The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-10-27

The Republicans had meeting in the Opera
House on Thursday evening of last week, on
which occasion Mr. Brosius of Lancaster and
Henry Armitt Brown of Philadelphia were the
orators. Mr. Brown has quite a reputation as
a brilliant and effective speaker and large au-
dence, fully half Of which was composed of
Democrats, greeted him. Mr.. Brosius who
spoke first was fluent and earnest, not very abu-
sive of Democracy but advanced no new argu-
IN ents in favor of Repubcanism. Hewas Wig
urous in his denuncation of Estate Rights"
and considering how little attention his party
has paid to the rights of he States of the South
or the inhabitants thereof, he probably felt called
upon to defend this course.
Mr. Brown is a speaker of an entirely differ
ont kind. He is capital story teller not vitn-
perative easy and graceful in speech and car
Iiage and held his he rers in good humor
through his somewhat prolonged address. lie
blamed the Republican party for It's errors but
claimed TOO many virtues for it. lie held that
Democratic reform only meant desire to get
into Office, but did not mention that Republican
reform meant only a determination to hold
those offices. lie was singularly inexact in his
figures as when for instance he sta!ei that the
prosecutions against the New York Canal ring
had resulted in saving only $S, 900 to the State
the amour, being nearly 100000. lie claimed
that the prosecution of the Whiskey Ting had
put 100000 in the Treasury of the United
States, and had sent thirty men to Jail, but he
failed to note the facts that Bristow, the honest
Secretary who inaugnrat,d these prosecutions
was forced ont of his Office and that the wors:
of the whisky thieves had been pard"ned by
Grant Towards the end Of his speCc! Mr.
Brown was weak enough to retail the stale and
exploded lie that Mr.. TiIden was the autn0r oI
plank in the Democratic platform Of 1864
which pronounced the war II failure. Mr..
Brown tn ought that Mr.. Tilden had tricked Mr..
| IIendrick out of the Presidential nomination,
but did not alude to the trickery which resulted
in Hayes triumph over Blaine who was really
the choice of the people. The wrongs of the
negro were dwet upon at considerable length,
but the wrongs of the whites Of the South were
not allnded 10. The Hamburg massacre seemed
frightful to the speaker, but he had 70 word oi
regret for the murders of whites at Cainhow
Taken altogether the speech was u gool one,
not abusive of the Democratic candidates and
containing only so much abuse of Democrats
generally rs probably must fall to The lot OF any
Republican speaker, Both Mr.. BroSius aud
Mr.. Brown insisted that the Republican party
should not be held accountable for the harc
times, While it may be aud doubtless is trnt
that the extravaganza born of the war has mucl
to do with the business depression, it is never
the less fact that the enormous taxes of ih'
past eleven years have had much to do with it
During those years some forty five hundrct
millions of dollars have been taken from tn,
people-almost $il0O0O0O0 per year, and
large proportion of this va& sum has been sto
len or wasted by corrupt officials, The enor
NOUS increase in every Departmental branch o
= the government has proved "A heavy burden 70
the people to carry and this without doubt ha
resulted in the financial ruin Of thousands. II
= this extent at least Republicans are responsi
bic.