The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-01-20
WHOLE No. 73,
SPRRCH Or
HON. D, w, VOORHEES,,

| d u IN. II. w, NUUR Hb Lis,
Delivered before the Democratic state
Convention of Indiana, at indianapolis,
January s, 1870.
After the nominations had been
| made, and while the Convention was
waiting for the report of the Commit
tee on Resolutions. Hon. ID. w. Voor-
hees was called upon, and, rising to
speak, was greeted with deafning
cheers. He spoke, in brief, as follows :
Mr.. President, do not rise for the
| purpose of making aspeech. There
| is still some unfinished business be-
foore the Convention. / desire, sim
ply to recognize and tender my ac-
/ acknowledgements to this body for this
most fiatterihg :oalliupon me, ,'sIihave
not been a candidate for your favor
| to-day therefore it is the more fat
/ tering to me. rise merely for the
| purpose of congratulating the Con-
ventien upon the eminently satisr
! factory manner in which it has per-
formed its labors which are now
drawing to a close. am not what is
/ called an old man; but have Gpartici-
4 pated for some years fin political af-
fairs. 1t. has never, been my fortune
4 to meet with convention of higher
I character, of wiser councils, or of a
more settled determination toado what
Is best for the iigood of the country
than this Convention assembled here
on this Sth day of January, 1870.
Mr., President, l understand the
Committee on resolutions are read Y
to report, it would not. therefore, be
right for me to, detaih the Convention
longer. Loud cries, of Go on, go on. D
/ can only. say IN this Convention.
as l have said to the people of Indiana
on other occasions, my heart, my life,
and all that 1 have and am; is adevot-
ed to the advancement of correct prin-
ciples; and believe that they are en-
/ braced in the organization Of the DEM
| eeratic party. T AS has been already
observed, one sectiona of the country
| is held in iron bondage, and now
COMES an attempt of despotie Fede-
ral power to deprive the State of in
diana of her unquestionable right,
which she, has reserved in common
with all the other States of the Union
from the foundation of the Govern
ment, of regulating her internal affairs
to- suit herselssli ;rcaa 339i3 s1odld5ui
1t is no longerIa a question in this
| country whether the negro shall be
allowed to vote, but whether the
white man shall e'all6Wed- TO vote, as
heretofore upon matters pertaining
to his own domestic. concerns. 1t is
not now the question of enfranchising
the black man, but of disfranchising
white voters which we have to meet
in the coming contest. e-iL .@dyi x
u stand here upon another question,
in regard TO which have mot, never
have had, and never shall have, any
disguise, and upon which / expect soon
speak more fully upond the floor OF
Congress- mean the question ofthe
absolute equality of taxation before
the law. [Appiause..1 It is for Indiana
to assert III throwing off the most
oppressive and unequal burden ever
imposed upon its citizens. iamjsnot
for repudiating the public debtl but
for an honest settlement Mt OF BIT iittT7not mot q
dishonest one. 3
sss4fMr. voorhees, here gave an expfa4
nation of his absence during Mr..
Mungen's recent speech in Congress,
and when the vote was taken on Gen.
GarfieId's resolution which followed.
1t had been agreed that the afternoon
should be given to debate; that mo
vote should be taken upon any ques-
ton. With this understanding he
left the House of Representatives with
a gentleman from Evansville to attend
to a matter of purely local interest,
and was absent when Mr. Garfield
thrust his resolution, in regard to re-
pudiation, upon the attention OF Con-
gress. --,..-'-
Had 1 been there should have said
that as long as the yotkero contracting
party stands by1his part of the con.
tract, asks no more. than is his due,
and does not try to extort two dollars
for every one he advanced in the time
of the Nations need,g we would stand
by ours. When they violate. atheir
part of the contract there is not a
court in christendom that would not
relieve the other Contracting party
from its obligation. L App plaHse!l adj
3ot Let me mott be, misunderstood oodiTqI
never wish to see repudiaion written
over the face of this country. But
these men should have a notice served
upon them that there are duties for
them to Observation-Disclosures are Jobli-
cations resting onothe mechanic, and
the hard hand of labor that works i'll
this land. What / demand for the
people here I intend to demanas upon
the floor of Congress-a settlement of
the public debtupon the basis of what
we actually owe, and not what Hlhta We DO
not owe. - --..,,
, AS our armies moved forward, as
families were. broken up and the head
of 1.-THE household taken away, the son
torn from the mother, and pushed
into the smoke and flame of death.
these patriotic bondholders advanced
their money for the use of the nation.
l intend to demonstrate by figures
that cannot lie, that for every dollar
they advanced to equip your armies,
and to pay your soldiers, they took
an obligation for two, to be repaid by
the people. Since the world began. |
Since governments were organized |
among men, there has'been no such |
speculation. ~ No such aswindle, WAS
ever imposed upon . laborings people
by government--no such thing has |
ever been knownehefore.HNe Nearly one |
half of the, bonded debt to-day is a I
fiction, and exists merely upon paper,
for the money paid upon it never left I
the Golfers Of the capitalist. Upon |
eight or nine hundred millions of this [
fiction the people, have been paying /
their annual interest in gold for the I
last five or six years. / |
These are questions obe9 met 1 am
for paying every honest centlwe owe,
but am for serving a. notice. upon
these, people that, their receipt, of
something for nothing must draw to a |
close. ''l.t+i ! '-if tii'"
The Secretary of the Treasury /
claims to be in favor, of funding the 7
debt. Twelve hundreilImin- /
ions are to be divided into three parts
-four hundred millions to be paid in
twenty years, four hundred millions
in twenty five years, and four hundred |
millions in thirty years, at ofohr and a /
half per cent. Lean show any person,
by actual calculation, that, at the end
Of, thirty years, the people of this