The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-07-06

plighted faith of the Nation.
We denounce the improvidence
which in eleven years of peace have
taken from the people in Federal taxes
thirteen times the whole amount of the
egal-tender notes and Squandered four
times this sum in useless expense with
out accumulating any reserve for their
redemption.
We denOunce the financial imbecili-
ty and immortality of that party which
during eleven years of peace has made
no advance towards resumption, no
preparation for resumption, but instead
has 0bstructed resumption by wasting
our resources and eXhausting all our
surplus income, and, while annually
protesting to intend IL speedy return to
specie payments has annually added
fresh hiudrances thereto. AS such a
hindrance we denounce the resunp-
ton clauss of the act of 1875 and we
here demand it's repeal.
We demand judicious system of
preparation by public economies, by
official retrencliniehts, and by the
finances which shall enable the. na-
ton soon to assure the whole world of
its perfect readiness to meet any of the
promises at the call Of the creditor en-
titled to payment. We believe such Il
system, well devised, and above all, !,
cution, creating at no time an artificial
scarcity of currency, aud at no time
alarming the public mind into IL with
drawal of that v,vster machinery OF
credit by which ninety-fiye per cent.
of all business transactions are per-
fOrmed-a system open to the public
aud inspiring general confidence
would from the day of its adoption
bring healing on its wings to our har-
rassed industries, set i'll motion the
wheels of commerce., manufactures,
and the mechanical arts, restore em-
plOyment to labor, and renew, i'll all
its national sources the prosperity of
the people. Reform is necessary in
the sum and mode of Federal taxation
to the end that capital may be set tree
from distrust and labor lightly bur
dened.
We denOunce the present tariff levies
upon nearly four thousand articles as
Il masterpiece of injustice. inequality
and false practice it yields u dwin-
ding, not "A yearly revenue; it has inn
poverished many Industries to subsi-
diZe IA few; it prohibits imports that
might purchase the products of Amer
lean labor; it has degraded American
commerce from the first To lii inferior
rank upon the high seas il has cut
down the sales of American manulic-
lures at home and abroad, aud depleted
the returns of American agriculture
AN Industry followed by half of our
people; it costs the people five times
more than itprOduces To the Treasury |;
Obstructs the process of production and
wastes the fruits of labor; il promotes
fraud, fosters smuggling, and enriches
dishonest officials, and bankrupts hon
est merchants. We demand that all
custom house taxation shall only be
for revenue.
Reform. is necessary in the scale of
public expense, Federal, State and
municipal. Our Federal taxation has
swollen from $50, ,OOO, 600 gold in 1SGO to
S450, 600, 900 currency in 1870; our ag
ar gate taxation from Ssh 900, 900 gold
in 1850 to S730, 900, 600 currency i'll 1870,
or in one decade from less than s. per
head to more than SIS per head. Since
the peace the people have paid to their
taX-gatherers more than thrice the
sum of the National debt, and more
than twice that sum for the Federal
Government. ff0. !.ff 49,
We demand a vigorous frugality in
every department and from every Off
Ger of the Government.
Reform is necessary to put stop to
the prOfiigate waste of public lands and
their diversion from actual settlers by
the party in power, which has squan-
dered two hundred millions of acres
upon railroads alone, and out of more
than thrice that aggregate has disposed
of less than a sixth directly to tillers of
the soil. ...s
Reform is necessary to correct the
omissions of Republican Congress
and the errois of our treaties and our
dipl pmacy, which have stripped from
our fellow citizens of foreign birth and
kindred race recrOssing the Atlantic
the shield Of American citizenship,
and have exposed our brethren OF the
Pacific coast to the incursiOns of Il race
not sprung from the same great parent
stock, and, in fact, now lately denied
through naturalization, as
being neither accustomed to the tr;tdi-
tions of "a progressive civilization, nor
exercised III liberty under equal laws.
We denounce the policy which thus
discards the rty-lOving German and
tolerates the revival of the coolie trade
in MongOlian women imported for im-
moral purposes, and Mongolian, men
held to perform servile labor con tracts,
and demand the modification of the
treaty with the Chinese Empire. or
such legislation by Congress within
limitation ;ts shall pre-
vent the further importation or immi-
oi OuC ldCC.
Reform is necessary, and can be eff
fected ouly by making it the c, ntroling
issue of The elections and lifting il
above the two false issues with which
the offie thOldiDg class and the party
in power seek TO smother it; the false
issue with which they would enkindle
seetarian strife in respect to the public
schools, of which the establishment
aud support belong exclusively to the
several States, and which the Demo-
cratic party have cherished from their
and is resolved to maintain
without partiality or preference forany |
Lributing from the Treasury to any,
and the false issue by which they |
seek to light anew the dying cmbers
Of sectional hate between kindred peO
pies once unnaturaliy estrahged, hat |
now reunited in one indiviSible repub-
lie and u common destiny. EuJ
Reform is necessary in the civil SER
vice. Experience proves that efficient
conduct of the Govern
mental business is not possible if its
,ivil service lie subject to change at
very election, be II prize fought for at
lie Il brief reward of party
.ea! instead of posts of honor assigned
or proved competency, and held for
of patronage should neither
,e Il tax upon the time of all public
nen, nor the instrument of their am
,ltion. Here. again, professions falsi-
led in the performance attest that, the
,arty in power can work out no pri,.-
ic;,l or salutary reform. H@'
Reform is. necessary even more i'm
he higher grades of the public service.
The President, Vice President, Judges
senator's, Representatives, Cabinet Of
lcers these and all others in authori-
Y are the peoples servants. Their
ilices are not Il private perquisite.
hey are "A public trust. When the
nnals of this Republic show the lis
race and censure of II Vice President /;
late Speaker of the House of Repre-
entativts marketing his rulings as
residing officer three Senators profit :
lg secretly by their votes as law
lakers five chairmen of the leading
of the late House of Repre-