Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1879 — Democratic Roasts to be Swallowed. [ARTICLE]

Democratic Roasts to be Swallowed.

When this Congress first met, the question was raised and determined by the Confederate Democratic majority as to what they should do. The House held its caucus first, and rosolved to put the riders on the Appropriation bills, particularly the rider just .vetoed on the Army Appropriation Dill, and to keep it there, in the exact words which have been' vetoed. The Senate and House held a joint caucus, March 26, to settle iinally the joint piygramme the party should adopt and adhere to. At that caucus Senator Bayard opposed putting riders on the Appropriation Dills. He favored putting the proposed repeal of Army and Election laws in separate bills. So did Alexander H. Stephens, and a few others oftth’e cooler heads.. The reason they gave was that, if the Appropriation bills were vetoed (as they now have been), it would put the party in a bad fix—the. party would have to back down squarely or by some side dodge, or inaugurate a revolution. Here was a plain warning. The party had the possibility of the veto before it from the beginning; and the caucus resolved to go ahead and defy a veto. At that Caucus Speakor Randall took the floor, and was reported in the Associated Press dispatches of that date as follows:

He did not think it necessary to adopt a reso lution binding everyone present to the tirm and lasting support ot the caucus action, for he was satisfied, from his knowledge of the sentiment of the party, and from the tenor of to-day's interchange of viewß, that there would not be a single dissenting voice or vote in the ranks of the Democracy in Congress against adhering to the action thus marked ont, through whatever contest might oome, until it sho.uld bo crowned with success. This language plainly proves that a veto was then contemplated and defied. The party was to “ adhere to the action marked out through whatever contest might come, until it should be crowned with success.” These were brave words. But now Speaker Randall is one of the very first ones mentioned as not “adhering to the action thus marked out,” but proposing to back down by a dodge. “ The action thus marked out,” was the resolve by the caucus to put the rider on the Army Appropriation bill, in certain words, and stick to it in that exact form, passing it right over again as Often as vetoed, or else adjourning Congress and letting, the Government starve for want of an appropriation, until the President should yield. Then followed speech after speech, during the debate in the House and Senate, in which Democratic leaders swore that they would never back down, come what would. The caucus had resolved that this repeal should go through as a rider on the Army Appropriation bill; and should go through in just that form, and stick there till the President should yield. Muldrow and Chalmers declared the purpose of. the Confederate Democratic majority never to back down before a veto; and then, April 3, Joe Blackburn, the Democratic leader on the floor of the House, made a speech in which he said: land those with whom 1 stand identified are . willing to accept the issue. And more, wc go farther and admit that we are the ones who make the issue, and we are ready for you to accept it Planting ourselveß on this broad ground, we wel-‘ come the controversy. ***** If the gentleman from Ohio (Garfield) is to be excused for, certainly he cannot be justified, for parading before this House the aruatnenlam in terrorem of a veto that is cut and dried to be put npon a bill which has not yet passed, and, if is to be pardoned for warning the House that the Executive branch of the Government will never > ield its assent to this measure in its present form, 1 ask whether I may not be warranted and justified in employing equal candor in assuring that gentleman and his associates that the dominant power in this Congress, the rilling element in this body, is also equally determined that, until its just demands, sanctioned by all laws, human and divine, pfoteoted and hedged around by precedents without number, demanded by the people of this land without regard to section, clamored for not by the South alone, but in Philadelphia as well as in New Orleans, in San Francisco and Boston as. well as in Charleston and Savannah are complied with, this side of the chamber, which has demonstrated its power, never means to yield or surrender unless this Congress shall have died by virtue of its limitation. IWiid applause on Democratic, sidej. A principle cannot be compromised. It may be surrendered, but that can only be done by its advocates giving proof to the world that they are cravens and cowardß, and lack the courage of their own convictions. Wc cannoy yield, and we will not yield. [Applause and sen sa’ion.J The issue is laid down, the gage of battle is delivered. Lift it when you please, and we are willing to appeal to that sovereign arbiter to which the gentleman from Chio so handsomely alluded, the American people, to decide between us. We intend to deny eo the President of this Kepublic the right to exercise such unconstitutional powers. * * * * * 1 do not mean to imitate the gentleman from Ohio; 1 disclaim any authority to state wbat others may do; but Ido mean to say that it is my deliberate conviction that there is not to be found a single man on this side of the House wlio will ever consent to abandon one jot or tittle of the faith that is in him. He could not surrender if he would, and he would not. he begged the other side to brl eve, bo coerced bythreats or intimidated by the party in power. We are planted on our convictions. There we will stand. He who dallies is a dastard, and he who doubts is damned. [Loud applause.] We might quote from many of the Confederate Democratic speeches, but this is enough. In this speech the allusion to a veto was plain, and the declaration was broad and square that, if the President should veto the bill, the Confederate Democratic majority would stick to the vetoed proposition, and never back down—no, never! “Whoever dallies is a dastard, and. he who doubts is damned,” cried Blackburn, amid the “ wild applause” of the Confederate Democratic majority. Very well; the Democratic woods, to-day, are just full of Joe Blackburn’s “dastards” and “damned,” and there are whispers that Joseph himself feels just a little “ damned,” and keeps one “dastard” eye on the forest. These loud boasts serve to showhowmuch dirt the Confederate Democratic party eats in backing down, how many loud brags it swallows—and how ridiculous it appears when it abandons the loudly sounded programme laid down at the beginning of the session. —Detroit Post and Tribune.