The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-07-28

We demand a judicious system OF pre-
paration. by public economies. ty official
rctrenchment. and by the finances, which
shall enable the nation soon TO assure the
| whole world OF its perfect ability aud its
perfect readiness tn meet any of its prom
| Uses at the call Of the creditor entitled to
| payment.
We believe such system, well devised,
| and, above all. entrusted t. competent
hands for its execution, Great ny at no time
| an artificial scarcity of currency, and ut no
| time alarming the public mind into q with.
drawal OF that vast machinery Of credit by
which % per cent OF all our business trans
| actions are performed. system open TO
the public and inspiring general confidence.
would, from the day of its adoption, bring
healing on its wings to all our harrassed in
dustries, set in motion the wheels Of COM
merce, manufactures and the mechanical
| arts, restore employment to labor. and re-
ity OF the people.
| REFORM OF THE TARIFF-FREE TRADE.
Reform is necessary i'm the sum and mode
OF feder.l taxation, to the end that capital
| may be set tree IRON distrust and lab n
| lightly burdencd. We denouncc the pres
| ent tariff levied upon nearly four thousand
| articles a. a mast piece OF injustice, in
| equality aud false pretense. 1t Yields a
| dwindling, not yearly rising revenue. II
| has impoverished many industries TO sub
| sidize few; it prohibits imports that might
purchase me products of American .boi ::
| it has degraded American eommc:cc rom
| the first to an inferior rank upon the high
| seas; it has cut down the sale, of American
manufactures at home an abroad, and de-
pleted the returns of American agriculture,
| an industry followed by halt our people. Ii
costs the people five times more than it pro.
| duces to the treasury: obstructs the process
| of production, and wastes the fruits OF la
| Dor: it promotes fraud, fosters smuggling.
enriches dishonest officials and bankrupt.
honest merchants. We demand that all
! custom house taxation shall be only for
revenue.
REFORM ECONOMY IN PUBLIC EXPENsE.
Reform is necessary in the scale of public
eXpense-fedcral, state and municipal.
Our federal taxation has swollen from sixty
millions gold, in 1850, to four hundred and
fifty millions currency, in 1870. our aggre-
gate taxation. from one hundred and fifty-
four millions gold in 1860, 10 seven hundred
and thirty millions currency ia $50; or, in
one decade, from less than five dollars per
head TO more than eighteen dollars per head.
since the peace the people have paid 10
their tax.gatherers more than thrice the
sum of the national debt, and more than
twice thst sum for the federal governmen ut
alone. We demand a vigorous irugality in
every department, and from every officer
| OF the government.
| RKFORM-PUBLIc LANDS TO ACTUAL SET.
Tiers.
Reform is necessary to put stop to the
| profiigate waste of the public lands and
| their diversion from actual settlers by the
party in power, which has squandered
2o0, 900 ,0O0 acres upon railroads alone, and
| Pm amount o: more than thrice that aggre.
gate. has disposed Of less than a sixth iii.
| recty TO the tillers of the soil.
| REfogM-ADoPTED CITIZENS. REJECTED
MONGOLS.
Reform Is necessary TO correct the ommis-
| sion OF republican congress and the errors
OF our treaties and our diplomacy, which
have stripped our fellow-ciuzens OF foreign
birth and kindred race, recrossing the At.
lantic, OF the shield of American cit zen.
| ship, and have exposed our hrethern OF the
Pacific coast to the incursions of a race not
sprung from the same great parent stock.
and, in fact, now by law denied citizenship
through NATURALIZATION, as being neither ac-
customed t. the traditions OF progre ssive
civilization, nor exercised in liberty under
equal laws. We denounce the policy which
thus discards the liberty-o,ing German
and tolerates the revival of the coolie trade
In Monaghan women, imported for immoral
purposes, and Monaghan men he'd to per-
form seryie labor contracts.
THE FALSE sECTARIAN IsSuE-THE FALSE
SECTIONAL ISSUE.
Reform Is necessary, and can never be eff
fected only by making it the controlling
issue OF the elections, and lifting il above
the two false issues with which the Office
holding class and the party in power seek
to smother it.
First the false issue with which they
would enklndia sectarian strife in respect
to the public schools, of which the establish
the several States, and which the demo-
cratic party has cherished from their foun-
dation, and is resolved TO maintain. without
any Partially or preference for any class,
sect or creed, and without contributing
from the treasury 10 any.
Second-The false issue by which they
seek to light anew the diving embers Of
sectional hate between kindred people once
unnaturally es,ranged, but now reunited
on one indiyisible republic aud a common
destiny.
RRFoRM-1HE CIVIL SERVICE.
Reform Is necessary in the civil service:
experience proves that efficient, economic
al conduct Of the governmental business is
not possible il its civil service be subject to
change at every election, be prize fought
tor at the ballot box, be a brief reward OF
party ZEAL instead of posts of honor, As.
signed for proved competency and held for
fidelity in the public employ; that the dis
pensing OF patronage should neither be a
tax upon the time OF all our public men.
nor the instrument of their ambition: here,
again, professions falsiiied in the preform
ance, test that the party in power can
work out no practical or satisfactory
reform.
CORRUPTION OF HIGH PUBLIC
OFFICERS.
Rgorm Is necessary even more in the
higher grades Of the public service. The
president, vice president, judges, senators
representatives and cabinet officers and ali
others In authority are the peoples sery-
anu thelr onices are not a private perqui-
| site they are public trust
When the annals OF this Republic show
the disgrace and censure of "A vice presi.
dent; late speaker OF the house of repre
| sentatlves marketing his ruling, as "A pre.id-
| ing 0incer; three senators prolting secretly
| by their vote as lawmakers; five chairmen
| OF the leading committees of the late house
OF representatives exposed in jobbery; a
late secretary OF the treasury forging bal.
| ances IN public accounts; a late attorney
general Disappointing public funds: a
| secretary OF the navy enriched or enrjcbinp
friends by percentages levied of the profits
| OF contractors with his Department.: an
ambassador to Enyland censIired i'm n dis
honorable speculation; the presidents
private secretary barely escaping conyic-
uon upon trial for guilty completely in
! irauus upon me revenue; a secretary of
war lmpeached for high crimes and mi.de.
meanors, the demonstration is comnlete
that the hrst step in reform must be the
peoples choice of honest men from another
party, lest the disease OF one political or.
ganization infect the body polite: and lest
by making no change of men or parties we
can get no change Of measures and no real