid, they never said.
/ These amendments are constantly and IA
| GRAVITY deLed in more than half the Demo-
| cratic States, and have been for years. The
laws enacted under them have been denounced
in every form, and denounced as null and
VOID, even since tie Supreme Court has sol
EMMY decided othSwise. 1t was TO get rid Of
these laws that thdrevolutonary plot was laid
last year to stop tie wheels of government, to
/ close the courts Snd post-cffces and put out
the beacon lights on the sea and on the lakes
unless repeal Wa Welded. With a thorough
bred Democratic President, whatever may
happen in form to the amendments, they VIII
become more dead letter thsn quicsening
spirit, and the laws made to enforce then VIII
be swept like leaves before gale. Should
these laws DO swept away. and Should the
| spirit which sssals them IN the Sout and
which called them into being continue 70 rage,
mildew will follow In the wake.
When Lincoln issued his proclamah0n OF
emancipation, men and women IN this city
were msddened bybeing made TO beliey that
the slaves set free would swarm to theNorth,
crowd out white labor, and cut dow its
wages. The draft riots were largely incited by
! this wicked, insane pretence. Throughout
/ tlA North this wal the QnUaai to the lafQflHp
man, and many members of congress whe had
| supported lincoln were defeated at the ensu-
ing election. Vainly we pleaded for resson.
We said no men do not fly from liberty they
| fly from slavery ard wrong. Events have VIM
! dicated the logic Of freedom.
Once more i repeat the argument an the
warning The black man wants to remain by
the graves Of his fathers, but let persecuBons
go on, and the story OF Pharaoh and of Egypt
! will be repeated. An exodus, not Of few
desparing souls [applausel but a real exodus
will begin. depriving southern fields of the
hands that should and would till them, and
bringing to the North and West population
not enured to northern 1climes, and not adapt
ed to usefulness and advantage heres which
fairly treated would come from them in the
South. [Apnlause.l
THE NATIONAL BANKS.
| The National banking system is anyther rye
sore to the opposition. Their National conyen-
tions have denied all power of Congress to
authorize banks. BY votes and speeches IN
/ Congress, by declarations OF conventions ana
| leaders, by elaborate amendments offered 10
the bills under which the National banking
system has been struck wherever blow could
be put in. This fabric Of banking is now III
wrought not only in the business or the coua-
! try, but with the maintenance OF specie pay
ments-it stands lion in the path OF nat
money [app,ausel imitation, and all the long
II
Democratic mind, especially in the South.
| [Applsuse.l In unnumbered ways, direct and
indirect, this vast interests constantly exposed
to the action Of Congress.
The Cincinnati convention seems TO have
felt the need of little caution on this point
when it nominated MIR. English for Vice Presi-
dent He is president of National bank.
They nominated a Union general as blind to
the soldiers, and bank officer as blind to the
bankers. [Applause.] Evidently it is thoaght
the Northern Democratic team drives better
with binders. Applause.l But even binders
do not always answer. In 1864, after soemnly
asserting, just when the rebellion was gasping
its last, that the war for the Union was fail
ure the Democratic convention, at instigstion
coming then from the sheltering refuge Of the
Canadian shore, the same instigation which
prompted like expedient now, put upa Ullon
general. That general did not issue Order No.
40 in the midst Of lawlessness and bntchery
which civil authority could not arrest. No. he
issued orders arresting the Legislature Of Mary
land, State which had not seeded, and he
issued orders proclaiming martial law and sus
! pending the habeas corpus st election time
ana placed soldiers as supervisor of tie POLLS
But even with such Union general the dis.
Guise was too thin.
4 SOUTHERN wAK CLAIMS
War claims uron the treasury have been and
will be q subject fruitful Of mach agitation.
| am moved to refer to it by the wholly ground
less assertion in regard 10 it now going the
rounds OF party journals. The fashion Of this
assertion seems to have been set bv Mr. Ran
dali. the Speaker Of the House Of Remesehta-
tives Mr.. Randall is one of the abest and
most intelligent, as he is one of The most
coursgeouG men Of his party, and ] spesk of
him with much respect. In several speeches
he has taken up the matter of Southern
claims, always to say thst they are barred in
the fourteenth amendment of the constitution.
1t puzzles me to see how discerning man can
have fallen into such an error. The proceed
lngs over which he preeide5 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 Obligs-
| ton incurred in aid OF insurrection or rebel
hon against the United States, or anyclsin for
the loss oc emancipation of any slave; but all
such debts, obligations and claims shall be
held illegal and void" The claims which stand
IA staggering totals in bills already before
Congress and in other bills said to be waiting
are not touched by this section Of the consti
tuition.
! For example, it is insisted that tie direct
tsy imposed by the Nation on al States In
1851 should as to the seeded States be re-
funded. [Applause.l The amount claimed is
! 81, 493, ITO. Again, it is said the war tax laid
on cotton should be refunded. The argument
is that cotton, like wheat and corn, is 8 pro-
duct OF the earth, and that wheat and corn
were not taxed, and therefore cotton should
not have been taxed. There is plausibility in
this; but petroleum is a product tf the earth
also, and that was heavily taxed not only
! during the war but afterward and VET Penn
sylvania has never cl lined that the money
should be refunded. The amount Of cotton
tax claimed is $l70 1870, 220.
| Again, buildings were occupied crops were
| trampled, fences and wood were burned. pro-
visions were consumed, ediices we're demol-
! ished, and regions We're laid vast BY the ann
\ les of the Union. The total Of such claims
| dizzies arithmetic. These are Lot debts or
Obligations incurred in aid OF inurrection or
rebellion not in aid Of rebellion
| They are claims because OF acts done 10 crush
rebellion. The Constitutions amendment
does not come within gunshot Of them
The error OF the distinguished speaker is the
more puZzling because as reported be said in
another part OF his address recently that fine
Repul can majority in Congress hsd paid
/ S100, 900, 600 OF such claims. This Ipresune
is true if he mems that Republicans have
voted to pay Union men whose prouerty. was
taken for public use, the value OF tba nronertx,