The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-12-01
Gov. Hoffman on Democratic NictO-
ries.

serenaded few nights ago, by the Jack
sonians,n of Albany, and responded as fol
/ thank YOU, Jacksonians, and fellow
citizens, for this visit OF congratulatiOn.
You have right to rejoice over the Dem
ocratic victories that have been won in this
State and elsewhere. Here at least it was
"A victory of the people over attempted
force; an Endorsement by the people OF a
Democratic State administration, and a
condemnation by the people OF Federal
mismanagement at Washington and of
Federal interference III New York. When
the Democratic party came into full power
in this State, at the beginning of 1871, for
the first time in nearly a quarter of cen
tury, its representatives promised, in its
name, To correct the evils of the past and
to give to the people an honest admins
tratiOn of State affairs. The promise was
kept, and twice since the adjournment OF
the Legislature have the people manifested
their approval-Once when, by triumph
ant majority, they elected to the bench of
the highest Court of the State, under the
amended constitution, the distinguished
lurists who now dignity and adOrn it, and
again BY the reelection, by majority far
greater than was given in 1868, OF the
whole Democratic State ticket
| cannot, my friends, in this serenade
speech, discuss at length what the Demo-
cratic administration of 1870 has done 10
command this popular approval. 1t Is
enough to say that, among other things, Ii
redeemed the credit of the State and pail
in gold the interest on that portion of the
State dehs that was contracted in gold,
which for nearly seven years previous Il
Republican administration had failed to do.
1t restored to the cities OF the State the
rights of local gOvernment-the rights of
which they had been unjustly deprived for
MANY wears. 1t abolished throughout the
State, except in New York city, the regis
try laws. which had become OdiOus to the
people and were attended with great in
convenience and expense. 1t broke up the
county excise boards, which had become
mere political machines, used, not to sup
press intemperance, but to Cypress the
people, and sent all matters of excise to the
board of town officers, to whom they prop
erly belonged, and who were directly re-
sposible to the people of their localities.
1t gave to the people of the State improved
canals and better plan for their manage
ment. inaugurating a system which looks
To making them in the end substantially
free. 1t struck a deadly blow at the evil
of special legislation, making the session
of the legislature shorter by nearly two
weeks than il had been for many years,
the number of laws more than one hundred
less and diminished the statute book three
hundred pages or more when compared
with 1868 or 1869. 1t caused to be en-
acted many general laws which rendered
unnecessary in future the numerous spe-
cial acts which had encountered the statute
books. 1t increased, also, the powers of
the board of supervisors. which, by the
constitution are the local legislatures of
the counties.
Our opponents, realizing the popular APP
proval which would follow, and the intense
dissatisfaction which pervaded the public
mind in regard to the administration of
affairs at Washington, felt that 1t was nee
essary to find some cry which they
could shout in the peoples ear, and to
adopt some extreme measures by which
they could regain the vantage ground they
had lost The cry they chose was fraud
in elections in the city of New York.
They must be stopped" And the meas
ures they adopted were the use of United
States officers and the United States army
to intimidate electors and to control cleo
tions here, charging, though falsely, that
heretofore the Democrats had carried the
State by fraud They set themselves to
work to carry by intimidation and force.
In the city of New York, especially, they
aimed TO break down Democratic majorities.
A United States Judge selected the super
visors who were to supervise the elections
there l abstain from criticising his OF
fetal acts, except to say that am content
TO leave him to his own reflections here
after and to the calm and candid judg
ment of the bar OF which he was once an
honored member. Several thousands OF
deputy marshals surrounded the polling
,,lsa nP- vii
navy revolver, instruments which, III the
judgment of the administration at Washing
ton, were best calculated to secure to the
people fearless and honest exercise of the
rights of suffrage. United States troops,
paid with the money wrung out of the
pockets of an overtaxed people, were kept
in reserve ready when the word of com
mand should be given. The National
Guard of the State, that noble body OF
citiZe sOldiery who, more than once,
marched during the war TO save the cap
ital of the country, and who, without
pay or reward, are always ready to aid
the civil authorities in the preservation of
order, were not deemed worthy Of the con
fd nee of the President and his advisers ,
but they and all State and local authorities
were ignored Thousands of United States
warrants were issued in advance for the
exercise the right of suffrage All that
could be done by intimidation and display
of power was done. 1t is the first time in
the history of the great State of New York
that an organized effort has been made To
control its elections by the exercise o:
Federal power / prophecy, my friends,
1t will be the last. Well. our opponents
admit at last, that we have had an honest
election, but, as has been said of others,
the last end of these men is worse than the
first Judging from the result of TUESDAY
last, it is safe to predict that they would
prefer to go back to the old system of what
they were pleased to call election frauds.
Honesty does not seem to agree nth them
by their own admission, the fairer the
election the greater their defeat. Not
withstanding all the efforts of the Federal
authorities, the city of New York gave the
largest Democratic majority ever given at
State election Had it not been for a
combination made there between certain
Democrats, who sought TO accomplish
local objects. and the Republican leaders.
by which at least ten thousand Democratic
votes were lost to the State ticket, our ma
jority there would have been greater than
it was at the Presidential election Of 1865
Ii would have been more than seventy
thousand. But 1t Is large enough as il is,
for it answers once and forever the charge
of fraud, and rebukes in thunder tones the
unwarrantable Federal interference with
State affairs
The uniform gains to the Democratic
ticket in nearly every part of this State tell
their own story. They indicate what is to
come in the near future, just as the first
falling snow flakes indicate the storm that
Is to follow or the first rustling Of the
breeze predicts the gale and the whirlwind
The political revolution has commenced in
other States and here, and it will go on
until the party now i'm power at Washing
ton, which has been false to every princi-
pie of constitutional government and to the
great interests of the masses of the neople