The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1868-08-04
From the Washington City Nat. Int ]
Radical Roboeries.

"The Government of the United States
should be administered with the strictes
economy, and the corruptions which have
been so shamefully nursed and fostered
by Andrew johnson call loudly for Rad
ical reform. Chicago Platform. -
The convention which adopted The
foregoing article was composed accord ing
to Mr.. r. B. Ward, distinguished Rad.
ical Of Detroit, mainly Of ofice-holders
and Office seekers, who cared nothing fol
the material interests of the country
It was becoming in such a body of pat.
riots to pass such resolution as We have
(cited, butt reminds one of thethief sho
when caught in the act. and seeking tc
escape, shouetd ''stop thief" louder thar
ANY one else, in the hope of diyerting
from himself.
During the last seven years the Radi-
Gals have had absolute control of every
branch Of the Government, and now they
hold Congress by majorities Of three
fourths in both Houses. They are still
in possession of more than two thirds Of
the Offices at home and abroad. No par.
ty has ever ruled in this country with
such complete and tyrannioalsway. There
has been no serious impediment to their
domination, and the only real check was
the failure of impeachment, which pro-
ceeded from few determined and up
right men, who could not consent to sur
render their consciences to that monstrous
iniquity.
What has been the result Of this Rad
ical rule? An admitted national debt Of
nearly three thousand millions, one half
of which was imposed on the country
for political purposes, by corrupt con-
tracts, and jobs and plumbers on the most
gigantic scale. These wholesale frauds
and robbeIies have led to shocking de-
ymoralization, which has almost expelled
integrity from Congress and the public
service, and introduced lax system that
offers premium to dishonesty and vice.
Everybody knows this to be true. and
all who yet cherished some respect for
the purity of our institutions mourn over
it as one of the worst signs Of the times
With the advent of Radicalism to pow
Eer, in 1861, was introduced an era of ex-
travagance, corruption, aud yulgarity,
such as never disgraced our history be.
fore. Under the clamor of a pretended
patriotism, the most shameless and wick.
ed frauds were perpetrated on the gallant
soldiers who volunteered to fight for the
Union, and the war itself was converted
into vast engine Of party power, as well
as the instrument for acquiring immense
fortunes. Look at the ssshoddy aristoc.
raoy" which is the outgrowth of the war,
built up by extortion and swindling, and
the multitudes of enriched Office holders
who gained their wealth by prostituting
their trusts. See Cabinet Ministers and
their families and friends revelling II
riches procured by fagrant venality, and
then whitewashed and accepted as the
elect, for leading the cry Of negro equal.
)ity.
Look at the fearful monopoly of thi
Pacific railroad, with its vast land grants
and subsid les, worth hundreds of million,
Of dollars, and all controlled by small
close corporation, some of whom bavs
seats in Congress, and thus control their
own legislation. Thaddeus Stevens anG
bis organized lobby followers were tht
authors of that scheme, and others Of iesl
magnitude, by whom the country has
been literally robbed of resource tina
with care and management would in
twenty five years have extinguished ths
national debt.
There isno project or scheme which
| tgoes before Congress that is not seizet
lup by gang Of harpies, and made t.
| pay tribute to their venality. All spe
cial legislation has a prise, and commit
tees are framed with reference to the in
terests that they are intended to serve
Taxation has been kept up by ''rings'' o
favored classes, and it is for this reason
alone that the revenue has not been col
lected, and the frauds of Radical collec
tors and assessors have been SO bold anG
Infamous. And if the whisky tax is nov
reduced at all. it will be because public
opinion demands the reduction, and no
because Radical majority of the Com
mittee of Ways and Means were willing
I to eoncede it. They stood out to the las
| for the two dollars urged by the ''ring,
and only succumbed when resistanc,
might have been attended with inconve
nient exposure.
The expenses Of the Government hav,
been fearfully augmented in every de
partment, and the wanton profigacy 0
the. expenditures for the two Houses 0
Congress surpasses belief until carefull,
scrutinized. PlunGeris is the order of th'
day, and this system goes on as if tn
incumbents expected a sudden and sum
mary reckoning, SO that they steal withou
even the affectation of concealment. 40
cording to the accounts which are pal,
with the peoples money, it costs NOR
to keep a horse and wagon for the Senat
or House than it does to support re
spectacle farmers or mechanics famil
for a whole year. This is the prevailing
scale, and itincreases every day, and ha
done SO since 1861, although Congress
numerically smaller than then, by tn
exclusion of ten Southern States. ~
! 1t would be easy to 60 on and multi
lply such illustrations. They are al
around and about US. Radical corruptio
is universal, and so offensive that eve
lCarl Schurz, and Swiss soldiers of fol
.|tune like him, cry out against it as
danger to the party. And we'll may the
lido so, for, since the foundation of Ii
lGoyernment, there has been no parable
to the pervading roguery and organize
i lpluuder.