The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-08-13
Established July 1850.
.lon which every just government
Is glad to make for wrong done.


!lon which every just government
is glad to make for wrong done.
MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT.
And this is not all. Our material
development has kept pace with our
political reforms, and despite the
encouragement to immigration, and
the positive drain of great war last.
ing four years, our population in.
creased between 1850 and 1870 more
than seven millions. The increase
was but little more than eight mil.
lions during the previous decade.
In spite of the enormous cost of that
same war, both in money and mus
Gle, our lines of complete railways
have increased from 1000 miles, at
the close of 1861, to almost 10000,
at the close of 1873. One iron track
spans the continent; others are pro-
lected and more or less advanced in
construction. That vast region be-
tween the Rock Mountain range and
the Sierra Nevadss, which was al.
most unknown in 1861, is now ira.
versed by highways in every direo-
ton, and its geography is as familiar
to our children as the geography of
New England was to the children of
1861. And here, within this very
Republic which thirteen years ago
the faithless d emocracy turned over
to the Republican party for burial,
capital has combined to construct
more miles of railway than all the
rest of the world possesses. Harbors
and rivers have been improved, and
the trade of our Western lakes and
rivers now employs a commercial
marine exceeding 100000 tons.
Enlarged facilities for trade have
swelled the volume of trade.
PUBLIC CREDIT ADVANCED.
Two facts are sufficiently eloquent
of our national growth. First. The
six per cent. bonds issued in Februa.
ry, 1861, sold for ninety-four cents on
the dollar. The nation then owed
but sixty million dollars. The same
bonds sold in June, 1874, as high as
1921 cents on the dollar, in currency,
or fraction over ITO in gold, al.
though the nation then owed two
thousand million dollars. Second.
The value of annual exports of do.
mestic commodities increased from
three hundred and seventy. three mil
lion in 1860 to six hundred and for
ty-nine million in 1878, being an in
crease during the period Of two hun.
dred and seventy.six million dollars.
There are those bold enough to
assert that the country is now gov
erned worse instead Of better than
formerly. Some may be found weak
enough to believe such assertions.
But it requires great deal of de.
clamation to prove that the day is
cold when the mercury stands at SO
in the shade. The mercury won't
lie. Men unhappily sometimes do.
And it will require great deal of
rhetoric to persuade this country
that it is being ruined by a Govern.
ment which in thirteen years has ad-
vanced its credit throughout the
money markets of the world fully
thirty three per cent. and has nearly
trebled its surplus production.
LAND POLICY.
But this is not all. Since the ad-
vent of the Republican party the fin
ishing touches have been given to
our land system. 1t was long ago
adjudged that dollar and quarter
was full equivalent for an acre of the
public domain. Accordingly that
was fixed as the minimum price.
That gave to the Government 5000
for quarter section of land. But
Republicanism adjudged that a far
mer was more worth to the country
than 5000, and SO it has rendered a
homestead not exceeding one hun
dred and sixty acres to every head
Of family who will make a farm up.
on it. And in view of a fact which
no State can afford to overlook, to.
wit: that successful agriculture
is the primal necessity and grand in.
spiration of every other industry,
and that, to be truly successful, agri-
culture, like every other craft, should
be learned, prosperous colleges have
been endowed out of the public do
main, wherein field culture may be
reared from the rank of craft to the
dignity of a science to the grandeur
even OF an art.
Resolced, That in the judgment of this
House the policy of granting subsidies in
public land to railroad and other corpora
tions ought to be discontinued; and that
every consideration of public policy and
equal justice to the whole people requires
that the public lands Of the United States
should be held for the exclusive purpose Of
securing homesteads to actual settlers, un-
der the homestead and pre-emption laws,
subject to reasonable appropriations OF
such lands for educational purposes
THE UNION PRESERVED.
Fellow. citizens, when you commit.
ted the Union to the keeping of the
Republican party, it seemed on the
verge of dissolution. Many hoped
and some feared it had received an
incurable wound. We present the
Union to you to-day every viii,
whole. The Republic is at peace
throughout all her borders she is a,
peace with all the world. He,
rightful authority is disputed no
where; her opinions are respected
everywhere. She stands in the very
vanguard of sovereign States. We
challenge history to produces another
instance of a country raised from
such humiliation to such granduer in
so short time. And this transfer
nation has been wrought not merely
without the aid of the Democratic
party, but in spite of its utmost hos
tility.
THE OPPOSITION REVIEWED.
You have seen the shortcoming oi
of that party in administration. Its
faults in opposition have been still
more glaring. Perhaps they can be
forgiven for allowing the ship OF
State to drift 80 near the rocks. But
how can they be forgiven their
struggles to prevent her from being
snatched from that peril? That char.
ity, which delights to think no evil,
may excuse their omission to lift the
country; upon the plea of incompe-