The Van Buren press., 1871-05-02
The Van Buren, Press,
VAN BUREN,, A7KANsAS.

Address Of the Democratic Members OF
the Senate and House Of Represen.
tatives to the Citizens Of
the States.
WASHINGTON, April 20.
The Democrats in Congress have is
sued the following
ADDRESS
To tie People Of the United States
Our presence and official duties at
Washington have enabled us to become
fully acquainted with the ACTIONS and de
signs of those who constitute the Radi
cal party, and we feel called upon to ut
ter few words OF warning against the
alarming stride they have made towards
the Capitalization OF power they have
made la the hands of Congress and the
Executive. The time and attention OF
the Radical leaders have been almost
wholly directed to devising such legisla
ton as will in their view best preserve
their ascendancy, and no regard for the
wise restraints imposed by the Constltu-
ton has checked their reckless and des
perate career.
The President Of the United States has
Teen formally announced as candidate
for re election The declarations OF his
selfish supporters have been echoed 10y
subsidized press and the discipline OF
party has already made adhesion to his
pers onal fortunes the supreme test OF po-
litical fealty. The partisan legislation
to which we refer was decreed and shaped
in secret caucus, where the EXTREMIST
counsels always dominated, and was ad-
opted by a subservient majority, II not
with the intent, certainly with the effect
to place in the hands OF the President the
power to command his own revenues,
and to employ the army and navy and
militia ut his sole discretion rs the means
Of subserving his personal ambition.
When the sad experience OF The last
two years, so disappointing TO the hopes
and generous confidence oi The country,
is considered in connection with the Nlo-
lent utterances and raSl. purposes o, those
who control the President poscy, II Is
not surprising shat The 9raNest appre
tensions Tor the future peace oil the ma
tion should he entertained.
AT time when labor is depressed and
every material interest Is paisied by OPP
pressive taxation, public Offices have been
multiplied beyend all precedent to serve
as instruments IN the perpelua'lon oi
power.
Pnr,isan.hip is the only test applied
to The distribution OF this vast patronage.
Honesty. illness ani moral worth are
Openly discarded In favor OF truckllsg
suumission and disiiOnorablc ompliancc.
Hence ENORMOUS deiaicatlons anu wide
spread corruption have followed as natu
raj consequences this pernlcious system
By the Official report Of the Secretary
OF the Treasury. II appears that alter the
deduction OF all proper credits, many
millions Of dollars remain due from ex'
collectors Of internal revenue, and no
proper diligence has ever been used to
collect them.
Reforms in the revenue and fiscal sys.
tens. which all experience demonstrates
to he necessary TO the frugal admnistIa-
ton of the government, us well as II
measure of relief to an overburbened
people, have been persistently postponed
or ~iltully neglected
Congress now adjourns without having
even attempted to reduce taxation, or to
repeal the glar,ng impositions by which
industry is crushed and impoverished.
The Treasury is overlooking and IN ex
cess Of eighty millions vf revenue is sd'
IN tied, and yet instead of some measure
of present relief, barren and delusive
resolution is passed by the Senate to con
slider the tariff and excise systems here
after. as it the history Of broken pledges
and unapplisd remedies furnished any
better assurance for future legislation
than experience has done in the past.
The ship building and carrying trade,
once sources of national pride and pros
perity, now languish under the crushing
load of taxation, and nearly every other
business interest is struggling without
profit to maintain itself
Our agriculturaIists. while paying hca-
w taxes on all they consume, either to
the government or monopolists, find
prices of their own products so reduced
that honest labor is denied its best re
ward, and industries are prosirated by
invidous discrimination.
Nearly 20,00U, 600 acres OF the public
lands which should have been Reserved
for the benefit OF the people, have been
voted away to grant corporations. neg
lecting our soldiers and enriching haad-
rnl oi greedy spectators and lobby ISIS,
who are thereby enabled to exercise
most dangerous and corruptlns lnliucnee
over State aud Federal legislation.
II the career of these coDsplrators be
not checked, the downfal. OF rec gov
crnment is inevitable, and with II the e.c-
vation of u military dictator or The RUN
Of the republic.
Under pretcnse Of passing laws to en-.
force the Fourteenth amendment aud for
other purposes, Congress has conferred
most despotic powers upon The Executive
and provided An official machinery by
which ,ac Liberties of the people are
mcnaced. aud the sacred right Of cal.
sell agrundizment in State ignored, ifnoi
tyranicaly ovcrthrown, modelled w to
sedition laws So odious in history, they
are Mt variance with all sanclied theories
OF our institutions. And the constrnc
ton given by these Radical interpreters
to the Fourteentl amendment Is, to use
the language of an eminent Senator, Mr.
Truml of Illinois, an annihlation OF
States. Under the last enforcement bill