The Portland daily press., 1895-12-16

ueut TO De payable IN COIN. he vOueu 10
except specifically the fifteen hundred
millions of $50 bonds from coin payment,
argued earnestly in favor of taxing the
bonds of the government, refused to sup
| port the bill for the resumption of specie
payments, and united with others in d
national movement to repeal the act af-
ter it had been for considerable period
in operation.
On the Southern question, in all it's
phases, Mr.. Bayard has b5en proclaimed
| by his supporters as calm, considerable
and Just In truth he has has gone as
far as tho most rancorous rebel leader of
the South, touching the reconstruction
laws and the suffrage Of tho negro. In
| the Forty second Congress, in an official
Mr.. Bayard joined with the minority Of
the committee in the distinct av0wSl
that negro suffrage would practically
cease when the Republican party should
be defeated. These are the exact words
IN which Mr.. Bayard conourred: 'sBut
whenever that party (the Republican,
shall go down, as go down it will, at
some time not long in the future, that
will be the end Of the political power of
the negro among white men on this con-
tinent.P'. When Mr.. Bayard united with
other Democrats in this declaration the
right of the negro to vote had already
been protected by an amendment to the
Constitution. His language was, there
fore,a distinct threat to override the Con-
Stltution in order TO strip the negro of
the political power which the Constitu-
tion had conferred upon him. This threat
was SO serious and so lawleSs that it
shout, have received more attention than
was bestowed upon it when first
put forth 1t was not uncommon to hear
brazen defiance of Constitutional obliga-
tions from Southern speakers addressing
Southei audiences from mere sensation
alseffect. But this was an announcement
made in the Senate of the United States,
not hastily and angrily in the excitement
of debate, but with reflection and delibe-
ration, in an official report which had
been studied for months and subscribed
to in writing by Mr. Bayard.
The common apprehension assigns 30
Mr.. Bayard a high standing at the bar
and positive rank as q man of culture.
AS q lawyer Mr.. Bayard has doubtless
| no prominence, while in point of educa
tion he never enjoyed facilities beyond
those of the common school OF the private
| academy. Originally destined for mer-
camille life. he did not receive in his
| early years the benefit of q liberal train
! ing nor did his tastes lead him into any
special personal pursuit of literature or
science, OF even into a CLOSE. careful study
of the history of his own country-a
| study which would have exempted his
public career from some Of mis- more
notable mistakes.
For obvious reasons Mr.. Bayard has
acquired exceptional popularity in the
men in Congress. When those who par
ticipated in the Rebellion were freed from
their disabilities and regained their old
seats in the Senate and House, they found
Mr.. Bayard in position, and they natu-
rally accepted him as leader. 1t was
| fresh in the memory of these men that
Mr.. Bayard's friendship for them has
been constant and unremitting; that
even in the fatal folly and wrong of
secession in 1861 they had his sympathy,
to such an extent that he advocated in a
public speech the policy of permitting
them to separate peacefully from the
| Union. He spoke earnestly against the
use of the national power to hold these
states to their duty as members of a COM
mon government, and expressed the belief
that it would be better to have two re-
publios than to have one strong enough
to command respect for it's laws aid to
enforce obedience at the lannon's mouth.
The ayowal of these opinions north of
the National Capital was greater and to
the Southern conspirators than if Mr.
Bayard had openly joined their councils
or expended his yalOr in the ranks of
| their army.
1t was evidently not deemed prudent
by Mr.. Bayard to repeat his disuniOn
views. After Fort Lafayette, at Mr..
Stewards command, had opened it's doors
to men who publicly expressed disloyal
sentiments in the North, Mr.. Bavard
gave to the rebellion the benefit of his
silence. The great struggle went on !;
myriads of patriots stepped to the ranks
Of the Union Army; the people were
fired with love of country; from every
loyal platform and every loyal pulpit
rang out words of faith and hope for the
cause and for it's brave defenders But
| Mr.. Bayard's silence was unbroken, even
by the thunders of Gettysburg almost
within sound Of his home, or by the
tional arms. He had spoken words of
sympathy and encouragement to the
enemies of the Union. He never uttered
word of cheer for Its friends.