The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-10-23
speech of Governe. Seymour a, Buf.

preparation, and yet a brilliant torch
light procession, of 1000 or 5000 people
in uniform, escorted the distinguished
speaker to the Rink, not titn9 VI
which could gain entrance, Hon. Jas
| Humphreys, Chairman of the meeting,
called the assemblage to order al o'
o'clock. when Governor seymour u
livered an eloquent, impreSsi's ON"
stirring address, saying: panrb-
iican Convention consrs'uiaSe a.rmco
country on their scneme ol 5eIo ri
ILL., Cn't,ers and presses declare that recon
sip"nction is a failure; that the South Is
still in a condition of rebellion; that us
soniaI disorder demands the presence OF
a great army, and that the hrst uuIy Oh
Congress, when it meets, VIII DO 10
turn reconstructed Georgia out OF tne
Union. Again, at the outset OF this
canvass the Republican party asked
to be continued in power; that it bad
been governed wisely aud well.
After three months of discussion
of their reconstruction and
financial policy it is founL shat
order has not been restored at
the South and that the bur.
dens of the debt have not been
lightened. nor the evils of oppressive
taxation have not been lifted off the
laboring industry of the country.
Driven from their first grounds, they
now try to hold power by making the
people believe, not that they have done
well, but that the Democratic party
would do worse if they came into power.
To prove this they assert that the sue
cess of the Democratic ticket will in
volve the country again in civil war.
COnceding that nothing short of this
could be worse than Radical rule, they
declare that the Democratic nominees
are ready to overturn their legislation
by force. To make the charge still
more dramatic, am to be sent to my
final account by the hands of my
political supporters, and then Cen
eral Blair is to tranple beneath his feet
| the reconstruction laws as ruthlessly
as General Meade now stamps Them out
by his military orders, with the cencur-
renee of the Radical party. If General
Blair should reach the Presidential
chair, how would the case stand He
would be confronted by a Republican
Senate, by House of Representatives
full of Generals, by the United States
army, thanked by the Loyal Leagues
and the Grand Army of the Republic,
under the command of their own candi-
date for the Presidency, whom they de-
clare to be the first Captain of the age,
and yet we are gravely told that, stand
ing alone, shackled by Congressional
restraints, he can crush out all opposing
power and plunge the country into
civil war. If this is true, then General
Blair is either the most vigorous man
that has lived in the history OF
the world, or the Republican Senators,
Members Of Congress aud commanders
of armies are the most imbecile men
who ever disgraced public positions.
This absurd fear of civil war is not the
fear ia the minds of the Republican
leaders. 1t is the fear that the public
mind, now turned TO the financial and
political policy of the Republicans, is
reaching conclusions which will sweep
them from power; therefore they seek
to change tue issues. We are admon-
ished that it is n dangerous thing to
/ change font on the eve of battle.
Governor Seymour then proceeded in
a lengthy argument to show why the
reconstruction policy had been fail
IRE. Because they had neglected alike
to secure the material prosperity OF
both white and black men, and the
first act in the scheme of reconstruction
was to put monstrous export tax of
six cents per pound upon the cotton
raised by the labor of tn" negro "Pv"
~
showed conclusiveiy that this policy
was unwise, selfish and vindictive
This tax was simply impOs d that
Eastern manufacturers might buy cot
ton for price six cents less than it was
worth in the markets of the world. Its
Importance was urged upon the Con
gressmen of the Western States, who
voted against the interests of their con-
stituents on the ground that it was a
penalty upon the South. No fair
minded, thoughtful Republican will
look over this action ana not confess
that the policy of his party has not been
unwise and hurtful.
Governor Seymour then discussed at
length the injustice of the unequal dis
tributiOn of currency to the national
banks. He showed that while the State
of Massachusetts with a pOpula ion of
100000, had S5,7O0,0O0, the State of
Illinois, with twice that population,
had only S9,000,00O. The people of the
Northern Atlantic States held about
two thirds of all the currency, while
the great agricultural States of the
West had proportionately less than
their due share. There is great wrong
done here at the very basis of business
prospects. When the Western dealer in
produce goes to the bankers of Chicago
or other commercial centres of the West
and offers Il draft on an Eastern city to
get currency to buy the wheat, beef,
pork or wool of the Western farmer, he
is charged u monstrous interest, and
when he objects he is told that the
banker can do no better; that he has no
currency of his own; that the whole
volume of currency Authorized by
Congress has been taken up in the
Eastern States; that he must go East to
borrow the currency, must pay interest
for it's use, and that he must charge
that interest aud another interest for
! his own compensation. The produce
dealer takes this enormous interest ont
of the farmer that raises the produce.
This unwisc distribution of the cur
rency lies at the foundation of much of
the ill.feeling against the bondholder.
There are other great wrongs to
which | will briefly allude. We say
that taxation should be equal upon
every species of property according to
its real value. The Republicans say,
too, that they declare in their fourth
resolution that it is due to the labsr of
the nation that taxation should be
equalized. With this declaration upon
their lips, will they tell us why
they make it uneQuali Will they
tell MS why for four years they have al
lowed this conceded injustice to remain
upon their statute books. They charge
upon us that we are in favor of repudi-
atlon. Have those who make this
charge frankly said how they intend to
deal with the public creditor' We
have said, when the agreement was,
that he should lee paid in gold he should
have it, and where the contract
did not define he should be
paid in money as good as that which
We uSe for the sacred DurDose