Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-06-25

Ill A. SuUAkE.,
ia piyen 10 the Buffers, and that class OF
men, so again will come the best ana
most conservative material OF the ne
publican party to the only great conssrv-
alive organization that is laboring to
save the country. [Applause .ea
This question Of standing army is one
OF the mightiest that was ever presented
10 the people of the country. i see some
old men before me. You know with what
Jealous care you were instructed by the
early fathers to avoid standing armies
being located among you in time OF peace.
Every free government beneath the sun,
that once was free but now is free no
more, found its bane in military orrani-
zatious. They are necessary in time OF
war, but destructive in time Of peace.
Every republic that ever rose and fell,
fell by that destroyer, and none other.
The ambitious military cbieftain, find
ing an organized army at his. command,
overpowers an unarmed aud unorganized
people. do not say Is will be SO now.
| am not here to denounce SGen. Grant
as the candidate the Republican party.
He stands upon his record. If you find
in that record civil experience and
statesmanship, be II SO; l can net. But
am appealing to people who have the
bill to pay, who feed the treasury, and
meet this question of standing army
every time they meet the tax gatherer.
l am appealing to people jealous Of
their rights and liberties, intelligent and
educated, upon the dangers that attend a
great standing army, located in any por-
| ton Of your country, to hold in abject
servitude the people of the country.
But let as go q step further aud see
what these people have done in the way
OF destruction. have shown you that
they have destroyed the UnioH, destroyed
liberties, destroyed States, fastened a
standing army upon you, feeding that
standing army from your hard.earned
taxes, without the slightest excuse. Bat
they have done more. Where now is the
wealth that once adorned these Southern
States? Yeu people, living here upon
the Ohio river, are deeply interested in
this question. Not the valley of the
Euphrates, not the rich lands of corn
aud wine in Canaan, are so productive
by nature as these lands of the South
that are now given up to the dusky bar
barian, who never built up country,
and never will. Did ever such country
exist for agricultural productiveness
Look at this land that stretches from
the Chesapeake to the Rio Grande, its
trade flowing along your rivers, and
with which you exchange commodities
1t is rich, and tends to make you so.
The cotton crop, the sugar crop, the
rice, the tobacco Of the South in 1850,
acc ording to the census, amounted to
more than one thousand millions, of
dollars annually. From that a mighty
revenue was derived to the Government,
and every dollar Of that revenue thus
derived was dollars help to you to
assist you in bearing the burdens of the
Government. What do you see now
Under the legislation Of this Congress,
where is the rich cotton crop OF
the South 2 Where is her sugar,
her rice, her productiveness that once
filed the Golfers of the government
Where are the taxes that she is able to
pay to tighten your burden According
to the estimates you have to pay the
Government FIVE hundred millions of
dollars annually. No such taxation is
known anywhere else beneath the sun.
Why should this fall upon the NORTH, !
Why should this Southern country be
rendered barren2 You have se,1n II,
former productiveness. Once the table
Of exports and imports shower. that she
went beyond the North in 81. ppsrting the
burdens of government, because the real
wealth OF country always grows ia the
ground-there is the seat of empire and
wealth and agricultural glory. 1t has
been blasted by Radical legislation, by
military despotism, by usurping powers
upon the part Of Congress unknown to
the Constitution, undreamed of by the
trainers of the Federal Government. But
now, instead of q helpmate, instead of q
thrifty sister, bringing her contributions
and pouring them into the lap of the
government, along With you, she is like q
poor, miserable, starved, disowned kins-
man, without place, without wealth, with
cred, blighted, her fields blasted. no cot
ton, no rlce,no sugar, no. taxes, and why 2
The land is all there, Just as rich as ID
once was; the, same rains fall that once
fell. The same son is there the same
mighty country is there; yes, and the
same negro is there to work that once
was. bat be don't work, and why 2 Be-
cause, while all the national wealtpi that
once was there is there still; the Freed
mems Bureau has goue there. too, Tap-
plause aud the Onion League has gone
there, The Freedmen's Barssu tells the
negro, Work no more, for on the swea'
Of the white mans face of the North ye
may eat your bread; you may work n,
mora" Applanse Some one, T,er
haps, is ready to say that the reT .sor
that the wealth Of the South has beer
destroyed is because slavery haa beer
abolished, and oonseqnently the slavs
power q destroyed, BgS my hop. est old
Abohiionist friend, where are you to
dsyf Oaee yon told this people that
slave labor vaa q curse 20 any country.
You were told 10 just hbssrate the
negro, and be would produce te hfold what
he did When he belonged 20 q master ,
that be would work better free than as .
slaEe-he piled up the cottos bales, he
made The great staples Of conmerce, be
sent The spinning wheel round aud round
IN every nauufactsry in the four quar-.
tsrs Of The globe, be fed the treasury, he
lcontinusi On fourth psss.l