Year: 1876

~""~" y" WV *~* S~**~*T""
Y MORNING, OCTO


severel hours, the duty of citizens, es


pecially of Democrats in reference tt


the war and its prosecution was fully


and freely discussed. He was decided


in his conviction of duty and out


spoken in their expression. He sale


in substance that without regard to er


rors of administration it was the duty


of every man to sustain the govern.


ment in its efforts to suppress the re-


bellion, and that these errors should


be corrected at the ballot-box. He


fully approved my course as Governor


in raising men and money to aid in


prosecuting the war vigorously. He


was for the restoration of peace only


on the basis of the Union. I have


never before publicly mentioned this


interview, but as the question has been


raised deem it my duty to say what


have and what I know on this subject.


The assumption of the Republicans


that they conqured the rebels and
saved the Union, and therefore should


be continued in powar, would be
amusing were it not provoking. With
financial arrangement and, business
embarrassment resulting from their
maladministration, with real estate de-
pressed, with trade paralyzed, with
factories closed, and labor unemployed,
with men begging for work and clam
oring for bread in this sad condition
of things, brought about by their pol
icy and extravaganza, they have the
assurance to ask for a new lease of
power, because they say they saved the
Union. If holding all the Federal Of
fcers during the war, depicting the
treasury and pocketing the profits of
contracts was saving the Union, the
Republican leaders may we'll claim the
title of "Union Savers" But if car
rying amusket in the ranks, if enduring
trial and privation in camp and on the
field, if storming the imminent deadly
breach had anything to do with saving
the Union, then Democratic soldiers
did their full share. Suppose Demo-
Gratis had not entered the army, where
would the arrogant climants of all the
loyalty now be?. That question was
asked plain, blunt man, and his an
swer was, chad it not been for Demo-
cratic soldiers, the places that now
know the Republican ofice-holders
would not have known them, and the
editors who now daily tune their Or
gans to vilify the candidates of the
Democracy, might have been organ
grinders in foreign lands" The fact
is, that neither party had a monopoly
of patriotism, but Democrats and Re-
publicans fought side by side.


It is pretended by Senator Morton
and others, who with him "wave the
bloody Shirt" that should the Demo-
cratic party obtain power, not only
would suffrage be denied the colored
man but he would be remanded to
slavery; that the confederate debt
would be assumed and pensions
given to Southern soldiers One would
suppose that such preposterous allega-
lions would not find credence even
the most ignorant, but men
protesting intelligence repeat these alb
surdities. The youngest child now
living will not see the day when the
South will have q controlling influence
in the government. The Southern peo-
pie understand this and do not ask nor
expect it. That section does not con-
tain one-third of the population of the
country, and time will probably make
the population less. It is for a mo-
ment supposed that single Northern
or Western member of Congress of any
party could be found who wonld COM
NIT political suicide by favoring the
of the confederate debt if
such proposition should ever be made
and without Northern or Western
votes it could not be done? The cor
ruption of the party in power has
created enough debt without seeking
to add to it. The men who hold up
bug-bears to frighten and deceive, know
full we'll that such proposition would
never be entertained by Democratic
Congress, and in fact, could not be
even if the disposition ex-
listed.


The Fourth Section of the Four
teenth Amendment to the Constitution
of the United States provides that
&c neither the United States nor any
State shall assume or pay any debt or
obligation incurred in aid of insurrec-
ton or rebellion against the United
States, or any claim for the loss or
emancipation of any slave, but all such
debts, obligations and claims shall be
held illegal and void" Neither that
nor any other of the recent amend
ments will ever be repealed or dis
turbed. The constitutions of all the
Southern States recognize the validity
of the amendments, and have incor-
porated them in substance in their pro-
visions. The following is taken from
the constitution of the State of Ala
bama, adopted last year-a State which
in the following election gave the Dem
ocratic ticket some 200 majority:
F" No form of slavery shall ever exist
in this State, and there shall be no in
voluntary servitude otherwise than for
the punishment of crime, of which the
party shall have been duly convicted.
The right of suffrage shall be protected
and the people of this State accept
as final the established fact that from
the federal union there can be no seces-
sion of a State, and there shall not


be any restraint upon suffrage on ac-
count of race or color" All the South
ern States have adopted constitutions


of similar import, and it is impossible


ever to restore the old order of things,


even if desired. The fact is that men


once free will never be remanded to


- u e., o1,1oa will