The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-08-22
THE ISSUES OF THE CAMPAIGN
A FUL APP EAL.


SPEECH OF THE HON. DANIEL W. VOORHEES,,
OF INDIANA.
AN ELOQUENT ARRA1eNMENr OF THE REPUBII-
CAN pARrY-THE NATIONAL DEBr-ExTRAvA-
CANT EXPENDITURES AND UNEQUAL TAXATION
THE N1oUrrEs OF RADICAL REooNsTRUo-
T1oN-sEYMoUR AND BLAIR TIE REMEDY. -.
.i .-esH % u. D .c.-!
The Western papers bring usfull reports Of
the speech delivered some days ago, at Tere
Haute, Indiana, by the Hon. Daniel W. Voor-
hees. one Of the boldest and ablsst Democrats
of the Northwest. We givesome extracts:
THE PRINCIPLES INVOLVED N The CONTEST.
7 need not, my fellow-ctizens, seek by
strong: expressions to enhance and magnit
the importance OF the questions to be settled
by YOU at the approaching election. They are
the crayest, the mightiest, and the most COM
manding that were ever submitted for decls-
ion to the ballot of freemen. The great and
original principles OF free government are all
cries to YOU from the ground to save the great
charter oflberty for which it. was shed. The
whole framework of the government sways to
and fro with an uncert tain and ,uneasy. motion.
IT'S various departments no longer move 10
harmony, but crash and jar in angry and dan
gerous collision. The laborer no longer en-
}oys the fruits Of his TOLL but is daily robbed by
the unrestrained hand Of ofplunder, and unequal
and AND unjust taxation. Since Adam went forth
from the groves Of Eden-the founder Of
the laboring mans party throughout the
uniyerse-the chief and paramount duty
of. every government has been to protect
it's citizens in the enjoyment Of their own
hard earnings. That government which fails
to- do this is on the swift, sure road TO
rum and decay. Let us take a. survey of the
facts on this point for which the Radical party
ia responsible to the people. The. best test Of
the capacity Of party to bring prosperity to q
country is its use OF the public money. The
Radical party has had entire supremacy in the
legislation Of the country for many years past,
and must stand or fall by the record it has
made.
TIE VAST PROPORTIONS OF THE PUBLIC DEBT.
The amount of our national debt is known to
be about two thousand six hundred millions OF
dollars. This is sum 30 vast that the public
mind scarcely grasps it at q mere statement,
and vet it is highly necessary that every cid-
zen should fully comprehend and measure it's
GIGANTIC proportions. This debt exists as Q
perpetual mortgage on all your property, and
on all your labor, and on the property and
labor Of your posterity. According to the poll
cy Of Congress, it is to be handed down fron
father to son for the next hundred years, dark
ening every doorway with its ine1orable de-
portion this debt bears to your possessions ont
OF which it is to be paid A careful estimate
Of all the property of the United States sub
iect TO taxations would show value at this
this time Of about fifteen thousand millions.
Thus you see more than one-si1th OF every,
thing owned by the American peopleis covered
and absorbed by their national debt. Inns ls
strate. Where, in the history OF civilized
nations, was there ever before such deot
in proportion to the means OF payment
I challenge the annals OF mankind. Other
nations have tithed their people--taken a
tenth Of their productions, but such instances
have heretofore been cited only as bold Illus
trations Of audacious despotism. You are
nearly double tithed, and the Radical Congress
gives no sign nor promise Of relief: at the
close of the great NapoleOnic wars OF Europe,
in 1915. England found her debt to amount to
about three thousand five hundred millions OF
dollars, but to meet this liability her taxable
property reached the enormous sum OF hfty
thousand millions Of dollars, making her debt
bear the proportion OF one:fourteenth to her
ability to pay. Your burden, therefore, is
more than double that, which lay upon the
shoulders Of the Englishman. Yet British
statesmen found it necessary, in order to re-
lieve their people, to reduce the rate OF IN
terest on their bonds to Two and half and
three per cent, thus making reduction OF
American laborer be less an object Of care and
kindness on the part of his government than
the subject OF the British monarchy? Shall
crowned head be more tender and
considerate to the demands Of labor
than an American Congress2 Shall the old
tyranny of King George, against which
our fathers drew the sword, become
more tolerable to the taxpayer than our own
boasted asylum Of the oppressed2 But while
looking at this question Of our national debt,
let us not forget that your liabilities do not
stop there. It is, perhaps, impossible 10 as,
certain the exact amount Of the State, city and
county debts which are owed by the people OF
the United States; but their amount will at
least double the national debt, which is KNOWN
and ascertained. I trust the people will look
squarely at these important facts, not as partl-
sans, not as Democrats, not as Republicans,
but as honest men who hold in their own hands
the remedy for all evils and injustice In the
legislation Of the country. speak to you not
Tor party or party triumph, but for the pros,
perity Of the people. But it will be said that
this vast debt was made by the war, and that
the war was necessary to preserve the Union,
Even il this were all true, and that no part OF
your debt was the work Of those thieves and
plunderers whom John z. Hale described In
The Senate in 1862 as endangering the govern
ment and liberties of the people more than the
armed enemy in the field, yet it would In no
way affect or defeat the purpose have in max
ing this statement. l wish the people in the
first place to sec clearly and plainly where they
stand, how p-vch they owe, and what they
have to nav ". ii. They will then be better able
and prepared to appreciate the crimes that
have been committed against them during the
last three years by the Congress Of the United
States. When the war closed, and mountain
of debt. as have shown, lay upon the bended
shouIders of honest toll, what policy on the
mart of your Iaw-makers was 80 strenuousiy
called for as the policy Of economy-close,
rigid, searching economy With one-si1th OF
your lands and their harvests, one-sixtn OF
your flocks and herds, and every sixth day OF
your labor under mortgage for public debt,
one-hslf Of which was the result OF robber1es
on the treasury by contractors and other birds
Of prey, it was not wonderful that from every
faral and workshop, from every hearthstone
where industry presides as household god,
there vent forth an appeal for retrenchment
and reform such as never before rose from The
hearts and minds Of the American people,. 1
ask Won what answer has been made to this
appeal? Has Congress cut of useless expen-
tiftures and lowered your taxes2 Has the gov
ernment returned to the simplicity and econo-
INV Of your fathers? Remember that all the
responsibility is with Congress, for by q two.
Thirds vote sl1 nower is in their hands. Every