Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-07-08
THE SAINT LOUIS PLATFORM.

city of Saint Louis, comes fully up
the extraordinary demands of the occ;
sion. 1t assumes that the republic
in great danger of going to pieces-n'
because of any inherent defect in til
: system itself, but because its admin:
s tration has fallen into the hands Of col
rupt partizan leaders whose hearts ar
set upon the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of thel
party rather than upon the unity an
stability of the government. Hence tn
v ringing demand for administrative re
form that mingles its notes with ever
u%tterance of the platform from its first t
its last line.
y The opening sentence gives voice to
feeling that has long been uppermos
in the great democratic heart of the ma
ton. namely: the necessity of Gimme
diate reform" We have long felt, a
is stated further on in the platform, tina
.retorm is necessary to rebuild and es
t tablish, in the hearts of the people. thu
Union, eleven years ago happily rescuet
from the danger of 4 secession of states
but nov to be saved from a corrupt
centralism, which. after intlicting upon
ten states the rapacity of carpet-bag at
torneys, has honeycombed the offices OF
the federal government itself with in
capacity, waste and fraud infected states
and municipalities with the contagion OF
misrule and locked fast tho prosperity
of an industrious people in the paralysis
of hard times"
The platform further affirms that
reform is necessary in the scale Of
public expense-federal, state and mu-
nicipal." This averment rests on the
solid and substantial fact that our fed
eral taxes have increased from $50 ,000,-
600. in 1860. to $3.50, 600, 900, in 1870;
and aggregate taxes from S154, OO0,-
600, during the same period. to the
enormous sum of $3.50, OOO, 900. No
der that our toi'ing millions, borne
down by this crushing burden, demand
Immediately REFORM" The whole
amount Of taxes paid for the support Of
the federal government alone. since the
close Of the late war, exceeds four thou
sand millions of dollars.
The platform further affirms that ''re-
form is necessary to put a stop to the
profligate waste of public lands and their
diversion from actual settlers by the
party III power to the uses of private
corporations" The importance of az
resting the recklessness of republican
extravaganza, in this respect, will be-
come apparent when we recall the fact
that during their term of office they
have sq%uandered no less thar two hun
dred millions of acres on railroads alone.
The platform declares with special
emphasis that s.reform is necessary,
even more. in the higher grades OF
public service" No words ever fell
from the lips of a political convention
so replete with solemn warning! We
look in vain through our past annals
for anything analogous to the picture
which the party now in power presents
to the country and the world. We have
passed u eye back, from the close OF
the term of James Buchanan. in 1861,
to the Inauguration of Thomas Jeffer-
son. in 1901, and during that long and
eventful period we find nothing in the
''higher grades" of public life to bring
a blush to the cheek of an American
citizen. But how is it when we turn to
the party now in power To look Oh
that picture, and her on this, is to
turn from the morning, gloriously
streaked with the ~radiancy Of coming
day, backward to the west where the
sable curtains Of night still intold the
heavens and the earth. That picture is
II to hang up in every mans dwelling
"A picture presenting models of
character which he may be proud to
nave his children study and emu
late. This picture is one to turn to
the wall. Its leading characters are
the embodiment of official shame and |
disgrace. In the midst of the group
stands an ex-vice president loaded with
the spoil of Al infamous sscredit mobil- |
Ter" at his side stands a late speaker of
the house of representatives ssmarketinc
his rulings as a presiding officer;"
gathered around them are five CHAIR
men of the leading committees OF the
same house of representatives lending
their influence to private jobs for
personal and pecuniary profit; in the
distance a secretary of the treasury is
forcing his balances, a secretary OF the
navy is counting his gains amassed from
a percentage Of the profits of contractors
with his department, a late attorney
general in obedience to the orders of his
superior officer is taking the money
OF the people from the public treasury to
corrupt the ballot and carry a closely
contested election, an ambassador to
England aided by an ex-United States
senator is selling a 'worked-out mine"
ior live millions of dollars, and to crown
all 4 cabinet minister Is standing at the
a OF the senate impeached for high
crimes and ~misdemeanors. Who does
not feel, when looking at this picture,
that reform should be the controlling
issue OF the pending political campaign?
This is what the platform of the Saint
Louis convention makes it. Lifting it
above the false issues, which the Cincip-
natl convention attempted to force upon
the country, the democracy have made 1t
the sheet anchor OF their hopes, and ..by
this sign'' they intend "to conquer"
~ ~ |
Salt Lake, Utah, July 6.-Advices
from Bosnian, Montana, July s., 7 p. m.,
state that Mr.. Taylor, bearer of dispatches
from Little Horn to Fort Ellis. arrived
this evening, and reports that 4 battle
was fought on the 25th, thirty or forty
miles below Little Horn. Custer at
tackled an Indian village of from $500
to 1000 warriors on one side, and Col.
Reno was to attack it on the other. |
Three companies were placed on Il hill
as Il reserve. Custer and fifteen officers
and every man belonging to five COM
OaQleS were killed Reno ratro,toJ