The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-01-21
GIe4ntdltiQetlre :
NATIONAL ISSUES.
RepubliOanism VS.. Democracy
The War. The Debt, Taxes and
Currency.
RECoNsrnuCr1oN

ISPesch Hy GSnerat Beatty, cundictate for
ooGeress, rtos Hon. g. S. Rdn,t6o1, deceaied. III
q thesth Ohto DiStrte1, Cielipered al CIlsd0nfS
-harton County. on 1ha6StlGD night laSil
FRLLow CITIzENs-I come before Won
as candidate, to ask your influence
now and your votes hereafter, not ior
ciples and the measures Of % the
great Republican party, with
which, l ann Connected. 1and with
which propose to stand or fall, II
matters not TO any but a few personal
friends whether succeed or fall; but
It Is a matter which concerns you great
~, that the principles and the meas
ares OF the Union party shall succeed.
for upon their success depends, in a
great degree, your success as individu-
ais, as well as the prosperity OF the
whole people.
1t Is, perhaps, unnecessary to remind
you that we have recently emerged
from q war in which many lives have
been lost, our finances deranged, our
resources crippled; and the smoke of
battle and the excitement having died
away, we now stand surveying the
field. prepared to clear away the wreck,
repair the damage and save and secure
what remains. and provide, II possible,
against recurrence ofthe calamity.
WHICH WILL YOU CHOOSE? @.
There are two parties that propose to
do this work, and the question tonight
Is, which OF these parties will YOU EN-
ployf They are both willing to take
the business In hand. The one makes
many promises, but, unfortunately, we
know that it has fulfilled but few OF its
promises in the past; the other NAV
have made mistakes-what human
hand or head has not7 But We know
this-the individual members of that
party have given their means cheerful
ly, and their lives freely to the country
4n. its hour of trial, While the party
itselr.carrted the nation triumphantly
through the fiery ordeal Of civil war.
Who shall have charge of this work of
reconstruction-the party which has
been faithful to the country, or the
party which has been faithless-the
party which stood by the country In its
pressing need, or the party that sym
pathized with the enemy, or, at best.
yielded on compulsion a tardy and un.
willing This is the question
shall loyal or disloyal hands do the
workI Wisdom, justice, patriotism,
would suggest that you put hecountry
in the hands of its tried friends; that
you put the country in charge OF that
party ana of those men whose love for
II and whose devotion to it stood con-
sptcuous In danger, and braved even
death ITSELF Prudence would suggest
that you do not trust this Democratic
party, whose cowardice, Indifference or
dishonesty thrust the war upon MS, en-
dangered the existence of The Union,
and deluged the land with blood; the
party whose insane folly and mad am
bition rendered 1t necessary to contract
this great debt, which now sits asan
incubus upon our people, depressing
their energies, crippling their resources,
and retarding their progress; this party,
Vi1tNh flor
discouraged the loyal, fought or sym.
pathtzed with the enemy, damaged the
national credit, and compelled us to
resort TO unusual methods 10 obtain on
untavorable terms the money to sub.
sist and maintain our soldiers in the
field.
WHAT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
Icharge the war upon the Democratic
party; I charge the great debt upon
them; charge these taxes on them
which now burden our people; IcharRs
all the calamities which have resulted
from the war upon them, for they in
voIved us in the war; and hold that
our people would be dishonored and
the country ruined if this party were
now allowed to obtain control of the
nation. 1 know there are individual
members of that party who are honest
and honorable in business, kind neigh
bors, yexcellent citizens, faithful to the
country In time of war, anxious to pro-
mote the general interest in time of
peace. They cling to the party because
they were associated with 1t in their
youth. They vainly hope it will re-
trieVe It's fortunes, and return to the
principles Of its founders. l respect
these men, and trust they will be led
to abandon hope which now affords
no promise of realization. hope and
trust that they will be disposed to leave
party that has SO long departed from
the principles of the men who found
ed
WHERE THR BLAME LIES. hs
1 know these Democratic leaders
have the impudence to say, "You Re.
publicans contracted the debt, you
levied the taxes" respond, "YOu
compelled us to contract the debt; YOU
drove us to the usurer; you forced us to
levy heavy taxes"
Suppose your house is set on fire
by your enemy and partially DESTROYED,
you are compelled to rebuild, to bor-
row money, to submitt TO an annual tax
to pay the debt. Who is to blame for
all this trouble, all this expenditure
Did you apply the torch2 No; but
while the fire gathered, and the flame
threatened the destruction of your pro-
perty and your-childrsn, at the risk of
your own life, you subdued the flames,
rescued your children, and partially
saved the house; and now your enemy,
whose hideous Wickedness Is only par
alleled by his open impudence, says,
"You gave the note; you levied the tax
to repair the building; YOU are the
canse of the trouble"
With like consistency the unscrupu-
lous demagogues go among the people,
the farmers, the mechanics, the la6or-
erH, and tell them, 1--WE didn't make
this 6nhfs didn't n1f
you; oh, no." And they say further,
"Do you know these taxes are not fair
lY apportioned The poor men have
to pay them all, while the rich live at
their ease, without a dollar to paw. Do
yon know the poor bear the burdens,
and the rich escape2n don't know it,
and the man who tells the tale knows
It to be false. I know the taxes are
heavy; wish In my heart they were
lighter. will do all in my power to
make them less. 1 will advocate any
measure which will, in honesty and
good faith, relieve us OF the burden;
but the burden is on ,us-torced upon
!n us by the Demoeratic party. While
they are responsible for the burden, we
are responsible simply for its fair and
equal apporttonment among the people,.
- FAIR DISTRIBUTION OF THE TAX.
Now, let us see how these burtheps
have been Distributed; whether this
Republican party has done It's duty in
the superintendent OF these taxes. /
do not ask you TO take my statement;
the facts are on record at the office Of
the County Treasurer, at the Offices OF
the Assessor and Collector of Internal
Revenue. Examine the books, COM
pare the taxes assessed against the
poor and the taxes assessed against the
rich and you will find that our party,
like the kind father who depends upon
hiSSons for means to support the house