The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-08-04

Happier far the Dakota's lot,
Though certainly starved and probably shot,
Let the worst come to the worst, poor Lo
Has only to kill, not to eat, his Crowl
a Terrible Arraignment.
During the debate in the SEN
ate on the river and harbor bill,
Mr.. Merrimon, of North Carolina,
INDUCED in a political harangue,
in the course of which he brought
wholesale charge of corruption
against the Republican party.
This was at once challenged by
Senators Morton and Sherman,
and the former defied Mr.. Merri-
mon to show one single good
thing which had been done by
the Democratic party, in the last
thirty years-one single position
of their party on which they dared
still to stand. He asked Mr..
Merrimon to name any act, if he
could, done in the name of the
Democratic party during the last
thirty years. for which th&t party
had not now to appologise, or
which almost the whole people
of the country do not now con-
denim.
This bold, defiant challenge re
manned unanswered. Neither Mr..
Merrimon nor his Democratic as
sociates made may response, or
pretended to point out or name
anything the Democratic party
had done, during the past thirty
years, that was good, or that was
not now condemned by the almost
unanimous voice of the American
people.
Mr.. Morton followed this de-
feat challenged with one of the
most powerful and truthful ar
raignnents of the Democratic
party that has ever been delivered.
He continued:
"When 1 look back I remember
the fugitive-slave law in 1850: l
remember the repeal of the Mis-
souri, compromise in 1854, that
breach of faith which was the be-
ginning of the war; / remember
the bOrder-rulfian outrages in 1855
and and 1856; l remember the Le-
compton Constitution and the
IDred Scott decision in 1857; I re-
member the Democratic party, in
1860, saying there was no power
to cOerce State to stay in the
Union; l remember its opposition
to every war measure; 1 remem-
Der its meeting in Chicago in
1864, during the last great strug
gle, when every honest man knew
that the rebellion was doomed un-
less it was saved from the North,
and there declaring to the world,
Mr.. Tilden himself being on the
committee, that the war was a
failure and ought to be abandon
ed. l know that in any other
country in the world than this,
struggling with armed rebellion,
that declaration would have been
punished as high treason, as it
deserved to be, made at that time
and under the circumstances. !
remember its opposition to the
abolition of slavery. / remember
its opposition to the Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Amendments.
remember the counsel it gave to
the South to reject all reconstruc-
ten. I remember the outrages of
the Ku-Klux and white-leaguers
who received protection and en-
couragemenL in the tents of the
Democratic party. put the ques-
ton to my friend-and I will
give him the floor to answer
what good has his party done or
even suggested IN twenty-five
years? Continually evil, the black
est and most damnable record in
the history of the parties in this
or any other country.
My friend from North Carolina
talked great deal about the ex-
penses of the Republican party. He
talked about the increased ex-
pense of the Government. He
said the last four years had cost
the country more to maintain this
Government and carry it ON than
during the previous history of the
Government. I do not know
whether he is right about that or
not, but will assume, for the
sake of argument, that he is, and
will ask who is responsible for
it? 1 answer, my friend and those
with whom he has acted during
that period. If we have incurred
billions of expense, if we are now
oppressed by National debt, if
we are burdened by heavy taxes,
tell him, he and those who acted
with him have laid those burdens
upon US. They are directly res
ponsible, and it requires all the
face-I will not say cheek-it re-
quires all the good countenance
even of my friend, to stand up
and GOV IN tho Rannbl;naoa w..