Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-10-02
THE IOWA VOTER.
McCrary's Speech.

made speech recently at O@ua
Rapids, from which we make tn
following extracts:
Fell0w Citizens. The opposition Il
the Republican party has been of
nature Unprecedented In politica
history. In oIden times the Whii
and Democratic parties were divided
by plainly marked lines. They me-
and discussed their differences in 9
public manner. Now the opposition
have adopted nearly all our distinct
i've tenets and claim that they are
better opponents Of those tenets than
we are. In some respects this Is graf.
flying. 1t shows the Republican
party has become SO strong, its prin-
ciples have been proven so true, that
the opposition no longer dare to take
issue with them.
The Anti-Monopolists tell us that
we ought to give place to them be-
cause they are honest and we are not.
This they assume but do not prove.
They do not prove it because they
cannot. There are bad men in all
parties, ours as well as another, yet /
challenge the world to produce in the
ranks OF any political organization a
higher standard of individual or par
ty character.
We are told by the opposition that
recent Investigations in Congress
have developed the corruptions Of
the party. What did the Credit Mob
ilier investigation reveal? 1tresulted
III showing that an organization had
been formed for the purpose of cor
ruptly obtaining advantages from
the Government and the Union Pa
eff railroad, but there has never
leen an atom Of proof to show that
the Republican party was response
bile therefor. BY no means were all
those who had stock in the Credit
Mobilier guilty Of corruption even,
hut only those were guilty that took
the stock knowing Its fraudulent pur-
pose aud the fraudulent intent OF the
offices of that company. This matter
wa, fully int. uired into by commit
Tee appointed for the purpose, on the
motion ,of the Sneaker Of the House,
! v the Hon. s. S. Cox, Of New York,
who was temporarily in the chair,
and who selected a committee OF five,
the majority being Democrats. AZ
tr patient and thor ugh In
vestigation, but two mem.
bers were found guilty OF
fraudulent completely In the de-
signs of Credit obilier,-Hon.
Dakes Ames and Hon. James Brooks,
the one Republican and the other
q Democrat. The connection Of every
other member of Congress who had
owned any Of the stock was traced NJ
far as evidence could be obtained,
but the committee could only prove
the guilty possession Of the two men,
beers Just named. When the investi-
CATION was completed, the committee
made an unanimous report, In which
they say they failed to find any men,
beers except Messrs. Ames and Brooks
80 guilty. 1t cannot be charged then
that the Republican party were gull
w of the c0rruptions Of the Credit
Mobilier. The party has never at
tempted to palliate, conceal or excuse
The Credit Mobilier swindle, but on
the contrary 1t has been denounced
by almost every Republican assem-
biage that has been convened since
tho facts Of that fraud have been
known. Even Ii every member OF
Congress had been found guilty of
holding Credit Mobilier stock cor
ruptly, the burden Of the guilt cam
not be thrown on the Republican
party.
The back pay steal was altogether
wrong wrong almost to the point OF
criininality. There can be no posi-
ble excuse or reason for the measure.
It has been frequently urged in its
.efense that the precedence estab-
tlshed when the pay was raised FROM
eight dollars day TO three thousand
dollars Il year, and the subsequent
increases, when gold was about two
hundred, to five thousand dollars a
year, justify this measure, but bad
i,recedents are always better broken
tnan followed This argument does
not serve {, ( the situation Of mat
tiers In 1878. But who Is responsible
for the, outrageous measure? Is II
the Republican party? 1t is true
that the Republican members In
Congress could have defeated the bill
and 30 could tbs Democrats. Only
three votes changed would have Sc
cured Its defeat, The simple state OF
the case was that the men on both
sides united to secure the passage OF
the back-pay law, and those men are
tcspbHsible--nOt any particular par
ty. rs the vote stood on the passage
Of the bill among the Republicans
voting there was majority of eight
against the law, while among the
Democrats voting the majority in
favor Of it was tWeuty-four. But It
Is Idle to charge this misdeed ON ell
ther Of the parties; the blame rests
With those who voted for the bill
Every State Convention, Of both par
ties, except the Kentucky Democrat
ic Convention, has denounced the
ateal in unequivocal terms. These
iliatters, however, are always tho re-
stiIt 81 the actions of men, and not OF
parties.
The, Democratic leaders deLnar7d
that the Republican party, wLiclf
they declare has Outlived its useful.
ness, should now disband because
they have done SO. This Is hardly
fair. The Democratic party Is nigh
sick unto death; for years because OF