The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-20
BkILEY'S DEMOCRATIC BLOWS.
ADDRESSES A BIG CROWD IN SWAN
SONS DISTRICT.

He Makes 1t Clear That Democrats
VIII Make the Present Campaign
an Aggressive One, and Points
With Pride Mt the Conduct of
Democrats In the Last HOuse-Re-
publicans Unable to Point Out
wise Unable to Divert Public Mind
From Their Own-IncOmpetency or
Dishonesty In Army Affairs.
Danville, Va. Sept. 19.-Congressman
Bailey spoke at Chatham, the county seat.
to-day in the interest of c, A. Swanson,
Democratic nominee for Congress from the
Fifth district.
Teople, for miles around, were in the
big crowd 10 hear the Texan
James L. Treadway, judge OF the Pitt
sylvania County Court, introduced the
speaker, shortly before noon.
MIR. Baily made 1t plain that the Demo-
cre>s intend to make the present campaign
an aggressive one. Among other things of
similar import. ne said:
For months Republican politicians
and Republican editors have talked and
written necessarily about the mistakes of
the Democratic minority In Congress; but
now that they are required to specify our
mistakes in order to divert public atten-
ton from their own, they find it impossi-
less assertions. In order to escape the just
and universal indignation, which has been
aroused against them by the suffering in
hicted upon the volunteer army through
the Incompetence or the dishonesty of
those whom they have placed in power,
they have been searching the Congresslon-
al Records and racklng their brain to find
some damaging accusation which they can
sustain against us. But they have not
found it, and they will not find It. The
record of the Democratic party through
out the last and trying session of Con
sress Is absolutely above all criticism. l
do not say II with the purpose of claiming
any credit for myself, but as a matter of
simple justice to my Democratic associ-
ates, l declare that in all the history of
this government, no minority party ever
passed through a war session of Congress
with so much credit as did the Democrats
of the present Congress.
THE only important vote which he be-
iieved at the time We cast 1t could ever
become the subject of reasonable contro-
versy was our vote against the war reve-
nue. bill; and events have completely ylndi-
Gated our course in respect 60 that meas
ure. We opposed the passage OF that bilF
because we believed that It authorized an
unnecessary sale of interest bearing bonds;
and the condition Of the treasury proves
conclusively that we We're right. When
Congress convenes in December next, 1t
win find that the surplus in the treasury
above the S1f0 00O l00 p01H will ay-
ceed the amount received from the sale of
bonds, thus demonstrating that there was
no necessity for the government to sell its
bonds.
"Our Republican friends cannot excuse
themselves by saying that they could not
foresee the early termination of the war.
because every man who was reasonably
well-nformed about the condition OF Spain
understood that it was impossible for her
TO continue a long and expensive strug-
gle.
with an adversary unable to raise
money by taxation and powerless to bor-
row it, the end OF the war was in sight
before II was begun. The Republican
leaders in Congress knew this as well as
we did, or If they did not know it, they
are not wise enough to be nstrusted with
the administration OF this government.
But with the Knowledge that the war must
soon end, and knowing that with all their
wastefulness and extravaganza 1t would
probably not cost over $500 100000, they
proceeded to enact a law which imposes
S150, coo in annual taxes upon the peo-
pie, and authorizes the contraction Of
$500 ,OO0,0 900 debt Upon that monstrous
proposition almost every Democrat in
Congress voted No and our only regret
to-day is that there was a single one Of
us who felt called upon by his sense OF
duty to support 1t"