Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-09-23
SPEAKER BLA!NE'S
LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE.
Published by the Union Republican Congress
sional Committee Washington d c.
AUGUSTA, ME., Aug A, 1870.
How JoSrprJ R.ErR

DEAR SIR arIOIS circumstances
nave caused q delay in my formal
ackno wled cement of your favor ad-
vising me of. the fact that | had
again been nominated for Represen-
tative from the Thi.d Congressional
District. l desire through you to
express to my political friends the
profound sense of obligation | feel
for this renewed and emphatic eX
preston Of their confidence APP
reciating as | do most fully the
moral worth, the general intelligence
and the high character of my con
stituency,I confess that it is source
Of grateful pride that l have been
enabled to retain SO steadfastly and
for so long a period their good will,
their sympathy and their support.
In accepting the nomination with
which l am thus again honored, l
may be pardoned. l trust, for dwell
ing at some length on the issues in
volved in the pending election, and
the relative claims of the Republican
anu Democratic parties to popular
confidence.
1t is seventeen months o-day
since General Grant was inaugurated
as President of the United States.
When he was invested with the EX-
ecutive authority the National Debt
amounted to S2,525, ,463, ,26O. On
the first day of the present month
the total debt was S2,369,324,476,
showing a reduction in the time
referred to of the enormus sum of
S156, ,13S, ,7S4-at the rate of consid
erably more than one hundred nil
lions per year. During the seven
teen months Immediately preceding
General Grants accession to the
Presidency, when the Democratic
party had control in the councils of
Andrew Johnson, the National Debt
was increased more than thirty mil
lions of dollars. l am writing with
the official reports Of Secretary
McCulloch and Secretary Boutwell,
before me, and the accuracy Of these
figures cannot be successfully quest
ioned.
But suggestive as these results
are, the whole truth is not yet told
for it must be remembered that the
enormous reduction of the National
Debt under the administration of
General Grant has been achieved
with diminished sources of taxation
as compared with those in existence
when the debt was so largely in
creased under Andrew johnson.
This fact demonstrates very conclu-
sively two very important points
viz: First, that the revenue has been
collected with far more scrupulous
honesty and eXactness under Presi-
dent Grants Republican administra-
ton than it was under President
Johnson's Democratic administra-
tion; and second, that the public
money has been disbursed 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
influence, and the difference to the
National Tresury in favor of the
latter exceeds one hundred ard eigb-
ty six millions Of dollars, just about
eleven millions per II month--nigh
four hundred thousand dollars per
lay. And this difference Is Exhibited,
be it remembered, when the Demo
cratic party did not have full sway
in the Government. They had control
of the President, but were under the
continual and wholesome restraint
of a Republican Congress. What the
Democratic party would do, if
clothed with entire power in all the
departments of the Government, will
be left long period to the imagin-
alton of men, without giving US the
bitter fruits Of its practical realiza-
ton. What forms of reputation of
the National faith would be resorted
to may be inferred from the declara-
tions of their conventions and the
speeches of many of their leading
men.
One of the most insideous and
dangerous and probable modes of
destroying the National credit under
Democratic rule would be the pay
ment or attempted payment from
the National Treasury of all South
ern claimants for losses inflicted by
the war. This is not an inference
for it is boldly avowed by leading
Democrats in both branches of Con-
gress. In April last, during the
pendency of bill in the Senate i'll
troduced by Mr.. Howe, of Wisconsin
to pay loyal citizens for quarter
master and commissionary stores
taken during the rebellion" a Dem
ocratic Senator, Mr.. McCreerv,
moved to strike out the word loyal
and supported his motion by an
earnest speech. On the 21st of May,
Mr.. Knott, of Kentucky. an able,
frank, and fearless gentleman, one
of the leaders on the Democratic
side of the House, speaking on this
question, used the following Ian
guage:
"But, sir, this is not all, nor half.
l have been speaking of only so
much of our debt as we have given
our notes for. Besides this we owe
at the very lowest calculation,
So, GOO, 100000; not to the bloatrd
bondholder. of whom we had so
much, but to class of our ueople
to whom OF all others we are under
the most sacred obligation to pay.
We owe it to the poor, whose horses
and cattle and sheep and hoes and