Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1870-08-26
NUMBER 80.
Speaker Blaine on the Admtnis-
tr0tjOn.


the republican nomination in tho third
district, gives the following admirable
condensed statement OF the good work
done by Grants administration, and the
relative claims of the republican and
democratic parties to popular confidence:
REDUCTION OF NATIONAL DEBT.
II is seventeen months since General
Grant was inaugura,ed as President Of
the United States. When he was invest
Q | with the Executive authority, the Ma
tional debt amounted to g, ,525, ,463, ,290.
On the first day of the present month the
total debt was 81. 1853, 1855 showing
reduction in the period referred 10 Of the
enormous sum of 1856, l3s, 7s5-at the
rate Of considerably more than one hum
drcd millions per year. During the sew
entccn months Immediately preceding
Gen. Grants accession to the Presidency,
when the democratic party had control in
the councils Of Andrew Johnson, the Ma.
tional debt was increased more than thirty
millions oil dollars. am writing with
official reports of Secretary McCulloch
and Secretary Boutwell, before me. and
the accuracy OF these figures cannot be
successfully questioned.
But suggestive as these results are, the
whole truth is not yet told-fcr it must
be remembered that the enormous re.
duction Of the National Debt under the
administration Of General Grant, has
been achieved with diminished sources of
taxation rs compared with those in ex-
istencc when ihc debt was so largely in.
creased under Andrew Johnson. This
fact demonstrates very cOnclusively two
very important points, viz: first, that the
revenue has been collected with lar more
scrupuous honesty and exactncss under
President Grants republican administers.
ton, than il was under President john
sons democratic Observation-Disclosures Sec
ond. that the public money has been dis
burscd with far greater economy and
care under the one than it WAS under the
other. Contrasting the two periods OF
equal length. the one under democratic
influence, the other under republican in
hucnce, and the difference TO the Nation
al treasury in favor Of the latter exceeds
one hundred and eighty.s six millions OF
dollars, just about eleven million, per
month-wcll nigh four hundred thousand
dollars per day. And this difference is
exhibited, be il remembered, when the
democratic party did not have full sway
in the government. They had control OF
the President, but were under the con-
tinual and wholesome restraint Of re-
publican Congress. What the democrat
ic party would do, if clothed with entire
power in al the departments OF The gov
ernment. will, we trust be LETT for \ long
period to the imagination Of men, with
out giving us the bitter fruits OF It's prac-
tcal realization What forms OF repudi-
alton of :hc National faith would be Ie-
sorted to may bc inferred from the dec
larations Of their conventions and the
speeches ot many of their leading men.
One OF the most insidious anl dangerous
and probable mofe, OF destroying the
National credit under democratic rulo
would be the pay ment or attempted Jay
mcnt from the National treasury Of all
Southern claimants Tor losses inflicted by
the war. This is not an iniercnce-for it
is boldly avowed by leading democrats in
both branches of Congress. In April last
during the pendency of bill in the Sen.
ate introduced by Mr.. Howe OF Wiscon-
sin, to pay "loyal citizens for quarter
master and commissary stores taken dur
ing the rebellion" a democratic senator,
Mr.. McCrcery, moved 10 strike out the
word loyal" and supported his motion
by an earnest speech. On the 2lst OF
May, Mr.. Knott OF Kentucky. IN able,
frank and fearless gentleman, one of the
leaders on the democratic side Of the
House, speaking on this question used
The following language.
'But, sir, this is not all, nor half. |
have been speaking Of only so much OF
our debt rs we have given our notes Tor.
Besides this, we owe, at the very lowest
calculation, $4,000 100000: not to the
bloated bondholder, of whom we have
heard so much, but TO a class Of our pco-
pie to whom OF all others we are under
the most sacred obligation 10 pay. We
owe it to the poor, whose horses and
cattle and sheep and hogs and corn and
wheat, and everything else, were taken
from them TO sustain your armies in the
field"
II the Union army had the right to make
war for the maintainance of the govern
mcnt, it had the right to forage on the
enemy" but the democratic proposition
now is, that every rebel in the South shall
be paid for what he lost during the war,
and we have leading democrats
authority for saying that the amount re-
quircd will be three thousand million Of
doliars!!
REDUCTION OF TAXATTON.
While maintaining the integrity Of the
National debt, against all forms OF repu-
diation and all classes of repudiators, tho
republican party do not believe in keep
ing up high rate of taxation for the
purpose of paying it off with undue rap