Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-10-04

OF the administration party In this
city, of course something of more
than an ordinary address was ex
pected. However, as is the case
with most of Republican speakers
of the day, Mr.. Kelley was very
bitter. The first charge that he
made was that the Democracy dare
not be judged from the past, and
that during the seventy years OF
Democratic rule, they had done
nothing for the country. Now let US
see how correct he was. Accord
ing to his own statement the De-
mocracy took charge of the affairs
Of the nation when there were only
thirteen States, and the national
debt was something like sS0,OOO,-
600, and continued to manage the
affairs of the country during that
seventy years, while it grew to be
the greatest nation on the earth,
and within that whole time, Mr..
Kelley was able to find five dishon-
est officers, who had been guilty of
robbing the people. But be forgot
to mention that more money had
been stolen from the people of this
country by corrupt officials during
the last four years of Republican
rule than during the whole seventy
years under the Democracy. He
asked where there was Democrat
who was not glad when the south
was successful in the conflicts with
the Union army; and he undoubt-
eddy ignored the fact that more
than one half of the leading officers
and soldiers of the Union army
were made up from of the Demo-
cratic ranks, and that to-day they are
supporting Tildcn and Hendricks.
And when he said that the Reform
party advocated Reputation of the
national debt, he made statement
that he knew to be false, if he has
ever read the platform of that par
ty. He asserted that Belknap had
never taken any money from the
government; but Belknap took
thousands upon thousands of dol
lars from the meagre wages of the
soldiers who risk their lives in the
defense of the government, and
yet he goes unpunished-his resig-
nation having been accepted by a
Republican President "with re-
grets." Mr.. Kelley stated that the
southern part of Indiana was a
copperhead district, but he did not
tell his hearers that history shows
that that district sent out more
soldiers, and those that have a more
brave record, than the "loyal"
northern portion of Indiana.
Mr.. Kelley wanted his audience
to distinctly understand that the
Democracy had never done any
thing for the laboring man, but the
Republicans had given them the
eight hour system. That was sure
ly a cheeky assertion. He neg
lected to say that the Republican
party had merely given to the men
in the employ of the government,
the privilege of working eight
hours a day and receiving pay for
ten hours. He did not tell US that
the Republican party had done
nothing to relieve the man who
works in our mills twelve hours a
day,-he forgot it-but simply that
the eight hour rule was confined
to government clerks, etc.
The speaker acknowledged the
letter to Mr.. May, and then said
that he was not brave enough to
stand up and let a slippery-tongued
gentleman fire at him for half an
hour. No, he was not brave enough
10 face Mr.. May, but, oh, how
he becomes. when that
is hundreds of miles
away. He then rushes to the res
,ue, and with his natural ability,
abuses Mr.. May because he refuses
% countenance corruption in the
management Of the affairs of the
United States government.
Through the whole course Of his
remarks, Mr.. Kelley spoke with
he utmost derision, and at last
closed by q declaration of secession