Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-06-29

citizen, for the sole object of it all is to
enable us to protect the citizen from
local injustice and outrage. We have
a strong government, whose wide
reaching hand shields and protects the
humblest citizen, and yet the power
of the State to educate and foster-to
protect and encourage-to punish and
reward all its citizens, is unlmpaired.
We have now such a Union as George
Washington described in his Farewell
Address, with nothing to threaten it
but the decaying embers of the REBEL
ion. We need to pass no resolutions
to assure any one that we will stand
by and enforce the 18th, 14th and 18th
amendments. We proposed them we
advocated them, and, while supported
by the people, will enforce them.
That we have been liberal to van
quished foes, is shown by the fact that
after waging a war of unexampled
proportions no blood was shed for po-
litical Ofenses. No property has been
confiscated. Many of the leading
rebels are now protected in the secure
enjoyment of large estates, and show
their gratitude for our generosity by
Kissing on disguised murderers and
outlaws to the murder and scourging
of poor negroes and preachers and
teachers. We conferred franchises
upon millions, but we deprived no one
fany right they had before the war,
except only that we forbade for a time
the leading rebels of the South from
holding office. This was the extent
of our punishment. 1 have been dis
posed to pardon even this, but after
recent developments will not vote to
relieve from any disability such men
as Davis and Toombs who are totally
incapable of appreciating generosity.
I never questioned the justice of eX-
| Guiding these men from office, but l
would, if their conduct would ever
allow it, make our treatment of them
so generous and forgiving that history
never could surpass it. The Repub-
lican party from its very nature could
not be cruel or aggressive. We have
SO many humanitarians among us that
they often demand amnesty when pun
ishment is required. We fought for
the liberty of others, and for the union
and all, and could not logically de
prive any one of either liberty or civil
or political rights except as the public
safety clearly demanded it. If we
have erred it has been in undertaking
the power of these rebels and the dan
ger that may come from them. The
Republican party has excelled the gen
erosity of the Girondists, and has eX-
hibited none of the fury Of the Noun
tain. All our measures since the war,
and the amendments are the most i'm
! pOrtant, were aimed to secure personal
| rights. The additional powers given
to Congress by the amendments are
only to enable Congress to enforce
these rights, and to give pardon to
the rebels. They talk about the Bayo-
net Bill and the Ku Klux Bill. These
bills were demanded by organized re-
sistance to fair elections, and to pun.
ish crimes of the most revolving char
acter against the commonest rights Of
humanity. If they are not sufficient
we will give them others. The differ
ence is that they would encourage
these crimes. We try to prevent anG
punish them. If they will restrain
their fellow Democrats of the Soutl
from murder and organized frauds
we will repeal these laws. If not, VIZ
will pass more effective laws.
On the question of finance, we neet
no resolutions to show where we stand
The whole existing system of financia
legislation is the work of the Republi
can party. During the war we wert
driven by our necessities to provide
currency. We gave you the Green
backs and the National Bank notes
The Greenbacks were a forced loan
We did not, in the beginning, intent
to exceed in amount the sum we coult
maintain at specie standard, but ou
necessities left us no choice. We in
! creased them to a dangerous extent
, but we supported their credit by tn
legal tender clause, and by the right t.
, convert them into interest bearin
bonds. We have, since the wal
sought to improve their credit, t
7 bring them nearer aud nearer to th
standard Of gold. During the tw
: years of this administration, we hav
raised their value from 50 cents on til
/; dollar to 81 cents on the dollar-an
f this without contraction, distres!
: panic or financial revulsion. If le
a alone, we will, in two years mort
( bring them to the standard of golC
e We had two dangers to avoid: First
g An increase and consequent depreci;
5 ton of these notes, and Second-A to
Y sudden contraction of currency, an
: the inevitable distress and ruin {
It those in business or in debt. W
S could sooner have resumed specie pa,
: ments by redeeming a portion of Il
e greenbacks, but we would thus hav
Y changed the standard of value and il
" creased the burden of debt We ha1
e avoided both extremes. We ha'
d maintained in circulation the maximu
l. limit of greenbacks, and increase
h their value by the natural growth
.e our business and. population and |
o the public confidence in our polio
IS The Democratic party threaten to su
e vert this policy. In Ohio they won
J. increase the greenbacks-in the Ea
: they would redeem them, and fore
st abruptly, specie payments. disagree
2 ing among themselves, they agree
l. subvert our wise policy, and in the
8, platforms threaten again to open Il
ID question of paying the bonds in gree
1, backs. Our policy will soon ma
greenbacks and gold the common sta
lie dard of all values and debts; and
j. this policy succeeds in the future as
IS the past our country will present t.
ct unexampled spectacle of recoveriI
b. from the vast expenditures of a w