Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-07-05

piness and hope. We behold the nobest product
Of hundred years of changefnl history, but while
| upholding the bond OF Union and the grea
/ charter OF these our rights it behooves fire.,
people to practice also that eternal vigilance which
ID the price of liberty.
Reform is necessary to rebuild and establish il
the hearts of the whole people the Union eleven
years ago happily rescued from the danger of 8
corrupt centralism, which, after infiicting upon
ten states the rapacity of carpetbag tyrannes has
| honey .combed the Offices of the federal govern.
ment Itself with incapacty, waste and fraud, in
Iecteu states and municipalities with the cotagion
OF misrue, and locked fast the property of an in
dustrious people in the paralysis of hard times
reform is necessary to establish sound currency,
| restore the public credit, and msintain the ma.
tlonal honor. We denounce the failure, for oil
these eleven years, to make good the promise of
the legal tender notes, which are changing the
standard OF value In the hands of the people, and
the nom payment OF which is q disregard of the
plighted faith Of the nation We denounce the
improvidence which. in eleven years of peace has
taken from the people in federal taxes thirteen
times the whole amount of the legal tender notes
or squandered four times this sum in useless ex-
pense, without accommodating any reserve for their
redemption. We denounce the financial imbecility
and immortality OF that party which, during elt ven
years of peace has made no advance toward re-
sumption, or preparation for resumption, but in
stead has obstructed resumption by wasting orr
resources and e1hausting all our surplus income,
and while annually protesting to intend speedy
return to specie payments, has annually enacted
fresh hindrance thereto. As such hindrance we
denounoe the resumption clause of the act of 1878
and we hereby demand it's repeal.
We demand Judic1ous system of preparation
by public economies. by official retrenchments,
and by the finance which shall enable the nation
to the whole world of its perfect abil-
ity and it's perfect readiness to meet any of its
promises at the call of the creditors entitled to
ment. We believe such system we'll devised, and
ABOVE all entrusted to competent hands for execu-
ZION. creating at no time artificial scarcity of
currency, and at no time alarming the public mind
into withdrawal of that vaster machinery of
credits by which IS per cent. Of all business trans
actions are performed. i. system open to the pub
lie And inspiring general confidence, would from
the day Of its adoption bring healing on it's wings
to all our harrsssod industries set In motion the
wheel OF commerce, manufactures and the mechan-
1ca arts, restore employment to labor, and renew
in all its national sources OF the prosperity of the
people.
federal taxation, to the end that capital may be set
free from mstrust and labor lightly burdened.
we denounce the present tariff levied upon nearly
tour thousand articles as masterpiece Of nj us
t1ce in equality and also practice. 1t yields a
dw1ndling, not yearly revenue; 1t has impover-
ished many industries to substitute few: it pro-
hibits imports that might purchase the products of
American labor; it has degraded American COM
merce from the first to an inferior rank upon the
high seas; it has cCt down the sales of American
manufactures at home and abroad and repeted
the returns OF American agriculture and industry,
followed by naf our people; it costs the people FIVE
times more than it produces to the treasury, OBJ
structs the process of production and wastes the
fruits of labor; it promotes fraud, fosters smug-
CLING, enriches dishonest officials, and bankrupts
honest merchants. We demand that all custom
house taxes shall be only for revenue.
Reform is necessary in the scale of public ex
pense, federal, state and municipal. Our federal
taxation has swollen from ST., 0O0, 900 gold in 1860
to $450, 0O0, 600 currency in 1870. Our aggregate
taxat on from s154o00, 900 gold in 1860 to $3.50 O0O
0tO currency in 1870, or in one decade from less
than IS per head to more than $l8 per head. Since
the peace the people have paid to their tax-gath-
erers more than thrice the sum OF the national
debt and more than twice that sum for the federal
government alone. We demand rigorous fru.
gallty il every department, and from every de-
partment and every officer Of the government. Re-
waste OF public lands, and their diversion from
actual settlement by the party in power, which has
squandered 200, 900 Of acres upon railroads
alone and out of more than thrice that aggregate
GAS disposed of less than q sixth directly to tere
Of the soil.
Reform is necessary to correct the omissions Of
= Republican Congress, and the errors of our
treaties and our diplomacy, which have stopped
| our fellow-citizens Of foreign birth and kindred
from recrossing the Atlantic Ocean out Of the
! shield Of American citizenship, and have exposed
brethren of the Pacific Coast to the incursione
of race not sprung from the anne great parent
stock in fact, lately denied citizenship through
naturalization, as being neither accustomed to the
traditions Of progressive civilization nor exer-
cised in liberty under equal laws. We denounce
the policy which thus discards the liberty-lovne
German and toe1at the revival of the Coolie
purposes, and Monaghan men held to perform SER
vile labor contracts, and demand such notifications
of the treaty it'll the Chinese empire as with leg
slation by Congress within constitutional limitation
shall prevent the further importation of the Mon
gOlian race.
Reform is necessary, and can only be effected by
making it the controlling issue of the elections and
lifting it above the line Of the false issues which
the Office holding classes and the party in power
seek to smother 1.-THE false issue with which they
would enkindle sectarian strife in respect to the
DubliC SchOOlS- of which the eSta hliSh1Oept Ind
support belong exclusively to the several States
and which the Democratic party has cherished
from their foundation, and is resolved to main
tain without Partially preference for any class
sect or creed, and without contribution from the
treasury to any;-the false issue by which they
seek to light anew the dying embers OF sectional
hate between kindred people, once unnaturally
tranged, but now reunited in one common indivis-
able republic, and common destiny.
Reform is necessary in the civil service. Expe-
rience proves that the efficient economical conduct
of the government business is not possible if it's
civil service is to be subject to change at every
election to be prize to be fought for at the ballot
box, be brief reward Of party zeal, instead OF
posts of honor assigned for proven competency,
and held for fidelity in the public employ; that the
dispensing of patronage should neither be tax
upon the time OF all our public men, the instru-
ment of their ambition. Here, again, professions,
falsifed in the performance attest that the party
IN power can work out no practical or salutary
reform.
Reform is necessary even more in the highest
grades of public service-President and Vice
President, Judges, Senators, Representatives,
Cabinet officers these and all others in authority,
are the peoples servants; their offices not a
private perquisition, they are public trust When
the annals Of this Republic show the disgrace and
censure of a Vice-Presdent; late Speaker of the
House OF Representatives, marketing his rulings
as presiding officer three Senators profting
secretly by their votes as law makers five chair
men Of leading committees of the late House OF
Representatives exposed IN jobbery late 5ecre-
tary of the Treasury forcing balances in the public
accounts; late Attorney General misappropriat-
ing public funds; Secretary of the Navy
| enriched and enriching friends by percentages
levied off the profits Of contractors with his de-
partment; an ambassador to England concerned
| in dlshonorable speculation the Presidents
private secretary barely escaping conviction upon
trial for guilty completely in frauds upon the reve
nue.; Secretary of War impeached for high crimes
| and confessed misdsmeanors; the demonstration is
complete that the first step in reform must be the
peoples choice OF honest men from another party
lest the disease of political organization infes
the body politic and lest by making no change Of
men or party can get no change Of measures
and no reform. ALI these abuses, wrongs and
crimes the product of sixteen years, evidence Of
/ fha F,rv