The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-11-01
CARL ScHURZ
Upon Southern Claims,
IT is NOT 4 MERE PARTISAN CRY.
THERE is MUCH III IT.
The Democratic Party Is
Ready to Pay Every Cent
Demanded by the
South.

1t has frequently been said by Democrats that
in the question OF Southern claims there is no
thing but a mere paTtisaRery. Gentlemen II e
nv sober conviction that there Il much in i, and
L viii tell you why | believe so. Inc South has
beenimpoyerished By the war, and in converse
tion with southern men myself have found this
TO be their idea You Of the North have cou-
troIled the Government alone since the wsr ;
you have taken out Of the public treasury
millions of dollars to suosidize steamboat lines.
You have granted away millions of acres lcr
railroads to establish your lines Of communal
ton o have spent untold surps OF nsoney on
Internal improvements, and while you did tais
We in the South were exposed.to all the ravagVs
OF the war, and out of which we have comet IN
impoverished condition. Now, they say there IS
nothing fairsr in the world than that We should
have the same Advantage. SO as to get even.
Gentlemen. YOU converse with almost every
southern man on this subject. andif he does not
tell you this before election. he viii be candid
enough TO say so after, il the Democratic can
didate is elecied. What does that mean We
have discovered in the course Of time thar the
policy Of granting railroad grants and suhsidiz-
ing this and that private enterprise was exceed
ingly costly, without comforting q corresponding
public benefit. Therefore, that policy has 10 s
great extent been abandoned hut ] predict In
ease Of a Democratic victory that that policy
viii be renewed and carried on to a more extra
VACANT extent by that party when it becomes
the controlling power. That IL one point. The
second point is this While l was In the Senate,
and ever since, a large number of bills were In
troduced there aiming at the rer1nding OF the
cotton tax. You ara all aware that during the
war we paid hundreds upon hundreds of mir
lions Of taxes for the purpose Of keeping our
Government alive and our armies going. We did
that, having been forced into q war by the retei
States, a war that cost 50o,0 600 precious lives
aud thousands Of millions OF dollars. DuTfng
that whole time the South contributed almost
nothing to the pubic treasury. There is
only one considerable item OF tax that
was levied upon the Southern people,
and that was the cotton tax, some sixty
light million dollars or over. Now they de-
mand q restitution OF that tax, as 1t is pro-
posed by some, not to the individuals By whom
the tax was paid, but 10 the SoUthern States as
such. | am a man Of very generous disposition
with regard to the South. 1 thought that &Fen
the war WAS closed the Southern people who
had been in revolt would again becone pesce-
able and law-abi6ing citizens, and that gereros-
ity was not only a duty, but an act Of wisdom
and justice. And so / have been one Of the f-st
to adyoc&se \ policy of general amnesty and Of
the complete removal OF all those political disa-
bilities which in consequence OF the rebellion
had been imposed upon s-large number OF
Southern people. In general ] edvocated 2 20
Icy OF generosity AMI reconciliation l an VII
ing to be as generous TO them As anybody, bur
when, after having forced US into 50 terrible q
war war that came near destroying the ye-y
life Of this treat Republc-aws r th2t has covered
the land with mourning, and put such terrible
burdens upon our ~people-Hhen, after such .
war, having contributed this iitsle mite 20 the
sustenance o. this great Elhric OF cur institution,
they demand that Te should refund every cent
oft, l think it is . little too much. And vet
you are coolly asked-you, the pOsscssoTs Of tie
wealth Of this CONTRIB put vour hauds mo
your pockets so that eos, 00O, 600 be given back
| tell you, gentlemen, that it is ny honest con
%viction, should the Democrats party come into
power again, they will inevitably return TO the
South every cent Of that money which was con-
Jributed 20 the National Treasury IN the cotton
interest, with interest too. / tel vou cGudidiy
that / fear the Democratic party VIII be exceed
ingly generous to their Southern friends IL ms
way Of putting money into their pockets.