Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-08-26
GOV. MORTONS' SPEECH
rHE OPPOSING PARTIES.

| THE OPPOSING PARTIES. . j
FELLOW CITIZENS OF OHIO: There
are TWO parties with their respective
candidates asking for the support aud
confidence Of the people OF Ohio. One
| is the Republican party, which relies for
success upon its record in the past and
the promises which it presents for she
future. The other is the Democratic
party, which relies for success upon
having its past record forgotten by the
people and being taken entirely upon
faith as to the future IL does not IN
woke the pleasure OF memory, but IN
vites the blessings OF, oblivion.
These two parties represent different
classes of ideas. and will continue to
represent them as long as their present
organization exists. The Republican
party is imbued with the spirit of pro-
pression and reform-the establishment
of universal liberty, equal rights, and
4 the integrity of the Union. The DEM
ocratic party is still imbued with the
spirit of slavery and caste with the
| old ideas of State sovereignty, and the
| right of secession and still representing
the old abuses and imperfections Of the
Government. These ideas constitute the
common stock of each party. They
constitute the crucible through which
all new questions must pass. They are
the molds which give color, form and
shape to all their new opinions. Every
new question, viewed through the me1
diunn of these elen1ental ideas, viii take
their hue and shape, just as the land.
scape, when viewed through colored
glass; will present the same color.
There is q perpetual issue existing De-
tween the two parties, growing out oi
l. 81 in fhair ala-
mental ideas Of the Constitution, liber-
ty and the purposes of ernuent.-
Political parties have their constitutions
their original nature, if / may so
speak-from which they can not get
away. No old political party has ever
been reformed or ubstantially eheu8ed
The Tory party OF England is what 1t
was substantially three hundred years
ago. p The Whig party OF England was
incapable Of reform and had to give way
to the present Liberal party. The old
Federal party of this country could not
be reformed, and therefore had to be ex-
tinguished. The old Whig party of this
country could not be reformed and
ladapted to the new condition Of the
country, and had to yield up its organi-
zation and pass out of existance. The
Democratic party, which has sinned
infinitely more than any OF these, Is st!li
less capable of reform. 1t isindissolub-
ily connected with the ideas and spirit
of slavery, the doctrines Of State sover-
eighty and the right of secession-the
Virginia distractions growing out OF the
| resolutions of 1198 and 1893, and from
those ideas it can never get away except
I by death. =
The masses of the Democratic party
are honest and patriotic C., and would do
right were they ernancipated from the
shackles-the Bourbonistic dogmas and
leadership by witch they are bound
hand and foot. The bonds by which
they sreT bound ere far more gries pp5
land intoierabIe than those whieh cplffi
jstitute the national debt, iahd safe thel
ioniy ones I know of that should be re-
ipudidted.
|. Letus,examineth the bid the Deuaocrs-
itic party has made for the votes Of
iOhio the public proposals they have
Issued to have the power OF the State
lcommitted into their hands. This pids
these proposals, ares embedied in sthe
platform which was lately adopted by
the convention at Columbus, and upon
which their candidates have been placed.
And although Democratic politicians
|constantly cry aloud that the issues are
Gu2ukcQ tl6t SOuCo ShOuA1 N'S ~
cones, and that the dead past should be
buried out of sight, yet this vefy plat
form is rank with all their blood-stained
heresies. g ia II - = . : - -.
j. TAXATION OF BONDS.
The first resolution affirms the propc-
sition that the Government should re-
pudiate the interest on her bonds, unless
The bonds are taxed like other property,
fhof IF
the principle of the bonds is not paid in
|greenbacks the people will be driven to
CONSIDER the question of repudiation.s bra
I 1t is, indeed, question whether the
Government has not the right to re-
deem the five-twenty bonds that have
been issued for five years, or more, IN
the existing greenbacks, but the sub
stance of the second resolution is, that
ii, the bonds are not paid in greenoacks
they shall not be paid at all. And when
the Democratic party have herstOfore
proposed to pay the bonds in greenbacks
they have not referred to existing green
backs to be collected by taxation for
that porpose, but to the manufacture of
new ones in sufficient quantities to pay
off the debt, which would make them
worthless, and repudiation thus fall not
only upon the bondholders, but upon
all the people into whose hands these
greenbacks might come. The two reso-
buttons ta4en together. present clear
and unmistakable declaration for the
reputation of the whole national debt.
The conditions under which this repu-
diation is to take place are thin and
transparent, and do not at all disguise
the main purpose. The Democratic
party in Ohio, as in all States, hate the
national debt. They hated the purpose
for which it was contracted. They adj
yised the people not TO lend their money
to the Government for the purpose OF
suppressing the rebellion and having
done all in their power to prevent the
debt from being contracted, and to pre-
vent the use of the means by which the
rebellion might be suppressed, it is not
st all strange that we should find them
under various excuses and pretexts,
declaring their opposition to the pay
ment of the debt. zr..i .l.s -
But there is one popularity with the
present declaration in regard to taxation
OF the bonds as compared with the form
er Demoerasic declarations upon that
subject. Il has heretofore been said by
the Democracy of Ohio, and other States.
that the bonds issued by the Govern
meet of the United State should be take
ed by the several States but, inasmuch.
as the Democratic Legislature Of Ohio
has failed to pass any law by which the
bonds heidin that State are TO be made
subject to, taxation, and inasmuch as the
Democratic Legislatures of Kentucky.
Delaware, Maryland and California have
continually failed to pass any laws SUBJ
jecting the bonds heldfn those respec
tive States to taxation there Could NOT
be much capital made in demanding
taxation Of the erAbonds by The
several States. If the States have q
right to tax the bonds. Congress can not
prevent them from doing SO, and the
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