The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-10-21
SPEECH BY PARKE GOODWIN.

Parke Goodwin, for many years and until
within year the associate OF William Cul
len Bryant in the conduct of the New York
Ecen,ng Post, and like Bryant, one of the
ablest, purest and most upright politicians OF
the day, though an ardent republican from
the birth of that party in 1856, is now so dis
gusted with its lapse from principle and gen
eral rotteDness that he supports Tilden and
reform. The following extracts are from q
speech of Mr. Goodwin to democratic meet
inst:
The war and tue constitutional amend
menls passed in consequence OF it closed one
great era of our political life, viz: Thai
growing out OF the existence of slavery. II
has determined the grounds on which tn,
Union is TO be perpetuated, II emancipated
and eniranchised the slaves, and ii ordained
that debts incurred IN prosecuting these ends
should be forever sacred, and that losses and
debts incurred in opposing them should bt
forever invaldated. This grand consumma
ton having been accepted by all parties, The
questions il involve are taken ont of the sphere
Of party politics, and have become question:
of the past. Other questions now arise
which may have originated in the war, but
no longer pertain to il. The war has left Ger
tain legacies which are the real problems OF
the present time These are an enormous
debt, an excessive taxation, a disordered cur
rency, loose and disgraCelul civil service
and vast, Disseminated and impoverished
population To Ge reconciled to the new order
OF things. The Republican party which was
in charge of the government at the close OF
the war was entrusted with the settlement OF
all their questions, and the issue of the pres
ent canvass is whether that party has rtcog
nized and discharged the responsibilities de.
VOWED upon it by events, or whether 1t has
evaded and trifed with them. These are the
questions that are TO be determined, not 10y
appeals to outworn prejudice but by evidence
of fact and OF reason. The Republican party
has failed in its management of the public
debt, failed in lis management of taxation
failed in its management OF the currency 1t
has PLAYED fast ana loose on all these impor
tant questions, and shown an utter incOmpc
tency To grapple with them, and now, after
ten years of trial, we are, in regard 10 them,
precisely where we began. They are just be
ginning TO consolidate the debt; they have
left our methods of taxation in the irregular
and loose way they had at the outset; they
have enlarged instead of decreasing the ex.
penditures; they have bungled and degraded
the civil service, and instead OF reconciline
discontinued states they are doing ali that
they can, without regard TO the Constitution
or laws, to keep open the old wounds aud Ia
aggravate the ancient animosilies.
lie reviewed at length the corruplions
charged against the Republican party; said
that the Cincinnati Convention ignored re-
form, and that the campaign is in the hands
of the Camerons, Conklings and Mortons de
MED that Governor Hayes is a reformer or
ANYTHING but makeshiit reform candidate,
and continued:
have shown that the Republican party
has been failure financially. | have shown
the depth and extent Of its corruption as pic