The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-08-02
ISSUES OF THE DAY
DISCUSSED IN DETAIL.
AN ARGUMENTATIVE AD-
DIRE s.
The Logical and Eloquent Review
of the Issues of the Campaign
by Secretary Neff.
HIS MARTINsvILLE SPEECH.


RECORD OF THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMO
CRATIC REFORM PARTIES REVIEWED AND
CRITICAL COMPARISON INSTITUTED
NATIONAL POLITICS AND AN APPEAL TO
ALL WHO WOULD HAVE ABUSES COR
RECTED.
As briefly reported In the Sunday Senti-
mel, S scre.ary Neff delivered an eloquent
and logical address before large assem-
blage of his fellow ctizsns at Martinsville,
Saturday afternoon. The occasion was
the Morgan County Democratic Conven-
cention. The speech seems to have had
good influences on the convention for the
ticket that was put in the field Immediate
ly afterwards could hardly have been
improved upon. The candidates are
among the best men in the county, and
will poll more than the party strength,
notwithstanding this is the presidential
yesr. The sele ctIon of such a ticket and
the delivery of such a speech as Mr.. Neff's
will add largely to the ability of the
Democracy and reformsrs generally to
sweep the county this fall by large ma
jority. Following is the
FULL TEXT OF MR.. NFFF's SPEECH:
Me-. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN OF THE
CoNvENTION-I no e that whatI may say TO
you to-day may be accepted as being said v ith
the utmost candor. free from political preju-
dice without any intention 10 misiesd or de-
ceive you. Although a candidate, asking your
votes, have no higher or greater interest in
the results OF October and November than
you. 1t shall be my highest aim during this
campaign to deal honestly and candidly with
the people whom ig shall be my for
tune TO address in the discussion Of these
questions to be settled by their ballots.
The present condition Of our public affairs
demands the exeTciss of our best judgment as
citizens, free from political prejudice and un-
influenced by partisan bitterness. And in
this spirit ask your attention to-day. have
no words of anuse Tor my political opp 1Dents
only as they apply to is public men. L have
OF all parties are honest, and intend TO do
right as they see the right With full conf
dence in this will addr SIS your reason and
not your prsju ices. There is also
spirit of inde ependence p evailing
amorg the people OF his untIy
rulers. The people OF this cOun ry are b. COM
ing tired OF party a party tyra nv, and in
the future viii ok With mure favor in the
selection of their public servRnts upon the
honest and incorrupIible ciiizan n than the
Eeslous partisan. And L congratulate YOU
upon The fact that there are within the ranks
of both parties a large number of Intelligent
voters who have tnrOwn aside he shackles OF
party despotism and will vote not as heir
party but as their tudgms MT dictates. And IL
Is my opinion that no party will be successful
In the future unless u can secure This vote,
and with this in view l desire 10 direct your
attention TO some matters In
THE ADMINISTRATION OF YOUR STATE GOV
ERNMENT
that in my opinion should have some influ-
ence on the honest voters of this state in the
selection OF their state officials; because your
state government is one OF the things that You
are most nearly interested in and a question
which deem my duty to discuss more closely
than any national ques' ion, for If / should Se
elected, together with my associates upoo the
ticket, Ii will be our exelus.N duty to look
after and control your siate affairs, and the
question now il, how well have we dis
control of yeur srate affairs. In
1875 the Democratic party came into power
in your STATE. previous to that we had
elected govern but the other state officers
were the oppOsite party. IL 1874 you selected
all Democratic state officers, and also selected
legisl ituJe which Democratic in the
House, and which had an opposition maj irity
In the Senate. IL has been charged, aud Ie-
peatedly charged by the Repuf Icsn press
and public spes kers ofthe stale that no legis-
lature in your ate r. as beeen productive of
as little g1od IS the lsgi lature OF 1875. 1t has
been denounced, not as democratic legisl3-
ture, but Ii has en- denounctd d by the Repub-
1ican pre- a a legislature hat grew out of the
independent movement in the state-that it
was largely imposed of farmers-of men who
were ignorant of what legis alton won be
for the best interests Of the people Of this
state
THE WORK OF THE LAST LEGISLATURE.
Now, my fellow citizens, propose to COM
pare the work of that Legislature-that Leglsla-
that had no concep ion OF your stale interests
that Legislature that has been denounced as
the Legislature, not of the Democratic party.
but as a Legislature that resulted
from the outgrowth of the Independents is,
and the grangers' movement in the state OF
Indiana. In 1918 We had Republican Legis-
lature-a majority in the House and In the
Senate. They had sbs-lute control of your
state legislation. and every act that was passed
by that Legislature was the wcrk of the Re-
Now. i n re-
Legislature of lS73-Ibe last Republican
legislature In your state with the last Iegisla
ture In Ind ana In Is 5. 1 desire not only to
compare 1t in items OF expenditure but want
TO carry the com oarison down aud ex mine Ii
in the number of good and useful laws that
they placed npon Your statute book. First,
1878 the RepubIican leg stature OF OF
that year spent sl9s, ,so5 30. The Legislature Of
1875 spent curing it session SIl6,626 81. show
Ing difference In expenditures OF ss2,sa OIL.
The miscellaneous expentes of the Legisla-
ture OF 1873 were s98.363 ~. The mis-
cellaneous exeenses OF your Legislature
pendttures for miscellss eous items Of s6 1897.
The specific appropriations OF 1913 were s5S
SIC 4s. Ihe specific approximations Of lsIS
appropriations OF sSi,63si.
THE PER DIEM OF MEMBERS FOR 1878
was sl03.2O The per diem OF members for 1875
was ssl 800. a difference Of So 500. The aver
age daily expenses OF the Legislature for 1873
was sos o. The average daily expenses Of the
Legislature for 1878 was s5I5 os, or a difference
of In favor of the Legislature of 1875 Of s4ss
per day for the days IL was in session.
The total expenses OF the legislature and spa
S13 III. For the year 1875 they amount 20 sI63,-
so 81, or difference OF 49, 90. that 10 the
ti1eir cost TO the people OF The state. Now
call your atten ion 10 the second proposition,
the laws pas sed by these two Legislatures, and