Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-08-18
APELLo COUNTY, IOWA, AUGUST is. 1915.

WA, AUGUST IS, 1871
i to run after him ard l:on'zs him; but Re
publicans, while they do not do that, ant
were not inclined to vots for him and rn
him iato office, yet t,t ated him with III,
kindness and respect to which his merits a,
man entitled him, fn1 did nothing t
prevent his success as farmer, merchant
lawyer, or in any business he might choose
to follow. He could advocate any opin.
ion in the North could attend any church
His children could attend any school, with.
out insult of interruption.
WHEN THE SOUTH WILL BE RECONSTRUCTED
When this state Of things is reciprocated
in the South reconstruction will be com.
plete, When Republicans in the South are
are protected by the lawa, are not oppressed
by socitty, are not prosecuted in their busi-
ness. in their schools, or churches. because
Of their political opinions or support Of the
Union cause during the war, or because
they came from the North, but are treated
according to their merit and character as
men and women, then there will be politi-
cal peaoe:and fraternity until then, not
We don't require them to vote the Repub.
lican ticket, nor to support Union instead
Of Confederate soldiers, for these are mat
tiers of opinion which belong to liberty Of
thought and action, the very things We are
contending shall be extended to the Repub-
licans OF the South. Reconstruction cannot
take place at Northern celebrations or jun
ketings, but in every Southern neighbor-
hood in daily life. by conceding to people
of all .colors and opinions equal protection,
justice, and the full enjoyment of the :
rights under the Constitution and laws of
the United States, and Of the States in
which they live. When that time comes
the great result for which have been la.
boring will be accomplished, ard I shall
know t at the war is over.
THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL.
l am not here to defend the admin
istration against the charges of uni
versal corruption which its enemies
are hurling against it. These charges
are their old, well-worn, threadbare
stock In trade. They hope by con-
tinued vociferation to make the people
believe them, and roar them all the
louder when they contain two per
cent. of truth. Frauds, speculations,
and mslfeasance there arc under all
governments and administrations and
will continue to be until the millennium
comes and regenerated human nature
makes oil men honest in public and
private station. They have converted
the political arena into q school for
scandAl, and by their monstrous calum-
nies upon public men and the work.
ings Of our institutions, have done our
country infinite harm abroad. But
have no hesitation in saying that,
when we consider the magnitude Of
the the number Of officere,
the extent of revenues to Re collected,
the difficulties attending the collection
upon certain articles, there never has
been period in the history of the
government when there has been less
fraud or peculAtion, or. perhaps as
little as now. Certainly there never
has been an administration which has
shown more resolution, vigor. impair
tiality, or success in the discovery,
prosecution and punishment of cor
rupt or negligent public officers.
Every effort 10 systematically made to
detect frauds and to bring the perpe.
traitors to justice, without respect to
persons, friendship, or political asso-
ciations. And this is all that can be
asked Of any administration. In this
respect the administration of Grant
eclipscs any and all Democratic ad-
ministrations of which the country
has any knowledge, for they are more
distinguished for the concealment than
the punishment of their criminale.
General Grant has been as foully
illuminated as any President in our
history, unless it was Washington and
jackson, and yet none have come out
of the great office clearer than he. By
the past predict the future, and that
he will leave the Presidency with the
love, confidence, and admiration of
the American people, and that his
great services as the leader of our
armies and as President will DO re-
membered with gratitude when his
sssailants are utterly forgotten.
When Democratic politicians howl
about universal corruption, and boast
how honestly the government would
bo administered by them, ii is not i'm
proper, after pointing them to their
own history In the past, to observe
that your acquaintance with them in
Ohio and elsewhere, in their different
relations in life, does not justify them
in putting on airs or assuming that
they would be more honest or capable
in Office than other people, and that
they ought to be quite satisfied with
the assumption that they are on the
average as good rs other people. Tho
men who talk most about corruption
arc men who, having no faith in them
selves, have no faith in any body else
who believe according to their stand
ard that every body is q rascal, and
cannot see, in fact, how any man can
be honest where he has chance to
steal.
THE FINANCIAL QUESTION.
BY the acts of Congress of 1862 and
1868 the government was authorized
10 issue legal tender notes, commonly
called greenbacks, to the amount OF
$40O, ,O00, 900, which were issued from
time to time and put into circulation
By an act passed in 1864, to encourage
the sale of securities the government
gave q solemn pledge to its creditors
that the whole amount of greenbacks
to be issued should never exceed
$400, 100000. BY virtue of subsequent
acts, passed in 1866, portion Of these
notes were retired, until the amount
in circulation was reduced to $780,
100000. But it was claimed by the
Secretary of the Treasury and his sue
cess0rs, and subsequently declared by
the votes of both houses of Congress,
that the $4,000, 900 thus retired con.
q reserve in the Treasury, and
might be reissued whenever the ext
gencies of the government made it
necessary. And in pursuance of this
claim of authority the Secretary Of the
Treasury, in 1873, after the beginning
of the panic, put into circulation $780,
000, 900 of additional greenbacks, leav-
ing unissued only $lS,0O0,O00 out Of
the $400,O00,000. The most of the
greenbacks had been issued and all
were authorized, when what are known
ss the five.twenty bonds were first
put upon the market. and it was with
these notes that the bonds were pur-