The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-09-20
The Speech OF Ex-Governor Hubbard.

Texas, was made Temporary Chairman,
and spoke as follows on taking the
chair:
cratic Convention of the Union tcheers)-l am
profoundly grateful for the confidence which
you have reposed In me In ratifyiny the NOM
inatl0n of the National Executive Committee.
who have done your bidding for for the last
four " ars. by your authority. l accept 1t,
my feilow Democrats, not as tribute to the
humble cit zen and your feliow-Dem0crat who
speaks to you to-day, but rather rs a compli-
ment to the great state from whence come
tapplause)-a Sta-e which more than any
other American state is absolutely cosmopol-
itan in every fiber of its being. (Applause.)
In its early days and struggles thither came
10 our relief as the winds sweep across the
Maine and New England. men of Georgia and
along the coast, and gave their lives at the
Alamo and San Jacinto for the freedom of
Texas. tApplause)
which / shall detain you the fact that our
neighborlug sister State--hrr women, her
glorious Spartan wOmen-sent to MS the twin
cannon that belched into glorious victory at
San Jacinto. But, acknowledgements, that Tex
as. with her over two millions of people,
gladly. at each recurring. election. places in
Democratic majority. tApplausc.) Eel ow-
Democrats we have met upon an occasion of
great and absorbing interest-to our party, as
wei, as TO our common country Inc OCCASION
should attempt to speak to you of Its great
history and its distinctive principles through
two-thiris of the most glorious history of our
country. l could not stop to discuss, ii
would, its magnificent policy of progress, the
part which it has taken in building up our
country, its prowess, lis territory, and It's
wealth. i can only say to you to-day. in brief.
that the Democratic party, in all the essential
elements is the same as 1t was when founded
by the trainers OF the Constitution, nearly
three-qua,ters OF century ago. tApplause.)
Men die as the leaves of autumn, but princi-
Piles underlying liberty and self-gOvernment,
the right of representation and taxat on going
hand in hand economy in the administration
of the Government that lay the burdens as
least they may be laid upon the millions who
constitute our countrymen-these and others
are principles underlying the Democratic
party, which can not be effaced from the
earth though their authors may be numbered
with the dead. lCheersl thank God, fel-
power for quarter of q century we are to-
day, in all that makes adherence, and CONT
dence, and zeal, as much q party Organized
for aggressive war as when the banners of
victory were perched upon our heads The
Democratic party, fellOw-citizens, since the
wartime, commencing with reconstruction
boxes surrounded by the cleaning bayonet,
with carpet-bag rulers, with the voice stifed
the voice OF freemen who pay their taxes
to the Government-the Democratic party
has lived to see, through all this misrule,
the day come when. in great majority of
our States, the Democratic party has resumed
its control and its power. 1t has your House
of Representatives, and but for treason stalk
ing in the Senate chamber VIC would have
that. too. loud applause.) We have had the
Presidency, too. tRenewed applause.l But
with impious hands-the hand of the robber-
our rights were stricken down at the ballot
and through perjury, and bribery. and cor
ruption, men uttering falsehc cd through pa g
lips and chattering teeth, stole the Presidency
from this country. fApplause) Some of the
men who participated in it have passed be-
yond the river. and stand to give an account
flr.x nx.k a..
when it records, as 1t has, that the Electoral
Commission announced in the Senate cham
Der and the House that it would consider the
question and the evidence of fraud returning
the vote of Louisiana. When the law was
passed. remember tit is the blacklist page
of our country's history-(app.ause)-and all
loud applause)-they turned their faces as
well as their consciences upon the promise of
the past and refused to consider the evidence,
all reeking with ignominy, and bribery. and
not received, under the Constitution and
the laws, the sufirages of his countrymen.
rnst Is an wrong tnsi we have met here to
That1is true. We are told that the law has
given the verdict to them. That is true.
When jury is in its box, under the statutes
of your State, and a Judge upon the bench
who holds the scales of justice uneveny,
holds with guilty hands parchment from the
Executive OF your State, and allows the jury
under the @gis of law, he does what all the
law-writers of civilization for hundreds Of
years have cursed and damned as legal MUIR
Electoral Commission remains to-day I'M
punished, and ever win be unavenged so long
as the Republican party Is in power in this
country. tApplause.) thank God that there
is no statute OF limitations running in favor
of that party. tApplause) And In that con-
nection my acknowledgements, be it said to
the credit of the Democratic party that they
exhibited none of that spirit Of the Hotspur
and of the pirate. none of that spirit which
sought to ingulf this country, fresh as 1t was
upon the heels OF great and fratricidal war.
But our great leaders. Tilden aud Hen
dricks-there the Speaker was interrupted by
long-c0Btinued applause, the delegates rising
to their feet and waving their hats)-our
great leaders. Tiden and Hendricks, with the
dignity of heroic statesmen. with the courage
of men who love their country better than It's
pelf and its power, accepted the wronged and
they are grander today in their defeat than
the men who wear the power at the expense
of justice and right. (Cheers.) Thus we have
,,S hg IN ,ne lace OF federai power We
GO and Federal greenbacks, fresh and I'M
cut from MISUNDERSTANDING and laugh
term. ney earned and held by Star-route
Administration (ApplauseJ
Fellow-Demccrats, we want reform, God
knows. not only in the personnel-in the men
ment as it is. CheersJ We want men there
whose very lives and whose very names would
be q platform to this people. We want men
there who in all the departments OF the Gov
eminent, in its departments of justice, in its
postal affairs. In its interior department,
everywhere, shall follow its servants with the
eye Of the minister OF justice, and see that
every cent that belongs to the Government
shall remain with the Government. Cheers.)
No tribute shall be demanded, except the
tribute that is due the Government, that there
be no assessments upon 100000 oflice-holders.
paid $100,000.000 annusly, 5000, 600 to 90 into
q corrupt political fund. The e-these, we
thank God. will be corrected when the Demo-
plause.j We read of the enunciations
of principles by the Republican party.
They tell us they have civil service reform,
and yet they demand in the next breath from
every federal ofiiceho]der of the 10000 their
tribute TO the corrupt fund, that shall be paid
out to the voters at the polls. They tell us
they have punitive government, and yet not
a solitory feion has been condemned in the
dock of those who have stolen millions from
the public treasury. Your Springer commit
tee only yesterday and the day before tell US
of the perjury, of the corruption. OF the sub
Ornations that run all asong through the
ministers of Justice in the prosecution Of the
government. We want real reform-a reform,
my cOuntrymen. that shall mean what Il eavs.