The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1868-10-07
CHE DfmOerat.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. :
a. MoGREGoR, EDITOR.
Wells Statement and Atkinsons'
Speech.

The old proverb that 'drowning
men catch at straws," has never been
more iulIy exemplihed that it has
been by the avidity with which the
radical Stumpers OF the radical press
have seized up the sPeciOus but false
statements of David A. Wells con-
corning the public debt, and national
finances.
81 As it is upon these, that the Repub-
lican leaders rely for their acquittal
from the Indictment presented against
them, for their excessive extravaganza
and corrupt. a., and such gross miss
mana5ement, of Federal finances that
the public Cec. IS increasing with
frightful rapiJity, it is proper that we
give it at least nasty investigation.
Soon after Neiis made his state
ment public It wUs adopted and
thrown into .'spaech'' form by one
Atkinson, WHO prOulaims himself as
one of the ''manufacturers'' of the
East, who, under the cover of the
outrageous tariff system OF the radi-
Gals is having made neatly out of the
| labor of Western labOrers. Atkinson
gave Wells the questionable credit of
authorship of the material of his
speech 1t was delivered before the
Radical State Convention for The State
of Massachusetts, by which it was re-
ceived gratefully as an apportune re-
lief from their pressing difficulties.
The Statement" and 'speech'' at
tempt 10 establish two propositions, las
to both of which they not only signal
Is fail, but disclose a lamentabIc, tho
i'll concealed, disposition to misiead
and falsify. The first proposition is,
that between the first of April 1865
and the first OF July 1866, there was
paid over the sum of eight hundred
millions of dollars properly belonging
to the war debt, and which he claims
shows a decrease of the public debt to
that amount. Is it not little singu.
lar that both speech and statement
contain their own refutation Out oI
what was this vast amount paid, lei
us ask? Atkinson says that on April
lst 1865 the Federal treasury was in
reality insolvent. That there were
but SIT 100000 while there were
claims passed for payment and ovel
due amounting to over $12O, ,OOO,OOO
Therefore the vast amount of Over
$500 00O. .0O0 was not paid out of casf
o. aud. If paid il could only by,
been done out II The receipts Of IT,,
government between April la5, 1868
Ju!g ii, 1866
NOw the speech and statement
both pretend to give the income dur
ing that period, and state the gros:
receipts of the Government at $643,
600, 900. An amount vastly less thar
what they claim to have paid. Tht
cheat herein is apparent.
But if they fail to exculpate them
selves on the scorn of Public Debt
which instead of decreasing is con
stantly increasing-still more egregi
ously, do they fall short on the score
of economy.
These tricksteTs, sWells, Atkinson
and three cndorsers, pretend that tht
last year of adical rule, 1--WE pra,
Heaven it n.y. be their last cost tn
people less .aan the last year O
Buchanan's administration. Now fo
the figures. Buchanan's last year
they claim to have cost ST, 900, ,00C
We give elsewhere the Official state
menJ somewhat in detail, whicl
shows that the year from June 80, 186
to June 80, 1868 cost the people, inclu
ding interest on debt, the vast sum Q
$4l4, 1913, GOA, 10. Taske away the in
terest on the debt (S14O,OOO, ,OOO & W
+ have the still enormous sum of abou
TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENT7
FIVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
as the cost of this luxury of RGdicf
rule.
Let the people not be deceived wit
). the spurious statements of radics
charlatans.