The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1873-07-31
1Concerning Party Record:

pretty carping Of the Democracy relative
to certain minor features Of the policy OF
the Republican party
1.-The Harrisburg Patriot frames one
of its characteristic indictments, against
the Republican party, and then, IN Its
imaginative style, calls it record OF the
party. There is one item that seems
rather curious. After raking up all that
has been falsey charged against the party
or it's administration, it adduces this item
For the most abominable recorruptions
in government" This reads somewhat
after the manner Of the famous hotel bill
sent to the purse bearer OF a travelling
European prince, which after duplicating
charges iu the most exorbitant way, wound
up with a round sum in lump "ior max
ing fuss generally" There is about as
much chance for traversing the one
charge as the other. But there are some
other things in this Indictment that the
Patriot has not been successful with, and
to these we propose to allude.
/. "The bestowal of hundreds Of mil
lions of acres of the public domain on
railroads." This was begun by strong
ly Democratic Congress, under Demo
cratic administration. which approved oil
it. and the policy will be found defended
very ably by President Pierce in one OF
his annual messages. BY this policy alone
| Illinois has been raised to the rank oil
Ohio. and Chicago has become one OF the
most renowned cities in the world The
real reason of the Democratic statesmen
for sustaining this policy was that under
the previous land system class of land
sharks were monopolizing the best lands,
building up princely fortunes, cheating
the National Treasury aud the actual set
tiers at the same time. When the Home
dying this evil, it did not succeed in the
end in view, and hence the land grants to
railroads were again resorted to, because
it was believed that the railroad com
panies, being always in need Of money
for construction, could not afford TO hold
the lands, and that their interests would
prompt them to stimulate actual settle
meDt, which has proved to be the case in
all the organized States and has only fail
ed in the vast wiidernesses where the
land is as vet unsuitable. In our judg.
ment the policy was wise one, but good
or bad the Democratic party stands re-
sponsible for it, as it originated with that
Organization aud stands especially eDdors
ed by its administration.
2. "Indian wars growing out of fraudu
lent practices of greedy and uDscrupulous
agents" Under President Var RureD
the Seminole war in Florida cost some
thirty millions of dollars and many thous
ands of lives. 1t was a war forced by
Shareholders to get rid of what had be-
come safe refuge for runaway slaves
Greedy and unsrupuous agents" engen
dered that war, but it was under the
auspices of the Democratic party. The
wars against the Comauches in Texas and
the Navajoes and Apaches in New Mexi
co, ragged under Presidents Pierce and
Buchanan, cost in the aggregate some
fifty millions of dollars We do not very
well see how the Republicans could have
prevented those wars, as the executive
power was in Democratic hands, and the
''greedy and unscrupulous agents were
Democrats. The Sioux war, which cul
minated in llarney's victory at the bloody
battle of Ash Hollow, was waged by a.
! Democratic administration, and the lndi
an agents were all Democrats.
3. "The carpet bag governments Of
the southern States" These were State
governments composed of Union men,
their prime offence being that alone
They superseded governments that had
been in open rebellion, that had raised
armies and furnished to the Confederate
organization all its resources in men
lnouey, and material of war. By the
Constitution of the United States citizens
of the republic are guaranteed the free
right to emgrate to and settle in any
State or territory. The northern men
who avaled themselves of this right to
to settle in the south were stigmatzed as
carpet baggers" in order to discourage
and prescribe all northern emigration to
the south and thus leave the irreconci
| able rebels to rule things to suit them
selves. This was not satisla ctory to the
Republicans in Congress Determined
that Union men should not be prescribed
for their loyalty, they adopted measures
that effectually protected all citizens, and
now the long reign of terror at the south
is at an end, and the press and public
sentiment are perfectly free.
T. The Credit Mobiier" BY this or
ganization the railroad from the Mis-
souri, river to the Pacific was built when
no one thought it at all practicable. 1t
was desperate case and demanded des-
perate measures. The men who had the
courage to undertake the work found the
great capitalists and bankers wholly un
willing to lend money to SO wild an en-
terprise. They were determined, how
ever, to succeed, and they did If the
Patriot thinks that matter of regret we
advise it to 90 into the next canvass in
Pennsylvania on that question. The peo,
pIe of this ualion wanted IA National Rail
!