The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1869-05-05
[From the Now York Herald.
Sprague,

| eoPie say, 0VFernoT, tnaC tncy u(
not comprehend exactly what you are
driving. Some insinuate that you are
bidding for the Presidency; others
that you want to out loose from you,
party, and still more state in down,
light terms that you are crazy"
"IIold ont" exclaimed the Govern.
or; "let me answer the last charge
Yes--I am crazy--crazy, as every
reformer has been since the begin.
ming of the world. Because I refuse
to follow in the ruts Of that set call.
ing itself the Senate of the United
States, the cry is raised at once, sOh
Sprague is crazy I will let them
know before long exactly how crazy l
am. am not bidding for the Presi-
dency either. If it were offered to
me tomorrow, | should only take it
on conditions Of being at liberty to
kick out of the White House every
Office seeker that dare come into it,
Not man should be appointed under
me to Office because he was this mans
friend or that mans supporter.
would have an incorruptible board of
examiners for every office under tho
government, and no man should be
appointed unless he showed the pro.
per capacity to fill it. I would disre-
gard party altogether, and put only
the best men in the nation in places
of trust, but as know such condi-
tion of things can never be attained,
the Presidency is not my ambition.--
either am about to cut loose from
,y party and attach myself to the
: cemocratic. Both as parties arc rot
len, but l intend to build up new
party, in which politics will have lit
tie to do. Ny party will have for its
one grand principle the reform of our
finances, the rendering of money
cheap, the reduction of taxation, the
elevation of the working classes, the
protection of labor, the Improvement
of our cotton, agricultural, CONNER.
cial and manufacturing interests
short, the making of this country real.
ly great, strong and prosperous. All
your talk about niger, niger suf-
frage, State rights, womcn's rights,
rebels, and 50 forth, is only fit for
these old grannies in Congress. Where
is our shivi'irg st hi; momcnt4 Who
Of thosc uisn pesteriug our cara al
the time Ib. 1t reconstruction, rebels,
niggers, and 80 forth, has ever lifted
his voice in favor of the broken down
commerce that was once our pride and
glory3 | tell you, sir, these men
would drive this country headloug to
the devil in their greed for power.
This country to-day is intrinsically
weaker than any on the face of the
globe, not excepting Mexico. Now,
let me explain but first let INC en-
Tighten you upon the purpose of the
speech, the opening one of the late
series | made in the Senate. It was
necessary / should draw the attention
of the people to Congress to invite
greater attention to the speech I made
upon the finances and the bill offered
in connectiontherewith. [ began by
skirmishing, my objective point being
the Treasury-the great national curse.
| My scheme was no hurriedly consider
ed affair. For three years I have de-
voted my mind exclusively to this sub
ject, and you will find, if I am mad,
there was some method in my mad
ness, after all. You saw how that
first speech awakened thrill of inter-
est throughout the nation. There is
some Of the evidence (pointing to the
bundles of letters } Now, if had
made my proposition alone, without
any preparation Of the public mind,
it might have gone the way of all like
propositions. l hold that the Treasu-
ry is the root of our present evils
Forty millions of dollars, we will say,
are received there this month. This
money comes out of the pockets ofthe
people. One man whose taxes are
large has perhaps to borrow the mon
ey at high rate Of interest to pay his
Indebtedness to the government. That
money goes into tho Treasuary and
lies there boarded up for a month or
six weeks without producing q parti-
clio of benefit to the government or
the people. Twenty millions of that
amount we will say, are paid out by
the government and twenty millions
remain. Tie market in New York,
where the capi'ai of the country is
centralized, is decl .red scarce. When
money i - ;"r h"se who have the
least, pa. tu.if s,u.E5 on tho market
a. low rate 70 iodure purchasers and
procure captl :" o,'.y on their busi-
ness. Theirs IS always in New York
a class of sre' u'anis who buy up all
such stocks aul wait for the favorabls
time-next mouth, we will say--when
tho Treasury, in place Of $40, 900,
pays out $G0,000,000. The money
becomes abundant, and those stocks
are rushed in upon tho market aud
he gamblers make their harvest. You
see there is no equilibrium here. Our
money market is all, the time Auotua.,
ting Influenced, by that vast overgrown
corporation, the national Treasuary.
Then, again, all kinds Of stocks are
affected in this way. I can 60 into
the market in New York any day in
my business aud by the process that