American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-04-27

| the correction of abuses, they appoint com
| mittees contrary to all parliamentary pre-
ccdent [applausel and all common sense-i1
the object is to find out whether abuses ex
| ist-sO organ lied as to be controlled by the
friends of the accused, and from which ever,
person is carefully excluded who believes
abuses exist, and wants strict
| investigation. Applause. In my
| judgement, this Government, economically
| administered need not expend 10000. 600
| year now, exclusive of what it pays in interest
on the public debt and for pensions. Fifty
millions of dollars year ought to be saved
| by an economical administration of the Gov
ernment. But, as l said, we have been un
able to bring this about through the instru
mentalities now exercising control. Why
Because the machinery of the Republican
party is in the hands of the 10000 office
holders of this country. They control
the Republican party by packing Con
ventions and otherwise, through the
instrumentality of members of Congress
and others cooperating with them,
to whom they owe their places, and to whom
members in turn, many of them, own their
seats in Congress. How, then, is a remedy
to be obtained Must the people submit:
Are these encroachments on the rights OF
the people to continue, this collections of
taxes to be squandered among the hirelings
of the party, to go on until the people find
themselves bound hand and foot to a central
power at Washington, that taxes them at
will land squanders money among its favorites
as it pleases? Yes, there is remedy; but
that remedy must come from the people.
You can't obtain it through politicians. There
10 feeling, l am glad to believe, in the
country that will arouse its honest senti-
ment and lead to the correction of these
abuses. [Applause.l Notice is given that
there will be meeting of Independent
Republicans in the City of Cincinnati
[applause] on May 1. That will be a meet
ing, not of office-holders assembled for the
purpose of devising schemes to hoodwink
the people, and mislead them by prostituting
the name of great party to their wicked
schemes but it will be meeting of honest,
sincere men, determined to bring about re-
form and publication of the Government.
[Applause.1 L am glad to say that the indi
cations are that the best element of the Re
publican party will be assembled on that Oc-
casion. notice from my own State, within
a few days, call has been issued, signed, l
am told, by all but two of the Electors, and,
L believe, by every State officer who was
elected on the ticket with Abraham Lincoln
in 1864, except, perhaps, the Governor of the
Statc-signed, l know, by the Secretary of
State and the Treasurer of the State, who
were elected on the same ticket with Mr..
Lincoln. l have similar information from
otlier States, and this can, if you will, be
made a success. To make it success
Republicans must be prepared to face and
put down the mnions of a party, and the
demagogues and hirelings and thieves and
robbers who plumber the people, and who
will excOmnunicate from what they call the
party because they set themselves up to be
the Republican party. Laughter and APP
plause. No more like the Republican party
are these plunderers and thieves-a party of
purity and honesty-than the devil himself
They will go on not discussing the questions
of the present day. No. But during the
coming political campaign, the same persons
will be engaged fighting over again the bat
ties of the war and the adjustment of slavery
and shutting down the rebellion. To your
demand for an honest administration of the
Government they will reply, "You are Il
traitor to the Republican party" Applause.
To your demand tor reform of the manner
of appointing and removing from office they
will answer, ave abolished slavery" To
your demand for reform they will answer,
1--WE put down the rebellion" and when you
demand amnesty and the restoration of So
cial intercourse and harmony among all our
people, the reply will be the reciting of the
horrors of a war that was ended seven years
lgo. With living issues of the present they
nave no concern further than to retain power
n seeking to resurrect those which are dead.
Now, if there be any Republican who has not
and manhood enough to meet
with scorn and contempt all such de-
ness to go to Cincinnati. Applause. Let
lin wear the collar and bear the burden |
which the whippers-in of the party put upon
lin, and let these old Bourbons of both |
who still talk of re-enacting |
he fugitive slave laws, and who expect to
Tote for Andrew Jackson, and those who are |
still talking of putting down the rebellion
md abolishing slavery, and who expect to
Tote for General Grant, who is about as
politically dead as Andrew Jackson is ply |
ically [great laughter and applausel-let |
hese old Bourbons fight their battles over, |
md continue to bury these dead issues. But |
ct the Independent Republicans all over this |
and, who believe in progress, in reform, in |
he living issues of the present, assemble at |
jincinnati, and let them there inaugurate |
measures which, receiving the support of |
he good and live men of all parties, shall |
escue the Government from ruin. [Great APP |
hause.