The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-08-20
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sineethe war II Il not fair on your part.
We acknowledge 'G6 was bad enough"
Wei, then, that you may judge Of the
whole state OF the case, and that may not
be unfair with you, let us examine how it
was this very last year, the year ending 1868.
hold in my hand the last report OF DAVID
| A. Wells, commissioner of internal revenue,
showing the receipts in revenue ''Ees alone
to be $l23,0O0,000. This occurs IN what
we fondlY term a free government, where all
high Official pomp and splendor is taoooed,
for economical reasons, except such as
may be sufficient to support our dignity as
one OF the sisterhood ofnatlons-an asylum
and mountain of,refuge for the tax-oppress'
ed Of other nations. Ours is, what foreign
ers imagine to be, government where men
are elevated for their transcendast worth
and purity OF character but IN the thira
year Of peace the farmer, the laborer, ana
all that class of republican nobility known
as producers, are taxed $l23,O00,0 600 70 pay
interest on lockedup and useless bonds. |
submit, fellow citizens both democrats and |
| republicans, these facts TO your considera' |
ton, and ask you to pronounce the radical |
officials in power guilty, under the trst |
count, Of this Indictment of ExTRAvAGANCE |
Is rlE USE OF THE PEOPLES NoSEY. Loud
applause with cries of guilty"
| Now, have another charge to prefer
against the radical party in power, if posi-
Die more fragrant than the first, aud also
ask the attention Of my republican friends
10 the second count of this Indictment
There has been more corruption developed
, aud invented in the government OF this ma.
ton, since the accession Of the radical party
p | TO power, than in any state or nation OF
{ | modern times This is q grave assertion,
n but assert nothing lightly. | come sup.
o ported by formidable file of documents,
/ and am prepared to prove any Of my assey.
= erations. 1t seems to be the last resort OF
! the republican party, during this campaign,
}. to strive TO rake the glowing embers OF enthu.
/. | siasm from the ashes of the late war Ana
1 | it seems to be the mission of democracy TO
r, present facts-and a more CHASTITY array oil
j, facts was never submitted to the decision OF
/, an oppressed people for their righting voice.
). hold in my hand the official report OF Ds.
e vid A. Wells, commissioner of internal rev
a. enue for the last year. lie IS not only re-
- publican, but a radical republican at that
n and this report is submitted to congress I'M
der the sanction of his oath Of office. de
NJ has given a very full report though IN his
o | remarks on the revenue Office he does not
- enter into minute detail. His generalizings
1T are very suggestive, however, and slightly
O. alarming. ! want your particular attention,
ID for the charge that | am about to bring
Mt against the revenue officials of the entire
Mt country is O serious one. would relate,
Of parenthetically, that in another part OF the
d. state when was addressing county meet
"A. ing. was reverting to the fact which l am
of about to state, when the revenue official at
in that place became very much incensed at me
it personally, and went about town abusing me
n. and Offering to swear that he never stole any
nd | money! 1t is, however, fact not OF my
nd making or finding out, but set down IN th'
an plainest Saxon in the report of Commits
- sioner Wells, to which have referred. Ill
ed saws, and refer you to the document, tina
H. of the entire amount assessed for interna
we revenue during the last year, not over Of
Ial per cent. was received into the nauona
an treasury There is certainly corruption
is. somewhere there is certainly some de
20. fauIter and this commissioner should no
Oh only be able to state the deficit, but also t
ke discover the persons who thus criminally sc
lot duester the national revenues. There IS n
use for revenue officers to work t"emseve
cal into passion at this exposure. Let thos
ce. whom the cap fits wear it. The commh
of siouer himself, giving it as his opinion ths
.di. not 80 per cent. of the receipts tor revenu
| ever found their way to the national stron
re. box, means that one.haf the revenues al
of flched, on the way. by officials. But
,w. ware we'll if tho onnn niooioner eould a.es
.rt ra'ely set down so per cent. credit to picf
int ings and stealings.
md The commissioner proceeds with his repo
he. and SAYS "the case is only halfstated,' th'
IN. is to say, they stole the whole of it laugh
rec teri That's the testimony of the radical o
no. fetal who is at the head Of the revenue d.
wi. partment. Do not such corruptions warral
the the consideration of every representative
nIv congress who has the least preteusion
for virtue? They cannot present, as tanglbI
90. excuse, want of acquaintance with tines
ars facts. They have been brought home
her congress, in three successive reports, and y
to the radicals submit a platform and ask IL
nd popular support of it, when not one word
of embodied il that platform indicative OF r
ne. form of the crying abuses which have cha
- acteriled their entire rule. No they desil
,Iic no reform. The opportunities are too man
fold for plumber. They ask for contn
;ch auce 10 power under the platform OF 1856
ct | s4t 20 a war tune. They have fastened thee
on selves upon the body polite and are sappln
rm the life blood out of it, drop by drop J
ave this charge of corruption they have been r
ge. peatedly asked to plead, and they obstlnat
ad. Y stand nute and say nothing. In ancle
the times we read that when prisoner was q
ar. raigned in court and refused to plead thu
ser. let down great weight upon his head al
de crushed him to death. We do not propo
of to treat every republican so severely as tbs
an. but, as to the party they espouse, we inter
Use to place upon their head the weight OF pop
hen lar Indignation, and public opinion, and pr
,rn. it up so high and make it SO heavy, that
the will crush the political life out of them /
all time. Great applause,
res. Now, discussed these financial issues,
of, another speech, in another part OF the stat
ears some time since, and leading republics
res. paper, referring to that speech, said that
IAN, hadn't told it all. All had said in n
an. ereucc to them was true, but there was
one inconsderable triAe of corruption behlE
ring and untold. The editor has certainly mo
nch facilities fer obtaining information on t
It on subject than myself, who in the preparatl
'eed of nv speech have taken few of the me-
eCes- notable evidences of partisan corruption
pen could find, hap,hazard, and made runnl
commentary on the same, with documents
d to. evidence of their truth but if two such g
q of tlemen as the commissioner (Wells) and t
prop republican editor would put their heads
ms Of gether and compare notes, from the var
d the stock OF information that has come witt
their personal notice, what depths OF radi
have iniquity we could reach! This editor, a
was said, acknowledges, editorially, the truth
epub- these assertions of mine but what re