The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-01-11
z. B. WAsHBURNR READS THE RADICALS
A LECTURE

| scattered dismay among the radical leaders
and the thousands who are looking for
offices and contracts. His speech com.
mands much attention from the fact that he
is believed to be an exponent of the policy
which Grant will adopt-or rather perhaps,
is believed to be adopting and shAdowing
forth Grants policy. No one can read the
speech carefully without coming to the con.
clusion that Grant aud Wasburne have
Joined the copperhoads The speech is full
of dsloyal sentiments, such rs the following;
He wants the bitterness Of party feeling as
suaged, and the attention Of the people
drawn away from the late war and concen.
trated upon matters Of economy and interna.
tonal administration. lie wants the excite
ments and passions and animosities, grow.
ing out Of the war to die away and be for.
gotten. lie Gays the eyes Of the people are
upon the republican party that the repub.
| lican party is wholly responsible, now, for
lie policy which may be adopted that a
vast army of the base, the venal and the
unpatriotic have rushed in to plumber the
treasury that they must be put out and put
down that Grant must be backed by con.
gress to carry out his policy, and that if the
majority yield TO tho corrupt schemes Of
ofIice.holders and contractors, the republican
party will be held responsible and will be
destroyed-and ought to be destroyed,
These are the ideas in Washburne's speech
and they show that he and Grant have
evidently made up their minds 10 adopt
coPperhead principles. We have not space
for the whole speech, but the following will
serve as a sample
Nix. CHAIRMAN: Iu proceeding to the
consideration of the first IN the series Of reg.
uar appropriation bills TO be considered it
may not be deemed inappropriate to submit
70 the House some observations on the char.
acter and extent Of the appropriations neces.
sary for the support Of the government for
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1870, and
other cognate matters.
It must be matter Of profound congrRt.
ulation to all good citizens that the time
| is now come when the attention Of the PEG,
| pie can be given in a greater degree to the
material and vital interests Of the country.
A gigantic rebellion suppressed; the curse
| Of human slavery abolished the rebellou5
States reconstructed, or in the process Of
reconstruction, on the basis of equal rights
before the law 20 all u loyal adm inistration
Of the country secured for the next four
years the bitterness of party feeling assuag.
ed, the earnest attention of the American
| people will now be turned TO questions the
internal administration Of the country.
The excitement and passions growing out
Of the war, and out Of the contests connected
Herewith, will die away with the lapse of
time, and the people will compel Congress
TO confront other and different questions
| than those which have for 80 many years
overshRded and swallowed up everything
| else. With tie unreconstructed States ad
mihsd into the Union rih FIJI and equal
! protection for all men in all the States and
NTH manhood suffrage secured by iegisla.
tire or constitutional amendment, the minds
| OF the people wall turn 10 questions of finance,
| of taxes, of economy, Of decreased expcndi.
lures, and honest and enlightened Legislation;
| to questions Of tariffs; and to questions OF
railroad, telegraph, and express mouopoles,
which are sucking the very life blood Of the
| people, to the administration Of the revenue
laws, and to the robberies and plunderings
OF the Treasury by dishonest Office holders.
| Already the eyes Of the people Of this
country are upon Congress. nay say they
are upon the Republican majority in Con.
gress, for that majority is now responsible
before the country for the legislation Of
Congress. IL can make and unmake laws in
defiance and contempt of Executive vetoes.
| The Republican party triumphed in the last
election because it was pledged to honesty
aud economy, to the uphoding of public
faith and public credit, and public credit
and to the faithful execution of the laws
and these pledges cannot now be ignored
without subjecting that party to the censurt
of the people.
The condition of the country, the vas
public debt, the weight of taxation, tn,
deprecated and tiuctuating currency, tn,
enormous expenditures ofpubljc money, tn
maladministratton Of the Government III
ertortiOns Of m0nopOiieS, press upon ou
attention with most crushing force The
people selected General Grant to the preai
dencv not only on account Of the great anC
nestimable services he has rendered tbs
country in subduing the rebellion; not onl,
on account of his devotion to the great prin
ciples Of the Republican party, but because
they believed him TO be emphatically ar
honest man and an enlightened statesman
who would faithfully administer the law
without fear, favor, or affection.
| L.,
lively called upon to take nec departure
Added to other terrible evils brought upon
the country by the war for the suppression
of the rebellion, is the decentralization Incl
dent to all great wars, and the expenditure
Of vast and unheard of amounts of public
money; to the giUing out Of immense con
tracts, by ichich sudden and rast fortunes
toere made; the initiation Of the currency
tohich Gngendered speculation, profiqacv
ertrdvdgdnee, and corruption A.; by the in
tense desire to get suddenly rich ont of the
government, and without labor and the in
yentions and schemes generally to pet
money out of the treasury for the benefit OF
individuals, without regard to the interests
of the government.
While the restless and unpausing energies
Of patriotic and incorruptible people were
devoted to the salvation of their govern
ment, and were pouring out their blood and
treasure in its defence, there was the Uast
army O, the base the renal, and unpatriotic,
acho rushed an to take advantage Of the mas.
fortunes Of the country and TO pLunder its
| Treasury. The statute books are loaded
with legislation which will impose burdens
on future generations. Public land enough
to make empires has been roted to private
railroad corporations subsidies Of untold
millions Of bonds, for the same purposes,
hare become a charge upon the people, 'chile
the .tettGs Of east 0lonopolies haze been
fastened still closer and closer upon the
! public.
1t 10 time that the representatives of the