The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-09-29
Jogging in him to attempt to lay the
blame upon the Democratic party.

! ject of Congressional encroachment.
| With a view to secure judicial decis-
ion touching the constitutionality of
| the reconstruction acts, they have
| passed acts changing the organization
| of the Supreme Court, that august tri-
! bunal. that in the better days was re-
! garded as the sheet-anchor of the Re-
| public, in such manner as to render it
no longer an independent department
/ of the Government, but simply tri-
| bunaI that is bound to succumb to the
dictation of Congress. And thus
have the Republicans destroyed the
vital characteristics of the old Repub-
lie, by encroaching upon and consoli-
dating the powers OF all the depart
ments i'll Congress.
| INFRINGEMENT On STATE RIGHTS.
But this is not all. They have in
| fringed upon and wiped out the re-
| served rights of the States. Such has
1 been the mad career of this party that
| it is hard to tell when State is in and
| when it is out of the Union. The
party is as ciIangeable on this point
as the seasons. 1t fought four years
to keep the seeding States i'll the
Union, and than at the close of sue
cessful war solemnly declared that
they were all out. Laughter. John
Sherman and Congress have been
busy these many years in a sort of
game of political football. first get
ting the States into the Union, and
then kicking them out!
The rights reserved by the Consti-
tuition OF the States are about used
! mn lnn af II
amendment by violence and fraud.
through the power OF the bayonet,
sponged out about all that was left of
legitimate State rights. / shall not
embark now in any discussion Of that
extraordinary amendment, or the still
more extraordinary means used to en-
graft it on the old constitution
Washington and Sherman Q mean
Roger,) thought it wise to refer the
question of suffrage to the States,
Sherman, Gohn. the Republican }
Sehenck and Beatty and their party
have taken it away. It's called dead
issue. II is possible that at some fu-
ture day the Supreme Court may res
urrect it.
The changes which are taking place
in the current of public affairs are
truly marvellous. The whole world
has been recently profoundly excited
by the bloody and devastating war
waged by two of the greatest powers
of Europe. In this mornings Cincin-
natl Commercial we have the start
ling head lines: Enthusiasm for
the Republic of France" Correcting
from the Republicans of SPAIN
" Republican Demonstrations in Italy
and Spain" Thus it seems that
whilst the oppressed millions are en-
gagged in revolutions to establish Re-
publics, in pursuance of the example
of Sherman (Roger mean,) and 9TH
ers, our revolutionary forefathers, we
have Senator John Sherman here in
Delaware, advocating the policy of
party which tends directly to convert
the American Republic into Mon
archy.
---- OPPRESSIVE LAWS.
Fellow citizens, to further establish
the charge made at the outset, L pro-
pose to consider the oppressive char
acter of some of the laws and sys-
TENS of the Republican party. The
principle upon which it was intended
our Government should be admins
tered is, that such measures be adopt
ed as would produce the greatest
amount of good to the greatest num-
Der of people. The Republican par
ty seem to have reversed the rule and
have passed such laws as would pro-
duce the greatest amount of good to
the fewest number of people.
THE BONDS AND REPUTATION.
Let us briefly consider the question
of paying off the national debt, and
the charge of reputation. The Dem
ocratic patty has never proposed to
repudiate one dollar of any honest
debt. On the contrary it proposes, in
good faith, to pay the last farthing ac-
cording to the contract and the law
The Republicans are the regulators.
70 the proof: They have practically
repudiated. the most solemn contract
a Government can make-that with
its soldier to give up his life in de-
fense of its flag. When the war
broke out in 1861, President LINCOLN
called for volunteers. Tens of thou
sands Of the best men in the State OF
Ohio answered to the call and took
the oath Of enlistment. The soldier
contracted that he would shoulder his
musket, obey orders, march through
heat and cold, in the sunshine and
storm, that he would sleep without
shelter, stand in the trenches, and
when sa g. ordered, charge upon the bat
teries Of the enemy and las down his
life for the flag. For all this, the
Government then, as n9w, in the con-
troll Of the Republican party, agreed
to pay thirteen dollars PEI month In
gold. Relying Oh the Integrity of his
Government, they marched to the bat
| tie field, thousands, alasi never to re-
turn-their spirits now resting,I trust,
in heaven,
In February, 1862, Congrsss proVid-
ed by law for the issuing of green
back dollars made of paper and not
lot gold, and at the same time for is
suing q large amount of bonds called
/ fVe-tWenties. The greenbacks were
used to pay the soldier who fought,
and the bonds were sold to the specu-
lator who remained at home to ae-
quire wealth at the rate of forty to
| fifty cents OH the dollar. The green
backs deprecated to such an extent
! thatit took nearly three dollars to
| puy W A&3Oo l0t ttiS
wife aud children whom he had left
behind him, as he could have pur-
chased with one dollar had the Repub-
licans paid him in gold according to
the centraet; The Supreme Court has
decided that this greeAhail vas net 3
lawful tender or payment of any con-
tract made before February, 1869. It
therefore follows, irresistably, that
the Government still owes the SOL
disp in gold, the difference between
the value of the gPeenhack dollar and
the gold dollar of the times Of the re-
spective payments. If the soldier
was killed in battle, or has since died,
| his YidpW and children have just
Claim to it against ting GoRernmelit-
IF it were a case of contract between
individuals, no lawyer will assert that
it could not be COLLECTED in any court
of justice in the world. This NEST
solemnly obligatory of all debts, I
charge the Republican party has repu-