St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-24
THE GREAT ISSUE.

When SAMUEL J. TLDEN was a can
didate for the presidency of the United
States III 1876 there were many great
issues involved in the campaign, but
none greater than the question of the
emancipation of the Southern states
from military control. 1t does not seem
possible even at this short inter
val that such condition of affairs
should ever have prevailed in this
free land, but the fact is none the less
that during the administration of
ULYSSES S. GRANT, as whose successor
Mi. TiLDEN was nominated, the central
government maintained a standing army
i'll the commonwealth which had been
in rebellion. This was oStensibly in
order TO protect the negroes in their
newly acquired rights. but its real pur-
pose and effect were to perpetuate in
political supremacy corrupt crew
of Republican carpetbaggers who
robbed and pillaged the public treasury
under the sanction and help of United
States bayOnets. Against this shameful
exercise of tyranny the great commoner,
SAMUEL j. RANDALL, led the Demo-
cratic host in the halls of congress,
and his gallant battle. famous for
ever in the annals of legislation.
has enShrined his name imperishably
among the defenders of civil liberty.
As the TILDENHAYEs campaign
went on, this question came to be the
subject of endless talk and agitation.
Of 1t the newspapers were full. and on
every street corner men argued as to
the claims of the negroes and the JUS
tice of reign of force. Finally, even
before the decisive day arrived, the
public grew tired of the debate.
AS the public will with sudden sa-
tiety, and it seemed. perhaps, as
the greatest of all principles then at
stake would exercise no influence on
the final result. In that hour, so i'm
portant for the nations welfare, a
monster meeting was held on the green
of New England city. A dozen plat
forms were erected here and there, and
from every one of them, in the
bright afternoon of a smiling fall
day, men eminent in the coun-
ellis of Democracy expounded to
thousands and tens of thousands
of people the doctrines for which they
prayed their suffrages. 1t was a grand
occasion and worthy to be remembered.
RICHARD d. HUBBARD, Connecticuts
foremost lawyer, and afterwards gov
ernor of the state, spoke to one crowd.
and LYMAN TRUMBULL, who had stood
with LINCOLN in the dark hours of the
civil war, spoke to another. LEVERETr
SALSToNSTALL, prince of gentlemen;
JAMES E. ENGLISH, handsomest and
bravest of men; WILLIAM DoRsHEIsIER.
than whom New York had no more ia
nous orator; CHARLES r. INGERsoLL.
governor of Connecticut term after
term, until he insisted that he
would no longer take the honor,
and a dozen others-all able. all
vigorous, all onorable-wielded yeo-
man blows for the cause they loved.
But no blows counted that day as did
those of THOMAS FRANCIS BAYARD.
then senator from Delaware. whose
audience was limited only by the dis
tance his voice could reach. And even
beyond that men stood and repeated
the burning sentences which poured
from his lips. He stood in all the
strength of mature manhood, noble to
look at, bright OF eye, graceful of car
riage, surcharged with the fire of elo-
quent sincerity, and reused the hearts
of the people to realize the horrors and
the crime of standing army coerc-
ing the liberties of an Independent
state. The subject was threadbare,