Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-10-23
DOMESTIC NEWS.
,ov. seymour's Speech at Buffalo.

Gov. seymour's Speech at Buffalo.
-r 0 BUFFALO, Oct. %.
Notwithstanding the inclement weather
an immense assemblage gathered in the
large skating rink to hear Horatio Sey-
mour make his opening speech of the cam
paign. Long before the hour for speaking
the rink was crowded with full 5000 peO-
| Pile. Only two days were given for prep
arations, and yet brilliant torchlight pro-
cession of 4, 600 or 5000 people, in uniform,
escorted the speaker to the rink, not a
tiGhe OF which could gain entrance.
| Hon. James Humphreys, Chairman OF the
| meeting, called the assembly to order at
| So o'clock, when Gov. Seymour delivered
an eloquent, impressive and stirring ad-
dress, saying:
| In the first words uttered by the Repub-
lican Convention they congratulated the
country on their scheme of reconstruction.
The last words uttered by their speakers
and presses declare that reconstruction is
failure; that the South is still in condi-
ton of rebellion that its social disorder
demands the presence of great armies, and
that the first duty OF Congress, when it
meets, will be t" turn reconstructed GeOr-
gia out of the Uuion again.
/ Atthe outset OF this canvass the Repub-
lican party asked to be continued in power
that it had been governed wisely and well.
| A fter three months of discussion of their
Reconstruction and financial policy. it is
found that order has not been restored at
the S"uth, and that the burdens of debt
have not beer lightened nor the evils of op.
pressive taxation have not been lifted off
the laboring industry OF the country.
| Driven from their first grounds. they
now try 10 hold power by making the
l people believe not that they have done
well, but that the Democratic party would
do worse if they came into power. TO
Al. Il, - -
the Democratic ticket will involve the
country again in civil war.
Conceding that nothing short of this
could be worse than Radical rule, they e.
clare that the. Democratic nominees re
| ready to overturn their legislation D.,
| force. To make the charge still more dram
attic, am to be sent to my final accOut {
by the hands of my political supporters
and then General Blair is to trample be-
meath his feet the reconstruction laws as
ruthlessly as General Meade now stamps
them out by his military orders with the
concurrence of the Radical party. If Gen.
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, fanked by the
| Loyal Leaguers and the Grand Army of the
Republic, under the command of their own
candidate for the Presidency, whom they
declare to be the first captain of the age,
and yet we are gravely told that, standing
alone, shackled by Congressional restraints,
lie 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 hat has lived in the
history of the world or Republican Sena-
| tors, members of Congress and command
ers of armies are the most i'm becile men
who ever disgraced public positions.
This absurd fear of civil war is not the
fear in the minds of Republican leaders,
| They fear that the pubic mind, now turn
ed to the financial and political policy of
the Republicans, is reaching conclusions
which will sweep them from power. There
fore they seek to change the issues. We
are admoniShed that it is dangerous thing
to change just on the eve of a battle.
Gov. Seymour then proceeded in
lengthy argument to show why the recon-
struction policy had been Il failure, be-
ause they had neglected alike to secure
the material prosperity of both the white
man and he negro. The first act in the
scheme of reconstruction was to put a
moEstrous tax of cents per pound upon
the cotton raised by the labor of negroes
upon the plantations of whites. He showed
CO .cluSivPlv that this policy was un-
wise, selfish and vindictive. This tax
r Was sim2iy imposed that; Eastern
manufacturer might buy cotton for price
6 cents less than it was worth in the mar
kets of the world. Its imposition was
urged upon the Congressman of the West
ern States who voted against the interests
! of their constituents on the ground that it
p was a penalty upon the South.
:, No fair minded, thoughtful Republican
i will look over this action and not confess
, that the policy of his party has not been
T unwise and hurtful. ,
Gov. Seymour then discussed at length
the injustice of the unequal distribution of
" currency to the National Banks. He show
t ed that while the State of Massachusetts,
with 100000 population, had $5 100000;
the State OF Illinois, with twice that popu-
# tion, had only $9,000.00o The people OF
Y che North Atlantic States held about two
q thirds of all the currency, while the great
agricultural States of the West had proper
tionably less than their due share.
II There is great wrong done here at the
e very basis of business prospects. When
:, the western dealer in produce goes to the
bankers of Chicago or other commercial
t countries of the west, and Offers a draft on
r an eastern city to get currency to buy the
IS wheat, beef, pork, or wool, of the western
farmer, he is charged INDUSTRIOUS interest
| and when he objects he is told that the
ID banker can do no better; that he
1t has no currency of his own; thai
c the whole value of currency authorized
. by Congress has been taken up in the East
- ern States; that he must go east to borrow
IS the currency; must pay interest for Its use
and that he must charge that interest ant
l. another interest for his own com
ID pensation. The produce dealer take
y this enormous interest out of tn,
y. farmer that raises the produce
Il This unwise distribution of the currenc!
ID lies at the foundation of much of the ill
g. feeling against the bondholders. There ar
:, other great wrongs to which will brief1!
. allude. We say that taxation should b.
e. quail upon every species of property, ac
e. cording to its real value The Republican
n say so too. They declare in their fourtl
- resolution that it is due to the labor OF tn
Ae nation that taxation should be equalizec
With this declaration upon their lips vii
n they tell us why they make it unequal
IN Will they tell us why, for four years the
IL have allowed this conceded injustice to re
IT, main upon their statute books? They charg
rk upon us that we are in favor OF repu
diation. Have those who make thi
charge frankly said how they inten
,st to deal with the public creditor? We hav
=. said when the agreement was that h
Ill should be paid in gold he should have i
and when the contract did not SO define h
should be paid in money as good as thu