The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-09-20

commonwealth to be used for private
instead of public purposes and objects.
1t is proposed to place in tho executive
chair Of tho state q man Of whose Pre-.
tensions to that place a5 an individual
| shall not speak, but who at least can
Pledge to the people Of Pennsylvania
the same fidelity and zeal which he has
ondeavored to exhibit heretofore in
representative positions. [Checrs
repeat what said before, that /
shall not go over the details by which
the charges of misconduct against pub
lie officers Of this state are shown. That
Is being done, and it has to great ox-
tent already been done, by tho public
press Of the stato.-by the Independent
press of this state as well as by the par
ty press, and hereafter, before the elcc-
tiOn in October, doubtless The discus.
sion Of that branch of debate in this
political campaign will he further
prosecuted, until no man In tho COM
monwcalth, of ordinary intelligence,
will be left ignorant In regard to the
leading facts upon which the assault
upon public officers of tho state is
based.
THE LANCASTER SPEECH.
l pass from remarks upon this sub
ject to speak of matters somewhat more
personal. Sometime since to direct
charges made by the chairman Of the
political organization opposed to US, |
took occasion in the city of Laucas-
ter, to an audience of most intelligent
gentlemen, to respond, and to give to
that audience, and through the
press to the public, the facts in regard
to certain parts Of my record In public
life, and do not propose to repeat
what was then said in detail, here or
elsewhere. Most of you, doubtless,
have read what was stated by me upon
that occasion-that from the time I
took my scat in the senate of the Unit.
ed States, on the 4th of March, 1868,
until the close Of the war, in April,
1865, l supported every appr opria-
ton which was for the pru,ecutiOn Of
the war in which we were cngag-
cd. Applause.
That during the slno time voted for
or supported every bill aud every pro-
position which looked to the increase of
the pay of our soldiers in the army,
renewed applause,l and against the
reductions Of bountie5 which were pay.
able to them from $500 to 800. More
applause. That in regard to colorcd
troops, who, under an act passed in
1862, before L was member of con-
gress, were paid only $40 a month, al
though was opposed, along with many
others, to the policy of employing so
great a number as was proposed in 1861
amounting to Il quarter of II million
suppOsing it improvident to tako 50
many undisciplined persons aud quar-
tor them upon the treasury, yct, as re-
garded those who were employed and
actually in the government service, l
assisted III framing The report of the
committee on conference upon the army
appropriation bill Of 1861, by which
they were paid from that date full rates,
and also allowed literally for past SER
vices which they had rendered to the
government. [Great applause
PAYING SOLDIERS IN GOLD.
This was in answer to the falsehood
that l had voted against paying the
troops, white or black. This record was
published, and since then all / have
heard about 1t is a new charge-not that
/ voted against paying the soldiers, but
that voted for paying them too much
laughter because on one occasion ]
voted for an amendment which was of
fered when the pay of the soldiers was
$l3 month, that they should DO paid
in gold. LCries OF "bullyw aud ap
plausel. Well, l suppose it is hardly
worth while to defend nysolfagainst al
accusation ofthat kind. Cries of"nop'
ono - and cheers
WHO WAS MOST WORTHY?
Wepaid public creditors: wopaidr ricl
men, the bankers and the foreign capital
lists in the war who were our creditors
in gold, their interest on our bonds al
| lhiOuSh thC Wal, ht lhO Cihi "
the war you will relAomber, con
gross passed of its own motion, o
its own accord, without any legal noces
sity upon ii 10 do so, resolution tha
they should be ultimately paid in gol,
the whole principal of The loans, Tha
was done for them aud really l thinl
that the most martorIous class G
creditors which the government of tn
United States had during the war wer
the soldiers, repeated cheers who CAV
the government credit from month t
month for their wages, aud who nigh
reasonably claim from the government
the same kind of pay, the same treat
ment which was given to other credit
ors of the United States. Increase
cheering. With gold averaging sa
$50, their pay was less than twenty do
lars mouth in paper money. To b
sure gold kited up at one time to near
gambling operations upon which n
permanent legislation could be base(
At all events, with reference to thI
particular accusation, think l ma
venture to say that if Sterne's good re
cording angel shall carry that sin up
be recorded in the great record-bool
he will perhaps, in charity, drop tei
upon the page and blot it out foreve
Applause,
Iu short, have stood up over twent
!. years in public service in this state, NJ
, in the government of the United State
! and there is the record as public as an
thing in the limits of this republic
the nature of public record, and
have nothing in it to defend from Il
i, beginning to end, before this audien
or elsewhere. Tumultuous chee
ing.l
, THE COLUMBIA COUNTY INVAsIo
: But let me tonight, while l am b
= fore you, do an act of neighborly du
q "a duty owe to men at homo in II
a.