Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-10-26
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
A HUMREG
I.s Reform Preiensions a Frand.

we need not wait to explain the i'm
port of the term "Humbug." The or
binary voter knows enough to feel its
bearing upon the object as we here ap-
ply it without disquisition on its phi
lology. Every one knows a humbue
is an imposition, deception, a cheat
So the "Tilden Reform' party is a
great national, organized humbug.
l. In its hue and cry, at the opening
Oh Inc present campaign, of "hard
times" "the wolf at every mans door, -
"extraordinary financial embarrass-
ments unparalleled" and all charged to
the Republican party, for which as the
only remedy, "Tilden and Reform
was proposed. In 1887 and 1857, under
Democratic rule, finances and times
were worse by far. Mr.. Thurman. in
speech in the Senate-not on the
stump surrounded by humbuggedDem-
ocrats, as at Wheeling recently, Octo-
Der 8, Elsewhere he dared not play
humbug. declared the financial crisis
had little to do with legislation. In
Europe, to-day, there is worse state
OF hard times than in the United States.
: Mr. Thurman knew as well as any OF 4
er Democrat that he might have
charged, in his Wheeling speech, upon
the Republican party the responsible
ty of fires, floods, grasshoppers, famine,
pestilence-as in Georgia to-day-as the
political quilt of tie present hard
times. But before humbugs, even the
''noblest Roman of them ALL" had to
play humbug to keep in party line.
When Republicans notice finance
and times improving, the humbugs,
from stump and press say this all re-
suits from the anticipation of "Tilden
and Reform" Or, if the bait takes
better, particularly when hard times
are more felt, then the good outlook is
denied, "times no better and no pros
pect of being better, all Republican
electioneering ake-believe'- s'times
no better, "wolf still at the door''-
thus goes Democratic campaigning. Is
this humbug?
2. 1t is Humbug in its Presidential
candidate, the embodiment of the par
ty. Tilden is mammoth humbug.
The party motto, "Tilden and Re.
form," is burlesque, a sham, a huge
humbug. The man known in Euro.
pean circles as a trickster, known in
European Banks as money sharper,
known in the great money circles of
this country, as railroad companies.
mining corporations, &C., to be a
swlndler-such reformer is monster
humbug of Hydra head and Scorpion
tail. A secessionist, sympathizer
with rebellion, practical income tax
defrauder in aid Of rebellion, a de
nouncer Uf the Constitutional amend.
ments-such candidate for a Presi-
Dental sworn defender of the Censtitu-
ton of National Government and
our National Union is a humiIiatino
mockery, dangerous humbue. Such
humbug is the best representation of a
Solid South holding in its hand as tool
crlnging northern Democracy. ready
at bidding to do its sectional work.
.. The party, its platforms and cam
dldates, all taken together constitute
the Trojan Horse-the treacborous
war-horse threatening to stalk treacb.
erously into our peaceful national cita.
del and siege the Government for the
benefit of Southern rebels. The party
itself is an unprincipled humbug. ltI
mas no settled principles, yet it takes
advantage of every kind and form of
political prejudice of every party and of
every voter to gain votes. 1t is at one
time one thing at another time another.
One time it rallies under the prince of
Republicans, whose war cry was. "on
to Richmond p At another time II
chooses for standard bearer the man
whose anti-war cry was, mot man or
dollar for an unconstitutional WARP
man who declared union soldiers
trespassers upon southern sofia man
who declared the amendments to the
constitution abolishing slavery uncon.
stItutlonal, null and void, and who
must add perjury to perjury in swearing
to support it. The party that could
carry Greeley with his republicanism
without blush, and now TiIden the co.
cessIonist, on Solid South, is yerv
slippery humbug. During the war
with treason, it was bitter against if
and against the soldiers who fought in
it against rebellion, and to save the
National Union. Now it would kiss
the soldiers hand for his vote. 1t can
crawl in any way for votes as times
may change. 1t can forget we ever
had any rebellion, and yet cling to
Solid South as its life boat, in full svm-
pathy with the lost cause, now. lust as
before the late rebellion broke ont
Like all other humbugs not confined
to change with changing times, but
1t changes with the changes of Iocali.
ties. 1t is one thing in one place. q
different thing in another. Hard money
East, soft money West. Hard monev
in one Stste platform, soft monev in
another. Hard in the head, soft in the
tail. Tilden hard, Hendricks soft
Strange: freakish humbug. Like the
Frenchman's flea, "when he put he
hnger on him he no be dar!" Under :
Pierce and Buchanan it was at the
mead OF the policy of railroad subsidies.
No" it heads the other way, eats its
own crow, and fiings its own garbage
record in the face of Republicans for :