The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1871-10-05
GEN. McCANDLESS' SPEECH IN
THE COURT HOUSE.

| On last thursday evening, Oen. McCan-
less, the Democratic candidate for Auditor
General, delivered an address in the Court
House on the duty of the Democracy and all
Others to give him their support at the
coming election. We, like many others, were
there to hear and see Gen. Burnett intro
duced the speaker in an exceedingly lauda-
tory speech, which prepared the audience
for something in the shape of oratory, logic,
and wisdom far above anything We are in
the habit of having served up to us here.
But the speaker had not gone far before it
could eaisly be seen that Gen. Burnett had
sounded his gong entirely too loud, consider
ing the feast it was inviting us to.
Gen. McCandless has good voice and is a
pleasing speaker, but his speech was one of
the most rambling and desultory haraugues,
and tinctured with the smallest amount of
logic, that it has been our lot to listen to in
long while We gathered up few speci-
men bricks for the use of our readers which
are herewith presented He made splen-
did record for the Democracy by adverting
alone to its good deeds, and closing his eyes
in particular to its record for the last l.
years. But any one can see that the great
est scoundrel could be made an honest man
by adopting the same course of reasoning
The Auditor General was sort of watch
dog whose duty it was to hang about the
State Treasury and keep all things right in
that quarter. He had no doubt considering
public sentiment and his general good luck,
that he would be called upon at the next
election to fill the Auditor Generals Office
But great many of his audience had very
grave doubts respecting that matter. He
declared that Mcclellan was the greatest
General of modern times, which made about
balance wouldn't wag an approving re-
sponse The Republicans had forgiven
General Longstreet his rebellion against the
Union, and had appointed him to lucra-
tive Office. He thought that in order to be
consistent they ought now to at least elect
Gen. Cooper Surveyor General, and limited
that he did not want himself forgotten, in
his attempt to get into the Auditor Generals s
Office. We did not know that they were
such rebels as General Longstreet, but the
speakers logic points that way.
The Carpet Baggers were running the
South by getting the ignorant negro Legis-
latures to pass railroad bills, and to make
appropriations for the same, but not cent
of which money went into the railroads
Florida had thus been ruined But the
speaker did not state that southern Demo-
Gratis were engaged in this scoundrelism.
Under Democratic rule we had 300, 900,
900 acres of public lands, but now we
had but 100, 10000 left The balance had
been given to corporations, and what could
be bought for Sl.25 per acre under Demo
cratic rule, would now cost from 81 to 81.
The gentlemen did not state that under
Democratic rule we had no railroad reach
ing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
Nor did he say that in consequence of this
wonderful enterprise, the public lands had
been enhanced in value ten-fold. That
lands which, before the road was constructed,
were not worth cent per acre, are now
bringing dollars.
The speaker tried to make fun of General
Grant, by pronouncing him the gitted Presi-
dent; but he found that his stupid audience,
as he evidently considered it, would Mt see
the joke, and he called their attention to the
fact that he emphasized gitted, but even
then they refused to see it as the speaker
tried to make them. They happened to
know the President little better than they
did Gen. McCandless and being mostly
farmers, they judged the President by his
fruits, as they do their farms They knew
that he had subdued the Rebellion in war,
and that IN peace he had iessened our taxes
over 100, 100000 and had paid over $780,
900, 900 of our war debt.
The speaker said both sides will lie
little, and the public must therefore read
and think and understand the facts for them.
selves. Now that is all true and good
But what does the speaker do next? He
stated that our public debt was three thou
sand million of dollars while every one who
knows the facts respecting this matter is
aware that our debt is but twenty-five hun
dred and fifty millions over $3.50, 600 600
having been paid by the present administra-
ton. We think the speaker overdd his
share of lying in this case, for he certainly
did more than little.
Tho eo1diarc of tba Var 1v;tb Mo,,;o
treated better by Democratic administra-
ton than the soldierSof the rebellion were,
The Democracy gave the soldiers of that war
l60 acres of the public domain or land, but