The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-03-14
WHY THE ADMIN1srRA9I0N.1s ATTACK
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WHY THE ADM1N1srRATI0N.1sA ATTACK
ED,
Appeals arc made specially to labor
ing men that We have very corrupt
administration at Washington. One
would suppose, to hear our Democratic
friends talk, that wo never had any
corruption before, that they had al
ways been pure, because they never
punish thief: Applause and laugh
ter. I propose right here to lay
down this proposition {: ttat tho reason
why this administration. ..is.eo assaulted
is not that it has become as. corrupt as
its predecessors, but that it is doing
much to expose thleving and to punish
men who steal. The Democratic party
II mean the modern Democratic
party-came into power in 1929, ur-
der Gen. Jackson. One man, Sam
uel Swartwout, in Gen. Jackson's day,
when the government only raises a
few millions of dollars a gear, stole
81 100000 in the New York custom
housc-neariy Is much money as has
been stolen under this administration
in three years, in collecting and paying
out nearly s2,1o0,000,000. The per-
centage ef loss under the administra-
ton has been less than u1der any ad-
ministration since General jackson was
iuaugurated President of the United
States. There is not a shadow Of
doubt of it. I here assert and know
that there has been a less percentage
Of loss under Gen. Grants administra-
ton than any other administration since
the days of John Quincy Adams. John
Tyler, son of President Tyler, in a
letter recently published, states that
there were in Van Buren's administra-
ton ninety-eight receivers of the pub
lie money, ninety.six Of whom were
detaulters. Ninety-six QUO Of nitcty.
eight! [Laughter] Is there any man
here tonight who knows that any one
of these men was ever sent to the
penitentiary? I believe a Republican
thief is a worse man than q Demo-
cratic thief. Laughter. He has
not had so many bad examples.
Laughter and applause.]. A Re-
publican thief is the wichedest and
mcanest thief in all the land. He
joins party that came into being to give
freedom to the slave, maintain the uni
ty of the country and preserve the life
of the nation. In. the ranks of that
party is largo mass Of the Intelligence
Of the country, of the praying men
and women Of the country. A man
who joins that political organization,
betraJs his trust, and steals the. money
of the government, is base creature,
and the penitentiary is the only place
where he should go.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REPUBLI-
CAN AND DEMOCRATIC THIEVES. :,
The difference between Republicans
and Democrats on this question is this {:
the Republicans try to discover and
punish thieves the Democrats never
punish theirs. You canuot tell me to-
light of a man who stole from the
National Government under a Demo-
cratic Administration who was sent to
the penitentiary. Under this Admin
istration several thieves have been
sent there. Most of their stealing was
under the late Administration, for
there has been little stealing under
this. Under Andrew Johnson's Ad-
>mlnistratiou mean men got cffice.
dc went back on his party, on his rec
ord, an3 upright Democ rats paid little
attention to him, honest Republicans
kept away from the White House,
aud mean men ofboth parties sought
the benefits Of his patronage. x * X.
Since General Spinner enterc! upon
his Office as Treasurer OF the United
States, fifty. five thousand millions of
dollars have passed through his Office,
counted by from three to forr hundred
men and women. We have lost be-
tween fifty and sixty thousand dollars
in these eleven years, while fifty five
thousand millions have gone through
tho Office. We punished one man,
fined him, and he is now trying to get
back five thousand dollars, for he
says We made him pay five thousand
dollars more than he stole. Laugh.
teri We have sent to prison three
tursted clerks, mon of capacity and
ability; everybody trusted and re-
spected them. That is the way we
have served our thieves,
THE "DOSS THIEF OF THE WORTH
About the same time tho discovery
was made Of the boldest and most gi-
gantic robbery of the people ever per.
pet:ated in ancient or modern times.
Bill Tweed "Boss Tweed"-a man
who few years ago vent through
bankruptcy, and who is said to have
boosted, within a year, that he had
eighteen millions of dollars, and with
him the tribe of Tammany Hall have
been discovered and exposed. Some of
them have gone to Europe, some Of
them are enjoying the pleasure of the
health1ul breczes and 81 owdrifts of Can.
ada, some Of them are in one part of
the country and some in another.
While We were trying Major Hodge,
and sending him to the penitentiary at
Albany for ten years, with the approx.