The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1874-09-03

t.epahpinean party and pe connecting link
BY which the immortal Declaration Of Independence
was made part Of our Constitutionof Government,
nave seen one by the narrow prejudices OF caste
which denied to the black race the rights Of human
nature melt away without evil results and wish to
see tnis work complete and perfect by securing TO all
men who are citizens Of the United States precise
equality in all civil and political rights whether they
lend to protect his person and property or lift him
ABOVE degradation by local or State authority. The
unavoidable influence Of wealth. BIRTH CASTE and edu-
cation In lifting men In social life above their fellows
are surely enough 70 create inequality among men
without appealing TO local law or prejudice TO force
man To occupy lower plane than his native abilities
aud equal opportunity would give him. The Repub-
lcan party OF Jefferson demanded equality before the
Jaw oi all white men. How strange it Is that We
have to contest with party calling itself Democratic
for the right Of all TO have equal opportunities 70 rise
and be man, the equal Of other men.
Not only are these rights disputed but in some parts
OF the southern States the right live and labor and
10 enjoy the fruits Of labor is practically denied The
spirit OF Ku-kluxism Is only smothered. We hear
day Oh murders outrages, and wrongs that may lead
az any time 70 war Of races II the Democratic party
was now In power the tendency 10 restore condition
Of slavery In the South would be overwhelming and
then, instead Of civil between sections we would
have war between whites and blacks We now hear
oil fraud, force and vi0lencein the SOUTH These can
only be arrested by peace and time But II you add
TO these evils an open war between distinct races OF
men living together, waged, such wars always are,
Dy assasslnallon and the torch, you will have San Do
mingo over again, with all its nameless horrors The
easiest way the only way, is for the law 10 place all
the rights, privileges and immuntes created By the
Law upon precisely the same footing to all citizens.
Then with equal opportunities let them rise or fall
according to their merit and industry.
THE PUBLIC CREDIT
Fellow-eitizens, there Is another guarantee which
we, as Republicans, are bound to fulfilled 1t Is
section four Of the fourteenth amendment to the Con-
stitutiOn Of the United States, as follows:
1.-THE validity Of the public debt Of the United
States authorized by law, including debts incurred
for payment Of pensions and bountes for services in
suppressing nsurrection or rebellion shall not be
questioned. But neither the United States nor any
State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation in-
CURED In aid Of insurrecton or rebellion against the
United States or any claim for the loss or emancipa
uOn Of snX slave 6qt all such debts obligations and
no one can doubt but that the Republican party
VIII faithfully and honestly observe this guarantee
and II Is equally certain that there are large por-
tOns OF the Democratic party that openly seek to i'm
pair the validity Of the public debt Of the United
States Direct and open repudiation would probably
Be sanctioned by majority Of the Democratic party
IN me ate rebel states But this form of attacking
ous The Indiana State Convention adopted series
OF resolutions of which these are the first three:
lst That we are in favor Of the redemption Of the
hve-twenty bonds In geenbacks according 10 the law
under which they were issued"
3D.. "We are In favor Of the repeal Of the law Of
March, 1862 whichassumed to eonstrue the law 50 as to
make such @ bonds payable exclusively In gold"
3d. 1--WE are In favor Of the repeal of the national
banking law and the substitution Of greenbacks for
the national bank currency"
These resolutions taken together would directly in
OF the United States They declare that the
$40 bonds shall be paid in green6acks and not only
with greenbacks issued when the bonds were issued
but new greeneackS issued now, in express violation
OF the loan acts. BY the act of March 49, 1862 the
public faith was pledged that the bonds would be paid
In coin: This act was not only in accord with the
public Judgment but has been acquiesced in for five
years, and the $40 bonds have risen In market value
70 par In gold They have been bought and sold,
Five hundred millions of them have been paid In coin
by the Government aud new bonds issued. An at
tempt now 70 disturb the settlement made by the act
OF March, 1859 Is wanton and foolish breach of pub
Tic iath pledged by that act And the proposition
now boldly made to issue new greenbacks In express
violation Of an act under which the $40 bonds were
Issued, In order TO pay them off with notes not bear
Ing interest," Is direct reputation OF the public debt
IL 1t were possible TO commit crime by the
ment Of an atrocous political dogma this would be
crime II VIII create uneasness and impair American
credit to the precise extent that 1t gains strength and
belief And at this day believe these resolutions
present the opinion Of the disoyal elements Of the
south, and Of those In the North who sympathiEed
with such opinion.
