The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-09-07

supported II. Inc republican door
who preceded him had but
IA Union soldiers under him? Now
let us compare the relative patronage
of the two parties. The Democratic
House controlled something over 200
offices, large and small. The office
holders of the republican party num-
Der over so, 900 ! Think of it! You
could not muster them on any farm in
your county! Why is it that with this
immense number of places at their dis
posal, SO many capable disabled SOL
diers are inmates ofthe various mill
tary Homes or are laboring in the
field, or in the workshops while mere
politicians and wire.pullers and polit-
ical pimps fill ysur most valuable Of
fees many of them, too, men who had
fought in the rebellion against you?
There need be no competent Union SOL
der out of place, if disabled,
if the Republican party will only
practice in a small degree what it pro-
fesses 50 loudly upon the stump.
There is room in Washington for
them all. And no other Union sold.
Ter need be displaced to put them in.
But let US test the friendship of the
two parties forthe soldiers by the COM
parative votes of the two Houses last
winter. The House passed hundreds
of private bills for the relief of the
Union soldier. Not one in ten passed
the Senate. The House passed a bill
in regard to artificial limbs for those
who had lost an arm or a leg in the
service. The Senate defeated it by an
amendment that destroyed the value
of its provisions. The House insisted
on the bill and a confederate general
Of the Senate signed the conference re-
port which came to our terms and
while Republicans in the Senate at
tempted to defeat the bill, another
confederate general, whose attention |
had called to the justice of the report,
came to the support of General Logan
always the friend of the soldier, and
by their united efforts the till of the
House was agreed to. We passed a
bounty bill in accordance with our
pledges and did so early enough to
permit action upon it in the Senate.
The Republican Senate took no action
upon it. We passed a bill to remove
the statute of limitations from the
prosecution of certain claims for off
GERS and soldiers, for horses, clothing
&c. That bill was defeated in the
Senate. Pray, my friends, point mt
to any legislation by the Senate in be
half of the soldier You viii
not find it. The soldier Jared as tn,
farmer. He Jared as the laborins
man. Everything was swallowed VI
in agitation of southern outrages. NJ
committees were appointed to inquir'
why so many hundred thousand labor
ing men were on the streets clamorinE
for work or bread. But committee
were sent to Mississippi to manufac
ture campaign capital out of absurd
and ridiculous testimony. No actor
was taken by the republican Senate
upon the bill of the House ~repealin!
the resumption date clause. But i
could spend weeks in debate upon tn
Hamburger massacre, and the condition
of isolated sections of the south. ]
think it time for intelligent men tt
Judge by actions, not by words. Whel
the Democratic party, during the war
was not in accord with the manner il
which it was being waged, it had nj
hostility to the men who were in thu
field. Those men were our fathers
brothers, cousins, friends or neighbors
We loved, honored, respected them
Are we not now as fully capable o
the sentiments of justice and honor tt
them as the republicans? No one bu
a fool would deny it. Judge us ther
by u actions, and not u promises
This is all that | ask in my own case
and it is all that the democratic Hous,
desires at your hands. The question
that interests the soldier at this tim,
is not the record of IL or Is year,
ago. The world moves. We do no
live in the past.
1t is a time for work and action. AM
the vital point for the soldier, as 70
the farmer and laboring man is, "aoha
party wall best aduance my Interests ii
the future or at the present time" S,
it should be with the colored man
He cannot always live upon the ide
that the republican party freed him
That party was not purely philanthro
pic when it emancipated the slave
Nor was it disinterested when it con
ferred universal suffrage. The deb
of gratitude was long since paid, we
might say overpaid. The million
hat have been stolen by the possessio:
of power, conferred by the colore'
vote of the North, should be take
into account The Democratic part,
has long since shown its disposition t
be fair and just to the colored man, a
to the other laboring men of the coun
try. l am conscious of no prejudice
against his race in my own bosom.
think 1 have given evidence ,
that fact-not only in m,
every day life at home, bu
in my actions as your representative
If the colored man at the South ha
suffered occasionally at the hands o
his white brethren, he has been fire
quently led into these traps by tn
wiles of republican partizans. Blu
who ever organized SO bold and S
scandalous a system of robbery as tn
Freedman's bank? Who stole the petit
savings of 10000 of your confdin!
brethren in the South? Republican
high in place and power-and onl
republicans! The Democracy neve
descended to so low a plane.
1t is the knowledge of these facts tina
" $500 1--:.