The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-02-10


voter.
There was nothing In the amend
ments by any means as exceptionable
as the 7th resolution of the Philadel-
phia Convention of August, 1866,
giving to the enfranchised slaves all
the rights of person and property en-
Mr.. Hendricks, the Democratic can
didate for Governor, voted. The
Democracy said the negroes were too
ignorant tolvote, but if you esta blish
the status Of intelligence as the basis
of suffrage, what would become of the
Democratic party?
In Virginia alone there we're 10000
white adults who could neither read
or,write. and $4,000 in like condition
In North Carolina. WaE
Democrats would be for negro suf-
frage if the negroes would vote the
Democratic ticket - the Chicago
Times and New York World, the two
leading organs of the Democracy,
having advocated negro suffrage till
it was demonstrated by the Tennessee
election that they would not vote for
Democrats. Negro suffrage, he said,
was not a vital question In Indiana,
and could not be made so without
change IN the Constitution.
We give more at length his views
on the subject of f5q
THE PUBLIC DEBT.
In regard to the public debt, Mr..
Nelson said he was sure that no hon
est man would oppose the pay
ment of the honest debt con-
tracted to maintain the best Gov
ernmeut God had ever vouch-
safed to man. The faith of the Gov
eminent, the faith of the people, was
solmnly pledged to repay that money,
without which the war could not have
been conducted three months. Money
is the sinews of war. It was sub
scribed by our patriotic people, at
time when all Europe Knocked at our
calamity, and beheld US, as they
thought, in the last agonies of disso-
luton. That money fitted up our
gallant navy, and made US the first
power on the ocean. 1t was paid to
our soldiers in the field, whose victo-
rious arms saved the nations life.
Shall we repudiate it now? Shall we
repudiate that debt which purchased
our nations existence and indicated
republican institutions?
The faith of the nation is pledged
toits dead as well as its living de-
tenders. 1t is pledged to the widow
and the orphan, and the MANNED
heroes, who will go down to their
graves with the marks of rebel
bullets ors their persons. Shall that
faith be broken? But that faith, will
be broken if you permit the Govern
ment to pass from loyal into traitor
hands, Hence it is that we urged in
1866, and urge it now upon the pee-
pie of the Southern States, to place
the validity and binding obligatio of
the public debt into our organic law
| During the war, the Democratic
party. In and out of Congress, tried
in every way to destroy the nations
credit, and to prevent subscriptions
to the loans necessary to carry op the.
wars They voted to man to subject
| the public bonds to State and NUM-
cipal taxation, not that they cared for
the revenue that might be derived in
that way. but to injure the Govern
ment, and stop7the war by preventing
/ thessale of these bonds. No prudent
man would have invested his money
in the public. securities if they had
been subjected to local taxation. The
Democratic Legislature of 1862, TO
strike a blow at the nations credit,
would have taxed them at the rate of
twenty five per cent, if that had been
necessary to prevent their sale.
They declared the issue of legal
tender notes unlawful and nnconsti-
ltutional. Greenbacks were . rags
worthless rags land it is said a dis
tinguished leader of that party refused
to take his pay In such worthless
trash, !" as Judge of the Supreme
Court. Nothing but hard money
would suit them, and they spoke of
the good old times, when, as Col.
Benton used to say, : the yellow boys
shone through the interstices Of
their purses" But now, when
party exegencies' require it. a sadden
change has come over the spirit of.
their dream, ana nothing is so beauti-
tiful in Democratic eyes as, those
worthless rags. Venus, as she
rose from the foam of the
sea, was mot more loVefyF No
painting of Raphael or Titan. is so
exquisite In beauty as a greenback.
So much do they love them, that
they want the whole country flooded
with greenbacks, and by some sort of
hocus pocus they expect to wipe out
the entire debt by the immediate is
sue of greenbacks to the extent of.
our national liabilities. This. of
course, the more candid among them
will admit would result in repudia-
ton, and the pill is only sugar coated
to deceive the people. That scheme