The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1871-08-31
Speech of Senator Morton
AZ st. Louis, Mo.

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 17.-Senator Mo
ton made a speech here last nigh
l' In speaking of the Labor Reforl
d question, the Senator said that on
of the fundamental ideas of the RI
publican party is the indignity {
L labor, and the party planted itse
2 upon the idea that labor should b
free. Slavery degraded labor, an,
that was one reason why we wer
: for tearing slavery up by the roots
He drew attention to the prosperit,
of Missouri under free labor, sayini
that the books of the State Auditor
showed that, now, Notwithstanding
the misfortunes of the war had t,
be overcome, Missouri has sine
1866 nearly doubled the value of he.
taxable property. Her population
has been vastly swelled, and shl
had never been so prosperous be
fore. And this took place under
Republican rule. Labor should b.
honorable and digni6ed, but il
should be paid in good money. Nc
class of men are so robbed and plum
dered by the deprecated and fuctu'
ating currency as laboring men. A
merchant may hoard up his mer-
chandise for high prices, and a land
owner can hold his land for higher
value, but you can't hoard up labor
for rise in prices. When there
comes a fall. labor is first to feel it,
but when there is an expansion, labor
is the last thing to feel it. Labor
should also be educational, and the
children Of laboring men, in this
respect, should be placed on equal
footing with those of rich men.
The Republican party is in favor
of advocating everything that pos
sesses the very spirit of a free school
system of this land, while the body of
the Democratic party are not now in
favor of free schools. Yet, so far
as 1 know, all the enemies of free
schools, are in the Democratic par
ty. Ponder that well, and 1 tell
you that when the assault upon free
schools comes-and come it will-at
some time, that the Democratic par
ty, if then in existence, will lead
that assault. He discussed the
questions of Tariff and Free Trade
at considerable length, announcing
himself in favor of Revenue reform,
but desiring incidental protection
to our home manufactures, and tax
ing generally the same ground he
has occupied in his speeches in the
In regard to taxation he
said the Republicans had, at the
session before the last, repealed
s55, 100000 of Internal Tax and
about S25, 100000 of the Tariff.
Now our Democratic friends are
always clamOring about taxation,
but when they came to the passage
of that bill which relieved the nation |
Of eighty-fva million Of taxes at one
blow, I believe it did not receive a
single Democratic vote. They are
always favor of relieving the taxes
On articles that are not included in
The bill J.; they are in favor of the
other articles, when we put the 9TH
sr articles in the bill, then they are
IN favor of the tother articles, and
they never can be got to the point
where they vote for a reduction of
axes. He predicted that the next
session of Congress would further
reduce taxation from forty to fifty
millions. Speaking Of the recent
,aid in New York, he said the lead
ng Democratic paper of that city
justified Mayor Halls order prohib-
ting the Orange procession, and
juch was the leading of the Demo-
cratic party. He sketched the cir
which brought the Ku
1lux bill into existence, and defend
ID the bill in strong terms, saying
hat it is one of the best measures
hat has ever passed Congress. The
moral effect of it has already been
The mere passage OF
hat bill has saved hundreds of lives
md thousands of men from torture
md punishment. 1t is dangerous
,nly to murderers and robbers, and
o that class of Democratic partisans
Who have been hoping to be able
o carry all the Southern States
or the Democratic ticket by the
means of this very Ku Klux.
He had very little faith in the new
Democratic departure and did not
believe the party could change opin-
on in so short a time. There is not
Dne man in a thousand among the
Democrats in the Southern States
hat accepts the amendments
There is not one man in fifty among
he Democrats in the Northern States
hat accepts the amendments. They .
annot come into power while the
or reconstruction acts
re in issue. They cannot carry the
Northern States, they say, and hence
must take such a course as they may :
y which they can get into power
What will the Democratic party do
vhen it comes into power? Sup
,ose they get the President and con &
rol of the government, the South l
will dictate the policy just as they ,
lid before the war. And now the t
question comes, if the South gets {
OntrOl of the party and they are in 1
,oWer, will they tax themselves to