The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1871-04-27
AN ADDRESS BY TEE DEMO.
Gratis IN CONGRESS TO
~, THE PEOPLE.
Important Counsel to the South.


Important Counsel to the South.
The following is the full text fthe
address to the people, justissued by the
Democrats in Congress
To the people oftk United States:
Our presence and official duties at
Washington have enabled us to become
fully acquainted with the actions and
designs Of those who control the Radi.
cal. party, and we feel called upon to
utter few words of warning against
the alarming strides theyfhave made
towards Capitalization Of power in the
hands of Congress and the Executive.
The time and attention of the Radi-
cal leaders have been almost wholly di-
rected to devising such legislation as
| will, in their view, best preserve their
ascendency, aud regard for the wise re-
straints imposed by the constitution
has checked their reckless and desper.
ate career. 49,. ..
The President of the. United States
has been formally announced as can
didate for reelection. The declarations
of! his selfish supporters have been
echoed by. a subsidized press, and the
discipline of party has already made ad-
sion to his personal fortunes the su-
preme test of political fealty.
The partisan Legislation to (Which we
refer was deereed and shaped in secret
caucus, where the EXTREMIST ccunsels
always dominated, and was adopted by
subserVieut majority, if not with the
intent, certainly with the effect, to
place in the hands of the President
power to command his own re-nomina-
tion, and to employ the army, navy
and militia at his sole discretion, as a
means of subserving his personal am.
bition. When the. sad experience Of
the last two years-so Disappointing to
the hopes AMI generous confidence of
the country--is considered, in conDec.
tion with violent utterances and rash
purposes of those who control the
Presidents policy, it is not surprising
that the gravest apprehensions for the
future peace Of the nation should be
entertained.
At time when labor is depressed,
and every material interest is palsicd
by oppressive taxation, the public Offices
have been multiplied beyond all prece>
| deat, to serve as, instruments in the
perpetuation of power. Partisauship
is the only test applied to the distFibu-
tion of this vast patronage. Honesty,
fitness, and moral worth are openly
discarded in favor of trucking SUBJ
mission and dishonorable compliance.
Hence, enormous defalcations and wide
spread corruption have followed as the
natural consequences of this pernicious
system.
By the official report of the Secreta.
ry of the Treasury, it appears that after
deduction of all proper credits, many
millions of dollars remain due from ex-
collectors of the internal revenue, and
that no proper diligence has ever been
used to collect them.
Reforms in the revenue and fiscal
systems, which all experience demon
strates to be necessary to.a frugal adj
ministration of the government, as well
as measure of relief to an overbur.
dened people, have been persisteDtly
postponed or wilfully neglected. Con-
gress now adjourns without having even
attempted to reduce taxation, or to re.
peal the glaring impositions by which
industry is crushed and impoverished
The treasury is overfowing, and an ex.
cess of eighty millions of revenue is
admitted; and yet, instead of some
measure of present relief, barren and
delusive resolution is passed by the
Senate to consider the tariff and excise
systems hereafter, as if the history Of
broken pledges and pretended rene.
dies furnished any better assurance fnr
future Legislation than experience has
done in the past. r. .....-
building and the carrying trade,
once sources of national pride and pros.
perity, now languish under crushing
load of taxation, and nearly every
other business interest is struggling
without profit to maintain itself.
Our agriculturist, while paying lea-
w taxes on all they consume either to
the government or to monopolists, find
the prices for their own products 80
reduced, that honest labor is denied its
just reward, and industry is prostrated
by individious discrimination.
Nearly 200,000,000 acres of public
lands, which should have been reserved
for the benefit of the people, have been
voted away to giant corporations, neg.
lecting our soldiers and enriching a
handful. of greedy speculators and lob,
byists, who are thereby enabled to ex-
ercise most dangerous and corrupting
influence over State and Federal legis.
lation. 49,
Ifthe career of these conspiritors be
not checked, the downfall of free gov
eminent is inevitable, aud with it the
elevation ola military dictator on the
ruins the Republic,
Under the pretence of passing laws
to "enforce the fourteenth amendment,
and for no other purposes" Congress
has conferred the most despotic pow