New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-08
THE B1BY ACT.

Postmaster Dayton explains IN ne New
| York Times" his Tammany speech, commented
upon in Thursdays TRIBUNE Ill which he
boosted that thirty years ago his Jcifcis0nian
Democracy" as he called it, came near getting
him hanged His words, as reported, were !;
Il had expressed my hatred of the then ram
pant Republican party and my love for Jeffcr-
,onian Democracy Several men who heard
me ycntilating my opinions were kind enough
TO remark that should be taken to the nearest
lamp-post and hanged" Now, thirty years ago
this month the then rampant Republican
party" had bVt one issue with the Democracy
JciTcrsonian or other That was the mainte-
nance of the Union and suppression OF the
rebellion In this town in July. 1863, all other
issues were in ALLEGIANCE. and this one had
reached the acute stage. in which the outbrcal;
Of a bloody riot compelled the line u be drawn
between the supporters of law and oIdcr and
the SympathlzcrS with cutthroatN, lncendlaricN
and thieves. All political argument was on
that distinct issue and no other There were
Threats Of hanging and there were hangingS.
Hundreds Of citizens were maltIcatod. abused.
hanged 10 lamp-po>lS, and some burned and
tortured 10 death. for ,mpahiznS with the
government anu III lh'u rampant ~ P''
leans" who were engaged in a sGpIemc effort
to maintain II. Plainly Mr.. Dayton was not
threatened with hanging for taking that side
oi the question. II was bccauS" OF his sym
pathy with the rioters that he was - threat
cnod. The iiot was qucllcd. For thirty years
no man ha, had the >hamclcs>nc>S T. confess
that he either participated in it OF >,mpathzcd
with the rioters until Charles W. Dayton
boosted OF il in Tanman, Hall on the Fourth
of july
lie now secs his mistake He excuses him
self He plead, the baby act. He says he
was only .i.,con ycal, old at the time, and
was clerk in law Office; that he used 10
"aiguc hi, principles" with those in the Office,
and ihat one day one Of these radical Re
Bublican,. after listening - our Suucnt.
raised his i.' and shook j, at me. You lit'lc
fellow. sad he if | had my way ri take you
ont and hang !ou 10 the nearest lamp-po>t.
And then NJ. Dayton add, with an indieua
ton tia; has apparently been growing on him
through all these thiit! years The man
ought to have been ashamed Of himself for
.a,in a thing like that - mo. a mere boy.
Thi, Is . quite different story from the lam
many Hall speech From tins II Appeals that
instead of being threatened with hanging by
several men for HI, love ioI JciicrSonan
Democracy" he was merely taken 10 task 10y
one man for making foolish and ml>chicyol>
speeches in defence Of laNlc>>ncS~ and treason
when the lives and property Of all citizens
were At the mercy 81 a bloodthlr>ty mob. That
wa, all. And in view al Il Wc feel called upon
10 SAY that Mr.. Da}ton'> md grafton. which
ha, been slowly rising for thirty years at the
man who made the offensive remark, is not
without shade of justification. The man
ought not 10 have told this " mere boy" that
if he had his way he would hang him. lie
ought 70 have taken the little fool across his
knee and warmed his Jcncr,onan Dcrcc-
racy" with good spanking.
Mr.. DaytonS plea Of the baby act is ac-
copied. lie was only q foolish boy of sixteen
when his reasonable talk cNaSpcratcd some
earnest patriot to the point of saying he ought
10 be hanged But what We now want 10 know
is why. at the age Of fort! six. he should pub
Iicy boast that his devotion to Jcifclsonlah
Democracy thirty years ago was such that
- several men" thought lac ought to be hanged.
According 10 his speech he WAS hero Ac-
cordng T. his story in "Thc Times" he was
fcathcr-p atcd little fool.