The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-10-11
ALEXANDRIA, La, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER II, 1876.

few; 1t prohibits imports that might pur.
chase the products OF American labor;
it has degraded American commerce from
the first to an inferior upon the high seas;
| it has cut down the sales Of American
manufactures at home and abroad, and
depleted the returns of American agricul
ture, an interest followed by half our
pe"ple; it costs the people five times more
than il pro iuces to tie treasury, ohstructs
the processes of production and wastes
the fruits of labor; it promotes fraud and
fosters smuggling. enriches dishonest
officials and bankrupts honest merchants
We demand that all custom house taxa
ticn shall be only for revenue. Reform is
necessary in the scale of public expenses,
Federal, State and municipal.
FEDERAL TAXATION HAS SWOLLEN
from SIC 100000 gold in 1860 to $3.50, 000,.
900 currency in 1870; our aggregate taxa.
ton from 1884, 600 gold in 1860 ia
s73t .0)D, 600 currency in 1870, or in one de-
cade from less than Eve dollars per head
to more tan eighteen dollars per head
Since the peace the people have paid to
their tax gathrreIs more than thrice the
sum of the national debt, and more than
twice that sum for the Federal Govern.
meut alone. We demand vigorous fr,,.
gality in every department. aud from every
officer of the Government. Reform is ne
Cessary to put q stop to the protligate
waste of public lands and their diversion
from actual settler by the party in poser,
whlcb has squandcred ewo hundred mil
lions If acres upon railroads alone, and
out of more than twice that aggregate
has disposed of Jess than a sixth directly
! TO rillers of the soil. Reform ia necessary
to correct the
OMISSIONS OF A REPUBLICAN CONGRESS
and the errors of our treaties and orr di.
p,nmacy which have stripped our fellow.
citizens of foreign birth and kindred race
recrossing the Atlantic of the she'll OF
American citizenship, aud have exposed
our brethren of tie Pacific slope to the III
cnrsons OF raee,-not sprung from the
same great parent, stock in fact DOW de-
uied b. law citizenship thrrug!, natural.
| zatioi'. as being neither accustomed tn the
tradition If u progressive civilizatir,, or
exercised 40 liia!ty under equal laws
VS. .,narnce the policy which thus dis,
slrls the i erty lnvi;tg German, and tol-
IRA - til" r., ivnl of The crnlir trade in
i"pgnl,an women imported for immora!
purpos $, and Mnugoiian tren hired to
nsrinGm servlle labor contracts, and de-
AID such III dificaton of the treaty Will,
he Z inrs- Empire. or such Legislation
bg t'on:,rt,s within Il co stitutiora iimi-
| tnsioi, us shall! prevent thu further impnr
tatinn or immigration ,f the Mongoliai
race. Reform IL necessary and Cal, never
be effected bat by making il the control
! ling issue OF the elections. and lifting il
above the two false issues with which the
| uffice- holding class and the party il, pnwe,
seek to smother it. Tie false issues with
which they would cnkindle srctariar
strife II respect to the public schools, OF
| hich the establishment and support he
loag exclusively to the several States. ant
which the Democratic party has cherished
| from their foundation and resolved t,
for any class, sect or creed, and without
contributi, from the treasury to any
The false Issue by which they seek Il
light anew the dying emhers of sectiona
hate between two kindred peoples one,
unuaturally estrangrd, but now reunited
in Quo indivisible Republic and common
destiny.
REFORM IN CIVIL SERVICE.
Reform is necessary in the civil service
Experience proves that efficient, economi
cal conduct of the governmental business
il net possible if it's civil service lie sub
iected to change at every election, and b.
a n;irse offered DIT the baIIot-box as n brie
reward of party zeal, instead of posts o
honor assigned for proved competency ant
held for fidelity in the public employ
That the dispensing of patronage shoul,
neither be tax upon the time of all gu
! public men. nor The, Instrument of thei
anbiti n. Here again professions, falsi
I fled in the performance, attest that TIL
party in power can work ont 40 practic..
or salutary reform
REFORM IN HIGH PLACES.
Reform is necessary even more in tn
higher grades of public service. Prrsi
dent, VicePresideut. Judges, Senators
Representatives. Cabinet officers = thes
and all others in authority are the pee
ple's servants. Their offices are not
private perquisite; they are publ
: trust. When the annals Of this Republi
f proclaim the disgrace and censure of
Vice-PreSident; late Speaker. of tn
House of Representatives marketing hi
rnli & as a presiding tficrr; three sena
} tors profting secretly ~ their votes a
} aw-makers; five chairnen of the leadin
committees OF the late House of Represe,
tatlves exposed in jobhe'y; a late Secrets
) ry of the Treasury forcing balances in til
public accounts; IL late Acknowledgement
, misappropriating public funds; Secrets
; ~ OF the Navy enriches or eurichin
! friends by percentages levied off the profit
. Of contractors with his department.; a
Ambassador to England concerned j
4 aishonnrahe speculation; the President
, private Secretary barely escaping convi
tion, upo trial. for guilty completely j
frauds upon the revenue; Secretary {
War impeacled for high crimes and COZ
fessed misdemeanors; the demonstration
$ complete that the first step must he til
public choice of honest men from anOthe
: party lest the disease of one polite;
organization upset the whole body politi
$ and thereby making no change of men {
party, we can get no change of measure
and no reform.
All these abuses, wrongs and crime
the product of sixteen years of ascendane
. of the Republican party, create ne1eSst
; for reform confessed BY the Republican
: themselves. Bnt their reformers are VI
? ted down in convention and displace
from the Cabinet The party's mass
honest votes is powerless to resist til
eighty Thousand office-holders, Its leader
and guides. Reform can only be had by
peaceful civic revolution. We demand
! change of system, a change of administr
; tratio,,. change of parties, that We ma
\ have change Of men,
', The Homer Iliad is of the opiI
. ion that the constitutional ament
, ,nents to be voted on at the comm
election cannot be put in force, eve