The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-10-07

guardian 10 those you hold most dear
Four ,ycaraAgo we started on. journey,
sndsts thbl 4ssds ofthe Republican party
We sntrnSeed he welfare Of ddr property
aud out A4itee, and General Grantiwas
thu subsdaentlok that party. Now
that our voyage has been
completed, and we have re-
turned to our homes, before us, on every
hand, are the abuses o. that trust to be
seen; She party has dealt dishonesty
witb;hs: oar homes made aesolste, and
our domain wasted. In the nomination
of Mr.. Hayes that party, which SO abused
our trust. is proposed to be perpetu-
sted, and the restitution that has pre-.
.yiously prevailed is proposed to be con
unued. To vote for Mr. !. Hayes would
be to continue inpowsr the party that has
robbed and pundered US, and left our
families to despair and want. In ar
raigning the party Tor a violation oil Its
pledges, the speaker showed wherein the
administration had been guilty OF
violating its trust, and referred
too the great numbers OF
agents that had been employed, great
many OF whom were relatives, who had
made stealing fine art. Indeed, such
was the enormi,y of the crimes com.
mitted by the Republican party, that
the pilprim who had started on bis
iourney four years ago, returned, not full
of life and hope, but covering ana
blushipg with shame for his country.
Not only was want and perjury confined
TO n certain locality, in consequence of
the utter abandonment Of all honesty
by the Republicanpsrty, but throughout
the length and breadth of the whole
country; and the capital OF the nation
being locked up IN the vaults of capital
its favored by the administration, there
were no hopes of a change through the
election OF Hayes.
The speaker quoted from what is call
ed the "Blue Book" to sustain his asser-
tions, and adduced facts and figures
proving that Gen. Grant had now in Of
fee twice the number of public servants
employed during the term OF President
Lincoln. The object in retaining this
retinue of office holders around MN, saio
the speaker, was to keep in office these
men that they might plumber the treas
ury and thus be enabled to contribute
largely to the and of the Republican
party. and assist in retaining them In
power, that the seeds of corruption may
be more thoroughly sown and the nation
be made byword for all that pertains
to dishonesty. He cited an instance at
st. Augustine, Florida, where the ex-
peases for the collection of revenues at
that port mad been $1,000 and that not
ono cent OF revenue had been collected.
His assertions were substantiated by
documentary evidence, to which there
could possibly be no contradiction.
The navy department was overhauled,
the great abuses therein fully exposed,
and shown up in all their hdeousness.
The Indian department and the tinan
cial issues were also discussed, and
again did the eloquent gentleman pro.
duce figures that cannot be gainsayed,
and successfully disclosed the enorml-
ties ia these as well as IN other depart
ments, detailing at length the long and
tiresome session Of the last Congress,
caused by Republican Senate resisting
the efforts OF Democratic House ut re-
trenchment in the civil service.
Mr.. Merrick closed with peroration
on the manifold crimes OF the Republl-
can party, in which he uncovered
the misdeeds of the administration,
and held it up to the gaze of the peo-
pie as sinking carcass of rottenness
and the embodiment Of all that was dis
honest and nideous; an thoroughly con-
WINGED all present that his statements
were facts and not merely statements.
During the delivery of his address,
Mr.. Merrick was frequently greeted with
prolonged applause, and his brilliant
repartees were brimlul OF wit, and at its
close the audience kept their seats as if
enlranced.
Mr.. 4. u. Cracraft then made brief
speech and the meeting adjourned.