The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-09-28

trenchments, and by wise finance, which
shall enable the nation soon to assure the
whole world of its perfect ability and its
! perfect readiness to meet any of its prom
ises At the call of the creditor entitled TO
payment.
We believe such q system we'll devised,
! and, above all, entrusted TO competent
| hSn1s for execution. creating at no time an
artificial scarcity of currency. and at no
time alarming the public mInd INTO with
drawal Of that vaster machinery of credit
by which ninety-fve per cent. of all our
business transactions are performed-a sys-
ten open and public Aru inspiring general
| coDfieDcc-wOuld from the day II its ad0p-
ton bring healing on It's wings to ali our
! bArassed industrles, set in motion the
wheels Of commerce, manufactures and the
mechanic arts, restore employment. " labor
and renew, in all its sources, the prosperity
of its people.
Reform is necessary in the sum end modes
Of Federal taxation. TO the end that CAPT
tai may be set free from distIust and labor
lightly burdened.
We denounce the present tariff levied
upon nearly four thousand articles as a
mas terpiece OF injustice, inequality and
false preteDse. II yields n dwIudling not
u yearly rising revenue. 1t has impover-
ished many industries To subsidiZe few.
IT, prohibits Imports that A!lght purchase
the products al American labor. Ii has
degraded American commerce from the first
to an inferior rank upon the high seas. 1t
has cut down the sales of American man.
ufactures at home and abroad, and has de-
pleted the returns of American agricultu e
an industry followed by half our people.
1t costs the people five times more than it
produces to the Treasury, osstructs the pro-
cess OF production and wastes the frui $ Of
labor. 1t promotes fraud, fosters SNUG
gliEk, enriches dishonest officials and bank
rupts honest merchants. We demand that
all custom house taxation shall be only for
revenue.
Reform is necessary in the scale of public
expense, Federal, State and municipal.
Our Federal taxation hes swollen from sixty
millions gold, i'll 1850, to four hundred
and fifty millions currency in 1870. Our
aggregate taxation from one hundred and
tiity-tour millions gold in 1867 IT, seven
hundred and thirty millions currency in
1870; or in one decade, from less than five
dollars per head To more than eighteen
dollars per head. Since the peace the peo-
pie have paid to their tax-gatherers more
than thrice the sum of the national debt,
and more than twice that sum for the Fed
eral government alone. We demand rig
from every officer of the government.
Reform is necessary to put stop to the
protllgate waste of public lands and their
diversion from actual settlers 10y the party
in power, which has squandered two hun
dred millions of acres upon railroads alone,
and out of more than thrice that aggregate
! has disposed Of less than u sixth directly to
the tillers Of the soil.
Reform is necessary 70 correct the omis
siors of Il Republican Congress and the er-
rors of our treaties and our diplomacy, which
have stripped our fellow citizens of foreign
birth and kindred race, re-crossing the At
antIc, of the shield of American cit zenship,
and has exposed our brethren of the Pacific
] coast to the incursions of race not sprung
from the same great parent stock, and in
fact now 10y law denied citizenship through
naturalization as being neither accustomed
, to traditions of a progressive civilization,
nor exercised in liberty under equal laws.
We denounce the policy which thus dis
cards the liberty-loving German, and toler
ates the revival of the Cnnlle trade, in Mon
golian women imported for immoral pur-
poses, and Mongollan men held to perform
servile labor contracts.
Reform is necessary, and can never ba
effected but by making it the controlling is
sue of the election and lifting it above the
two false issues with which the officehold-
ing classes and the party in power seek TO
l smother 1t.
/. The false issue with which they
would enkindle sectarian strife in respect
to the pubic schools, of which the estab.
lishment and support is due to the several
!, States, and which the Democratic party
has cherished from their foundation and il
i resolved to maintain, without prejudice OF
preference for Any class, sect or cIeed, and
q without contributions from the treasury tC
II any.
2. The false issue by which they seek to
light anew the dying embers of sectona
S hate between kindred people once unnatu
e rally estranged, but now reunited in ont
indivisible republic and common destiny
Ref0rm is necessary in the civil service.
Experience proves that efficient economical
conduct of the government is not possible
if its civil service be SUBJECT to change al
=: every election, be a prize fought for at the
e ballot-box, be brief reward of party
zeal. instead of posts of honor assigned fol
!, proved competency, and held for fidelity in
the public employ; that the dispensing o.
patronage should neither be tax upon the
time of our public men nor instrument o.
o their AMBITION Here, again, professions
fslstied in the performance attest that the
party in power can work out no practical
or salutary reform
r. Reform ~ necessary, even more in thu
J. higher grades OF public servi e. President,
q Wee President, judges, Senators, Represen
u tatives, Cabinet officers - these and al
!. others IN authority are the peoples ser
IS vaDts. Their offices are not private per
n teIu!site; they are public trust.
~ When the annals Of this republic show
~ the disgrace and censure of Vice Presi
, dent; late Speaker of the House of Rep
A resentatives marketing his rulings a PIE
siding officer; three Senators prufiting Sc
~ cretly by their votes as lawmakers; tivt
> chairmen of the leading committees of tn,
~ late House of Representatives exposed il
q jobbery; Il Secretary of the Treasury fore
4 ing balances in tie public accounts; a late
AZ Attorney General misappropriating public
a funds; Secretary of the Navy enriched o.
" enriching his friends by per centages levieC
off the profits of contractors with his de
~. partninnt; an ambassasor to England cen
:. sured in dishouorable speculation; the
I; Presidents private secretary barely escaI
NJ ing conviction upon trial for guilty com
II plicity in frauds upon the revenue; a Sec
n rotary of War impeached for high crime
n. and misdemeanors the demonstration i
n complete, that the first step in reform mus
10 be the peoples choice of honest men from
, another party, lest the disease of one polit
i, ical organization infect the body polite
IS and lest, by making no change OF men o
rs parties, we get no change of measures an'
no real reform.
n Ali these abuses, wrongs and crimes, III
i, product of sixteen years' sscendancy of tn
q Republican party, create necessity for re
nf form, confessed by Republicans themselves
hut their reformers are voted down 10 con
h vention and displaced from the Cabinet
h, The party's mass of honest voters is power
I'd less to resist the eighty thousand office
\ holders, Is leaders and its guides.
n Reform can only be had by a peaceful
be civic revolution. We demand chang
v. of system, a cbsngs Of administration,
: | chanve OF party. that Wa may have q chang