The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1880-08-04

To Hon. James A. Garfield, Member Of
Congress from Ohio = y
| have read the speech you sen,
me. | am astopished and shocked
As the leader of your party, to whom
the candidates have specially dele
gated the conduct of the pending
campaign, you should have met your
responsibilities in very diferen,
way. do not presume to lecture SO
distinguished man upon his errors;
but If | can prevent yon, even to a
small extent, from abusing the pub
lie crednIity, it is my duty to try,
Promising only my great anxiety ia
preserve the fraternal relations exist
ing between us for many years, l fol.
low the Hnraaian rule, and come at
once to "tae middle of things"
You trace back The origin of pres.
ent parties to the earliest immigra-
tlons at Plymouth and jamestown.
ana profess to find in the opposing
doctrines then planted and after.
wards constantly cherished in Mas
Sacl'u~ei's and in Virginia, the germs
of those ideas which now male De.
mocracy and Abolitionism The dead
" foes of each other. The ideas SO
planted in Massachusetts were, ar.
cor''ing to your account, Tile freedom
and equality of all races, and The
right aud duty of every man to ex-
ercise his private judgment in poll
RIGS as we'll as in religion. On the
other hand, you set forth as irrecon
cilably hostile the doctrines of Vir-
ginia, shat capital should own labor,
that Tue negro had no rights of man.
hood, and that the white man might
buy, own and sell him and his off.
spring forever" Following these as
seriions with others, and linking the
present with the long past, you EN-.
pIo!y The devices of your rhetoric to
g|orify the modern aboliiionist and
TO throw foul scorn, not merely on
the Southern people, but on the
whole Democracy of the country.
THIS looks learned and philosoph-
icaI, and it gives your speech a dig.
nity seemingly above the reach OF
The ordinary demagogue. Happy is
he who knows the causes of things;
delicious is the partisan member of
Congress whose stump speech goes
up the river of time TO the first foun.
taias of good and evil. But your
contrast of historical fact is open To
one objection, which | give you in a
form as simple as possible when !
say that it is wholly destitute OF
.ru'h. This, of course, implies no
inputation on your good faith
Your high character ia The church,
"a well as the State, forhids the be-
lief that you world be guilty of will
ful misrepresentation.
A FUNDAMENTAL REPUBLICAN LIE.
You say that there were two radi-
caIly different theories about the ma.
tn e of our government; "the North
believing and holding that we were a
nation, the South Insisting that We
were only a confederation of sove
reign Siaies." 1t is not true tha,
anv such theoretical conflict ever
existed between the sections. Thu
The articles of confederation first
and the constitution afterwards uni
ted the States together for certain
purposes therein enumerated, and
thus made US nation among ma
lions. WAS never denied that ! know
Of by any party. But this national
character was given to the general
government by sovereign States who
ronfederaled together for that pur-
pose. They bestowed certain pow
"rs on Che new political corporation
ti'cn created, and called it the UDi
led States of America, and they ex
pressly reserved To themselves all
he sovereign rights not 6 anted 10
the charter. Democratic statesmen
had no theory about it. They saw
their dutv written down in lie fund
amental law; they swore to perform
il, and they kept tbeir oaths. They
rxecuted the powers of the general
government in their whole constitu
tional yigor, for that, as Mr.. Jcfier