The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1873-12-25

AMONG the loud-mouthed, pretentious
claims and promises heralded in the Re-
publican National platform that renOmi-
mated General Grant in June, 1872. were
these: "That it had secured from foreign
powers a full acknowledgment Of the
rights of naturalized citizens; had care.
fully collected and honestly applied the
public revenues; had diminished taxation
while reducing the public debt had pre-
vented any great financial crisis; md had
kept the honor and power of the nation
in high respect throughout the world
The platform also promised Civil Service
reform-to respect the rights of the PEG.
pie and to oppose further grants of pub.
lie lands to corporations and monopolists
1t is not a year since General Grant
entered upon his second term; and what is
the situatlon2 What the Developments
"Defalcations in various departments OF
the public service far surpass in frequency
and Importance anything known IN the
whole history of this country, and the il
legal diversion of the public funds to pur-
poses unauthorized by law or precedent is
a practice carried even to the extent OF
robbing the Treasury for the support OF
snowy e~quipages and hVeried servants for
members of the Cabinet and subordinate
officers of the departments. Through the
recklessness of the Presidents friends IL
Congress. and incompetency in the Treasu-
ry, the finances of the Government have
been brought into a most lamentable con-
dition; the public debt has been augment
ed, and the Secretary Of the Treasury is
begging Tor an enormous increase IN taxa
ton. Instead of plenty throughout the
land, business and industries of every de-
scription are in a most embarrassed con
dition. thousands of unemployed work
lngmen are found in all our cities, and the
pinch of the financial stIingency Is felt In
the remotest villages almost as severely
as in the great cehtIes of trade. The
promised civil service, reform is manifest
ed in such appointments As those of
Brother-in-Law Casey q. H Williams,
Bingham and Boss Shepherd. and still
further in making politics a test for the
employment of mechanics in navy yards
and on other public works. The hypocrisy
.of=the promised opposition to further
grants of public lands to corporations and
mozopohsts is prove5bythe facts that
the President openly champions the most
Neutrality-suspicious. of jobbery in this
direction, while the whole machinery of
the Interior Department is used for per-
verEIngIksla AnlfA4orl0f Ic~orporations
and ~monopolists, and in some cases for
roBbing actual tllers of the soil aofathe
fruits of their industry for the emolumeut
of professional land grabbers. And the
sincerity of the pledge that the rights re-
served by the people should be respected
as carefully as powers delegated to Gov
eminent; is best illustrated in the foreible
overthrow of the legally constituted Gov
eminent of Louisiana by Federal bayo-
nets to makeroo for a gang of pnblic
p~lunderers who no one pretendsw ever
legally elected[an Outrage in which all
the rights of the people of a sovereign
State were trampled in the dust without
even q reasonable excuse for the reveIa-
t%ionary and utterly Illegal act. -
LGthe public viii carefully contrast the
promises nm the Grant Administration
Since its retention in power was made
Hure. they win ind much food for saIuta2
ry rejection And the further such CONS
parissns are carried the more striking will
the eonfrasko nnaar lsIsLus1 .bsz1e.a Ell :