The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-08-13
ADDRESS or THE UNION REPuBLl-
CANsCONCRESSlON COMMITTEE.
To the People Of the United States !:

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE.
To the People Of the United States
You will soon proceed to select
your Representatives for new Con.
gress. The occasion invites US to
submit for your inspection the record
of Republican achievements since
that party was called to the admin
istration OF national affairs. We
seize the opportunity to avow that
record, not to apologize frr it. We
challenge your approval, not your
pardon.
The obligations of government and
people, like the obligations of SER
want and master, are mutual.
The government, like the servant,
owes faithful service. But the peo-
pie, like the master, owe honest re-
cognition of faithful service. Every
thoughtful employer knows that he
can not with impuDity decry faithful
labor. He who does SO habitually
will soon have no faithful laborers.
The faithful servant will not submit
to be treated as faithless one. If so
treated, he himself will become faith
less, or he will give place to one who
is faithless.
| DEMOCRATIC STATEsMANSHIP.
1t is thirteen years since the Re.
publican party was first called to the
administration of the National Gov
ernment. For more than thirty years
previously the Government had been
almost uninterruptedly under Demo
cratic control. Of that CONTROL there
is hardly a memory left at which the
nation should not blush. Seemingly,
it was inspired by but one ambition
the bad am mbition to make our foreign
policy as ignoble as our home policy
was shameless. Our intercourse
with Powers weaker than ourselves
was spirited enough. We bullied
Austria out of a Hungarian refugee.
We despoiled Mexico of portion of
her territory. We demolished Grey
town. We iingled millions in the
ears Of Spain as lure for Cuba and
the bribe was spurned.
In 1854 three of our Ministers
abroad assembled at Ostend and
issued a manifesto in which they de-
clared, "After we shall have offered
Spain price for Cuba far beyond its
present value, and this shall nave
been refused, then it will be time to
consider the question: Does Cuba
in the possession of Spain seriously
endsnger oar internal peace and the
existence of oar cherished Uaioa!
Should this question be answered in
the affirmative, then by every law
human and divine we shall be justi.
fed in wrestling it from Spain if we
possess the power"
1t adds piquancy to that extract to
know that two of the ambassadors
who in 1854 could think of no way
of saving "our cherished Union" but
to wrest Cuba from Spain where
Pierre Soule and John Y. Mason.
The third was James Buchanan.
But during all that time, and in
spite of all that gasconade, there
was not single naturalIzed citizen
who could safely revisit his birth
place for there was not one whose
citizenship was not absolutely de-
MED by the sovereign under whose
dominion he was born.
No American, native or naturaliz-
ed, could send letter abroad except
upon onerous conditions We had
then formed postal conventions
with but seven foreign countries.
The lowest rate of postage stipu-
lated in those conventions was ten
cents for letter weighing not more
than one.half ounce. The highest
rate of postage on toe same letter
was thirty cents.
We tamely reinquished to Great
Britain porto of our territory in
the northeast -Other and larger
portion in the northwest. We de-
scribed the line agreed upon in the
northwest so loosely that Great
Britain immediately laid claim to
large islands on our side of it. That
insulting claim was neither resisted
nor admitted. 1t was compromised
by permitting the claimant to hold
armed possessions of one end of San
Juan, the most valuable of those is
lands, while we quietly squatted on
the other end. And while, by sue
cessive concessions, we were con-
stantly adding to the area of the
Canadas, we stupidity relinquished
to their products free access to our
markets, as the equivalent of being
allowed to send similar products
from the Northwest, through Cana
dian channels, to such precarious
markets as they could find on the
other side of the Atlantic.
Such were the achievements of our
diplomacy, during those years of
Democratic supremacy.
CHEAP GOVERNMENT.
The story of our home rule would
be sadder still. if anything sadder
could be.
1t has been loudly vaunted that
those were cheap administrations
Compared with the expenditures of
these times they were cheap, very
cheap. Compared with their worth
to the country they were probably
the most profligate the world ever
saw. They cost the people from
fifty to seventy-five millions per an
mum. Those millions maintained for
US the empty pageant We called
Government. 1t was the most worth.
less pageant that could be contrived.
1t was not even snowy; it was vul.
gar. 1t had all the features of
government, but without its faculties.
There were the three regular organs
Legislative, executive, judicial.
There was q constant succession of
Congresses, Presidents, and courts.
The courts of course were useful in
hearing and determining private con-
troversies. But what is there to
show from the labors of the political
departments 1t seemed to be the
sole end, if not the sole aim, of Gov.
ernment to collect money enough
yearly to pay itself. 1t did not al
ways succeed in doing that, as many
loan bills enacted in times of pro-
found peace still bear witness. In
deed, that party was peculiarly
embarrassed in the collection of
revenue. 1t dared not levy tax ex-
cept on the importation Of foreign
commodity and it always dreaded
60 INV hn 80