The Ottawa free trader., 1876-07-08
WHAT THE HOUSE HAS DONE.
4 Record that does Honor to the Democratic
iartY And the Country

Party and the Country
What has the present house Of representa-,
lives done for this country: The organs OF
the administration which are edited by the
government advertsng the ring republican
politicians which have not been locked up IN
the penilenuayies; the conventions Of Office
holders whose only purpose IN lie Is 10 keep
their hold upon the public treasury, ana one
or two newspapers like the New orh ITt
juBe, which are on the fence, Win one leg
down on the republican side, solemnly assure
Us that It has done nothing. They tell us
that the house has forfeited public confidence
and proves by its deeds that the majority I'D
il ought al the next election 20 be swept away,
and the benches ii occupies 1lleu by men
:" who were true to the country IN It's hour OF
PERIL and who, when the hour OF peru
passed robbed it upon the right ana the ieit
who turned every one OF It's departments ihlo
den of iniamy; used its offices ior the pur'
poses of making money; plunged the wnolc
country into financial panic, from when II
has not yet recovered; turned by its vicious
legislation millions Of men into she streets 10
beg; filled the work houses and jails, and
brought shame and disgrace upon republican
institutions abroad.
The men who did this, socalled independ'
ent journals, like the Tribune, are asking the
country to again place in power and to give
them the opportunity to continue their work
of destruction and drag the nation 10 still
lower depths Of financial and political ruiz,
Let US see what the present house has and
has not done
|. 1t has not elected speaker like Schuyler
Colfay, who used his high office to enrich
himself, who was bribed and bought by
every band OF adventures and dswlndlers who
came to Washington during his term OF of
flee; who was caught in the Credit Mobilier
iniqulty, who was detected in stationery
frauds to the house and exposed as broker,
receiving regular commission from New
York paper establishment. 1t has not elect.
ed speaker like James G. Blaine, who used
his position to influence legislation III favor
OF railroad subsidies, who accepted fees as the
agent of fire arms company, who sold rul-
lngs and legislation for so much cash down,
IN the shape OF railroad bonds
2. Since it met last December it had not
been devislng ways and means, day after day,
to get money out OF the treasury. On the
contrary, it has cut down the eXtrayagant e.s
Inmates Of the department. and, if the senate
will pass its bills, has reduced its running ex-
perses of the government nearly forty mil
lions of dollars per aHnum. Instead OF max
ing places for the creatures OF the admins
tration, creating offices for men to live in
idleness at the expense Of the sorely taxed
people, it has abolished every Office that was
not absolutely necessary, and, so far as 1t
could do so, stopped the leaks in the public
treasury.
3. 1t has not legislated freedman's bank
into existence and placed it in the power OF
q lot OF men to steal the earnings and savings
of the poor colored men Of the south, amount
Ing 10 millions of dollars. On the contrary,
it has taken the robbers and swindlers who
did that infamous work by the throat, exposed
their rsscallty, and directed the officers OF
the government to send their names before
the grand juries.
f. 1t has gone into President Grants cabi
net and dragged out of it one of his trusted
advisers, who abused his high place, who
robbed the dead veterans of the war, who
aided in cheating the living soldiers on the
plains; who demanded money for every ap.
pointment he made, and brought him to trial
Tor his many crimes.
s. II has shown how the funds of the So
called department OF justice have been used
tor the purpose of controlling elections in
the south and in the north; how the Presi
dent put his hand into the public treasury
and took out money to aid in his own re-elec.
tion. 1t has exposed the villainy of Williams,
the rascality OF Davenport and the general
corruption Of that entire branch Of the public
service.
G. 1t has stretched its hand across the wat.
er to London and saved the honor of
the country by Coliaring the minister and
extraordinary, who was using his
influence as our representative to bull
worthless mining stock and rob the English
people II compelled the president to accept
his resignation and send Robert &. Schenck
into an obscurity from which he will never
again come.
T. Ithas shattered the district or Columbia
ring into thousand atoms; indicted BabCock
tor completely with safe burglars, made Har.
rington fugitive from justice, and exposed
the rottonness and corruption OF the present
commissioners.
8. IL has instituted rigid scrutiny into
the management OF the navy department, eX-
posed the corrupt operations OF the Cattells
and other plunderers, and before the investi-
CATION closes will expose whatever is rotten
and corrupt in the service.
o. 1t has laid bare the straw bid system in
the post office department, and proved that
the country has been annually robbed OF
hundreds aud thousands of dollars for carry
ing letters that were never written over routes
that never had an existence.
10. 1t has exposed the lntamles Of the In
dian ring, shown how the Indians are driven
on the war path that army.contraCtors may
be enriched and the treasury bled.
IL. 1t has mgturuu tariff bill which, NJ
the senate would agree TO IT. would do more
to start our idle mills ana furnaces and fac
tories and restore prosperity to all classes
than any measure which could be devised. 1t
has taken the control of our Indian affairs
out of the hands of thieves who had charge
OF them so long and placed them where they
belong-in the war department 1t has re-.
organized the army and closed thousand
avenues Of fraud and corruption in every de-
partment
These are some of the rasCalities and acts
of corruption the present house has cxpoSod,
the reforms it has instituted; the bad men il
has punished; the great service it has done
for the country. Done nothing? No house
for a quarter OF century has done one-tenlh
as much or deserves better at the hands Of tie