The platform Of the Indiana Democrats has been
adopted by the Democratic Convention of Tennessee
The current Is widening and deepening and now in
Ohio-which never shrank from the burden Of her
debt-never for moment violated her faith-neyer
even listened TO such advice except in the almost for
gotten days OF Byington and McNulty and then, re-
ectng their COUNSEL sold her bonds at fifty cents on
the dollar TO pay her interest-eyen In Ohio which we
proudly claim as model State, the Democratic party
In their recent Convention squintoward repudiation
but do not boldly like the indiana Democracy, assert
solved as follows: t'- .
"That the Democracy OF Ohio reiterate their aecla
ration that the $40 bonds by the letter and spirit OF
the law, and the general understanding Of the COM
munity, were payable In legal tender notes. and the
act OF March, 1862 which pledged the faith Of the ma
ton to their payment in COIN was an unnecessary and
wicked sacrifice Of the interests Of the ax-paying Ia
fnR thn annAk 81 H.
holders" sI.T
PROPOSED NATIONAL DIsHoNoR.
The Indiana Democrats assert as follows;
That we are In favor Of the redemption Of the 500
bonds in greenbaeks, according to the law under which
they were issued"
The Ohio Democrats do not say they will nav the
bonds In greenbacks but they stop short and denounce
the act Of March, 1862 They say that the bonds were
payable in greenbacks and do not say whether they
may now be paid In greenbacks Ii Il a rosI lame
pitiful and mpotent conclusion II this policy of re-
opening the questions settled by the act of March
1859, Is not sheer demagogsm It Is by far the most
important issue OF this CANVASS Prior 10 1869 there
were some honest differences Of opinion as to the con-
struction OF our loan laws. Mr.. Pendleton claimed
that the public debt In the form Of bonds might be
paid off BY an unlimited issue Of greenbacks, and
thus practically repudiate the whole debt Governor
Morton claimed that bonds might be paid in green
backs kept within the limit Of 100000 600
authorized BY the loan acts, but the great
body OF both the Republican and Demo-
gold coin This dangerous controversy greatly affected
the public credit and entered into the canvass of 1868
The act OF March, 1862 universally regarded as
forever settling this question. 1t declared that the
public faith was pledged . the payment OF both bonds
and notes in coin. 1t was passed by Congress fresh
from the people, by vote Of 9S yeas TO AZ nays in the
House, and In the Senate by AZ yeas to 10 nays II
was the rst act approved by President Grant IT was
universally acquesced In. The effect Of the act was
to advance the public credits 1t led to
confidence and prosperity and the rapid payment Of
The public debt Under the policy thus fnaugurated
three hundred and eightytwo millions OF the debt ha
been paid the rate OF interest has been reduced on 1--WE
hundred millions more Of the debt still due and an
annual saving Of interest has been made Of over twen
y-6ye millions. A period of unexampled prosperity
vet in, which has only been checked by a too rapid
development Of distant and unproductive railroads.
Gentlemen, the reopening Of this controversy Is
real calamity. The failure OF confidence In railroad
Investments was the cause of the recent panic This
'wept away fortunes like q hurricane. Its receding
waves still parayze business and especially in the pro
iuction Of iron and manufactures Of iron What then
will be the effect OF destroying confidence In public Sc
'urities and the public faith2 What would be the
fleet of hurrying home our discredited debt? What
will be the result IL the United States should now in
ioaton Of the public faith begin to paw out its newly
,rtned notes in payment OF bonds? 1t is this danger
the public credit that ought now to be grapped with
nd throttled by the people Of Ohio with the fierce en-
rgy they grappled and throttled Vallandlgham In
$685. Untarnished honor, honor pure that 1t is not
nly from open iaut, but from the shadow of it,
his Is the pride OF Satemen may not attain itbut
rganized States Fellow citizens this movement
whether under the open flag Of population raised
he Indiana Democrats or the covert evasive threat Of
equalization In the Ohio Democratic platform il dis
onor, shameless, palpable and fragrant with which