Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-10-26

mighty public debt has been that one
entire sixteenth part of her people are
dependent upon the poor laws for sup
port That is the effect, upon poor
people, Of great national debt and
heavy taxation.
Now, ] soy to you, that you cannot
preserve your liberty nor your prosperity
with such a debt as we have hanging
over us, and with such taxation as we
are compelled to bear What, then, is
the remedy? Is it reputation say
no. say that the American people are
an honest people, and will not repudiate
their honest obligations. Their remedy
is not reputation, but it is such pay
ment Of this debt as the people are able
to make, and which shall save these
vast sums Of interest that you are pay
ing each year. Where you promised to |
pay gold, pay gold Where you only |
promised greenbacks, pay greenbacks. |
That is the first thing. The next thing
you must do is to stop the plundering of |
the public treasury. Why, my friends, |
if i were to stand here and re-
count to you the hundredth part of
the plunderings of the Treasury that |
is to be found in the official report |
Of the Government, | might have to
stand here for well nigh week. Laugh.
ter. might sum up the whole thing
in one remark, and that is that Mr.. |
Dawes, Of Massachusetts,, one of the |
most radical of men, was forced 10 con-
fess, on the floor of the House of Repre-
sentatives, that the mere stealings of |
one year, under the Republican admin.
istration, were equal almoA to the entire
current annual expenses of Buchanan's
administration. Let me give you an
idea of the amount What were your
expenses last year2 They were $3.50.
100000. That is mighty sum of
money. Let me give you an idea of
what it is in my comparison. In the |
good old days of Andrew jackson, the |
expenses of the Government never ex
ceeded twenty-five millions year. Now,
you expend as much in one single year
as would run the Government for twenty.
one years, at the old rate of Democratic
expenditures. Now, is it not time to
have a change? Is it not time to stop
the leaks in the Treasury, and turn out
the men who tax you in this way. aud
thus squander your money! Zap
plause
Let me give you another item. A set
of fellows who wanted Government con-
tracts, got up an Indian war; and what
have been the expenses of IT'D The |
Secretary Of War reported that the ex-
penses of that war for the two years, |
1865 and 1866, we're over thirty millions
of dollars How many hostile Indians
did they kill with that large amount of
money | will tell you. There was a
Rev. Colonel Chivington who murdered
one hundred and seventy-iour perfectly
peaceful and friendly Indians-old men,
women and children. Itdoes sometimes
happen that when you want a particular
ly mean man, find one who writes "Rev-
erend Colonel before his name and you
have him. Applause How many hos
tile Indians did they kill with this thirty
millions of money! | remember that
in the House OF Representatives Mr.
Window, of Minnesota, after investiga-
ting the facts, stated as the result that
every hostile Indian killed cost more
than two millions of money. Take Cen
eral Sully expedition. The subsistence
Of that expedition cost more than six
millions OF dollars. The General re-
ported that he had killed one Indian.
Laughter. An express rider says the
General lied; that it was he, and not the
General, who killed the Indian. Laugh
ter. And the old hunters and trappers
out there say they both lie, for they know
the Indian very well, and he is alive yet
[ Laughter ] That sthe way your money
goes.
Let me tell you another way and
another thing that is necessary to be done
to stop this heavy taxatiOn-this great
drain upon the people. That is to dis
miss at least one-hslf of the Office
holders of the general government, and
set them to honest work. Applause. |
Have you any idea how many of them
there are2 According to the official re-
port of the Secretary of the Treasury,
there are more than 20, 900 office holders
in that one single department, almost as
many as there were in the whole govern
ment under Buchanan. That is but one
the Department of State,
of War, of the Navy, and of the Interior,
of the Postoffice, and Of the Attorney
General, and ask yourselves how many
people you are feeding in ideness, whose
chief business it is to electioneer for the
Radical party. l tell you, my friends,
there never was a people so ridden and
taxed by Office holders and Office beggars
in the world as are the American people a
at this day. The hangers.on are so {
numerous that it almost remind US Of the :
plaques with which the Almighty visited {
Pharaoh and bis people. Dismiss one
half Of these fellows, aud let them go to |
work for an honest living. Applause
Then, another thing is necessary to be !
lone-give to the Southern people con-
government Then they will
have heart to improve the country. In
he course of few years they will repair
he Favages that war has made aud will
be able to bear their full share Of taxa
ion, and lift so much from your shoul-
lers Then once more we will DO
inited people from the lakes to the Gulf
We will not only march under the same
lag, but our hearts everywhere will keep
I'D to the music Of the Union. Do this.
ny friends, and you may hope to see
-our country relieved from debt, your
houlders relieved from this burden of n
axation that rests upon you; your peo-
lie all over the Republic once more a
raternal, Union loving community. Zap
ilause
Now, my friends, have spoken longer
han / expected 10 speak l came not S
o much to make q speech as to bear the 7,
congratulations Of Ohio to the noble
Democracy Of the Keystone State. n
anne to say TO yon that your brethren
1 Ohio have made what We think wnsa