Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-10-01

l#Jll lUld1 I'M IN .Uf The CUtjcIY,
a. 4. HARDWOOD, Editor s Proprietor
-
AUSTIN. MINI.
THURSDAY MORNING.. OCT. /. 1874.
FOR CONGRESS.
FIRST DIsfalr,
MARK r.. DuNNELL.
MIR. WINDOWS SPEECH.
On Tuesday evening last, according to
previ Gus announcement, Hon. VIM. Win
DON, United States Senator and chairman
! Of the Senate Special Committee on
Transportation, addressed q large audi
cnce at the Court House in this City. Il
was the fairest, the most reasonable, and
the most convincing Of any political lee:
ture to VIII fch we ever listened. For the
benefit of the large class of our readers
who could not attend the meeting, We
shall present very brief and necessarily
imperfect synopsis of the Senator's re-
marks.
Concerning the allegation of our oppo.
ncnts, that the Republican party has out
lived its usefulness, he said facts were
better than assertions, and that the condi.
ton of the public credit under different
administrations, indicated more perfect
ly than argument can, the charac ter Of
prevailing management-thatu under Blu.
chanan's administration, when the nation
had but very limited indebtedness, Its
bonds bearing six per cent. interest, were
sold in the foreign market at n:ncty.fou,
cents ON the dollar, or ut a depreciation
oftwelve per cent. that in 1870, with q
public debt Of 100000 government,
bonds bearing four per cent. interest,
were hypothecated in Europe at ten per
cent. premium, showing that under Re-
publican management the public credit
had appreciated is per cent, and this too
Notwithstanding the fact that our debts
had increased a thousand fold. Such is
the estimate Which other nations place
upon the value Of Republican admins.
tratitn. Again, referring to the charge OF
corruption made against the party, Inc
said the uncxampled prosperity of the
country and the unlimited confidence
WI icli it enjoyed among the nations of
the world was the best evidence that can
be adduced il proof Of the purity and
honesty Of the great body Of the people
who are represented by the ADMINISTERS
ton in power, and tina: in the aggregate,
the masses were fairly represented in the
Offices OF the government; or in other
words, that to the extent to which purity
and honesty were found to characterize
the people, to the same extent would those
qualities lie found to prevail in the act.
ions Of those assigned to the immediate
control Of the public business. Of the
general allegation that the officers of the
party have stolen everything within their
reach, he said there had been some dis
honesty of individuals, and some promi-
ncnt defalcations, but that such, instead
approving the corruption of the party,
served to demonstrate its integrity and f.
deity. lie then presented an elaborate
statement Of the fina ncial condition Of
each principal department of the service
from which is shown conclusivcly, that
the aggregate loss to the government by
dishonest management in TO case exceeds
one fourth Of ono per cent, and the aver
age is less than one dollar on each million
Of dollars handled by officials. Not that
this is the sum total stolen BY. Rcpabli-
can officers, but that the government has
been so judic:ous and so careful in
exacting and in obtaining security
against malfcasancc, that of all the money
actually stolen, only the proportion above
given has been actually lost. Its not the
business of the party to improve the NOR
al condition Of individuals. but to so pro-
vide that no loss shall result to the public
through the dishonesty of any. In this
respect the Republican party has been
grandly successful.
Again, speaking of the recent trouble
in Louisiana, he said that had the Demo-
cratic party been in power it would no
doubt have repeated the doctrine of James
Bachanan's message to Congress in which
he said, "there is no authority under the
Constitution for State to scccdc; but if
one does secede, there is no power confer
red by the Constitution under which the
President can force it back into the Un-
ion," and that today we should have had
another full grown rebellion on GU: hands
with all its terrible consequences in
the near future. lie mad. brief al
fusion to the affairs Of our own State,
and shove! conelusivel y that not one
dallar had been lost by the dcfalcation
Of the State Treasurer and instanced
the we!.-known history Of tn. Demo-
cratic party in proof Of the dishonest
aud imbecile management in the early
history of this State. Passing from
the discussion Of subjects distiuctively
political, he approached the great one
Of cheap transportation. There are
three methods proposed for carrying
western products to market: one is the
regulation by Congress Of the great
through lines Of railway, providing for
slow travel as means Of reducing the
cost of transit. In reference to this
method, Mr.. Window said he enter
tains no doubt that Congress and the
several States in cases applying them
respectively, have the power to control
the railroads, but whether there resides
anywhere the abilitv to carry freight