The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-10-12

men, and the latter making the ficl
poorer than the poor, there is absolutely
nothing in the shape of a return to show
1t has been stealing-literally stealing
and a President boasting of policy, al
Administration calling itself Republi
can, party claiming to be upright anC
honest, knowing fully to all the facts, ha
sustained by force of arms and threats O
a military reoccupancy such rule.
The above facts, reported by a Con
gressional Committee, showing an in
crease of over S16S, 100000 in the debts O.
these States under Republican carpet-bag
and negro rule in three years, while dur
ing the same period, Virginia, which from
the outset had a Conservative-Demo
cratic Government with no Ku-Kluz
outrages, decreased her debt 5000, 900, are
conclusive answers to the query why nc
good citizen ought to desire any of these
plundered States, that have since 1868
escaped from the clutches of the robber
Republican Governments, to be re-
manded again to their tender mercies.
South Carolina and Louisiana remain
still on the black list, and within their
borders outrage and bad government pre-
vail, and will continue, as DR.. Redfeld,
your own correspondent declares, while
thieving officials can keep themselves in
Office by fomenting race animosities.
Does the Commercial wish to perpetuate
this state of things by longer rule under
Acknowledgement Taft's order? The
editor knows that if he lived in either OF
these States he would vote as tax
payer to be delivered from the
rule of the Pattersons, the Kelloggs,
the Caseys. the Packards, and the whole
generation of brothers in law, who
manipulate the ignorant negroes to en-
rich themselves. The success of the Re
publican party in the Presidential cleo
tion means the restoration and perpetu-
alton of this kind of government, and
this is the reason why the South is solid
for the Democratic party, just as the peo-
pie of Ohio would be under simi-
lar circumstances; it is question of
selfpreservation which interests them
and not the phantom of rebel debt claims,
conjured up as scare-crow to frighten
the people just before the election.
The Fourteenth Constitutional Amend
ment bars all claims for slaves or obliga-
tions incurred in aid of the rebellion.
The claims for damages incurred by the
progress of the Union armies in the enc
my's territory and the taking of forage
and other personal property by military
contributions must be governed by the
laws of war. Vattel lays down the prin-
ciple that when peace is established be-
tween two contending nations, or when
amnesty has been granted by the govern
ment putting down rebellion against
its authority, all such claims are wiped
out on both sides unless by the treaty OF
terms of surrender express provision is
made for their settlement.
Therefore, there is no ground for the
payment of this class of claims under
the laws of war or nations. The Repub.
lican party, in its legislation as to claims
since the war, has made the only prece.
dents for the payment of any of the
claims set forth in the long list of bills
introduced into Congress paraded in the
Commercial. The Government of the
United States and the Legislature Of
Ohio refused to pay the Morgan raid
claims as far as the losses were occasioned
by the rebel forces-it wasa loss incident
to a state of war, and, by parity Of
reasoning, there could be no liability fol
damages done by our army in territory o.
a de tdcto rebel Government.
Republican Congresses have with re
markable facility gone into partner
ship with lobbies having claims or sub
sides to put through, provided there was
an arrangement for divide of the plum
der, as in the Credit Mobilier and the
railroad land grant subsidy acts, fol
which last Governor Hayes, while il
Congress, and his party voted to the
amount of hundred of millions of acres
The doctrines and traditions of the
Democratic party are against all such
schemes of plunder. 1t has no induce
ment to increase the National debt, and
with Governor Tilden as President, who
has proven by his acts that he is for prac
tical retrenchment and reform, there is NJ
danger from this electioneering humbus
about the payment of rebel war claims
The bloody shirt, now so vigorously
shaken in your columns, has in former
campaigns been so thoroughly exposed
in your paper as cloak under which tn,
shoddy politicians of the Republican
party hope to carry on with impunit.
their stealing operations in the guise o
patriotism-th last refuge of THE
fearing detection-that it can no longe
deceive anybody. Generals Banning
Rice, Vance, Ewing and Easement, Dem
ocratic candidates for Congress in thi
State, can we'll compare military record
with any of your loyal saints, and whel
it comes to the rank and file, who carried
the musket, Democratic Northwestern
and Southern Ohio furnished more mel
in proportion than your Western Resery,
Radical counties that brought substi
tutes.
But, turning from these points o
speculative politics, many of your read
ers are anxious to know what the Com
nlerciaL thinks of the negotiations o
Morrill,, the Secretary of the Treasury
to take up 100000, 900 of the six pc
cent. bonds, in accordance with the pro
visions of the act of July Is, 1870. How
does it affect the question of the restora
| IlOu VI Iuc Olu SllfcI UOlIdI, III WulCl
the bonds now outstanding are al
redeemable? Is it a movement of tn
Gold Ring to evade the effect of tn
restoration of the coinage of the silve
dollar of the fathers, by procuring tn
issuing of new bonds, payable in coli
of the present legal standard gold
which to-day is worth nineteen cent
more on the dollar than the silver coir
in which the old bonds are now pay
able? Or is it's grand financial operatio
saving millions of dollars to the peopl
as the loyal Cincinnati Gazette argues
, The figures show that the old 6 pc
cents, 100000, 900, payable in coir
could be paid by $243, 100000 in golc
or S57, 100000 less than 100000, 90
new 44 per cent. bonds. Secretary Mo
: rill is reported to have already negot
: ated $40, 100000 of the new 4! per cent
payable in gold, which is premium t
: the bondholder of S7,6OO,000, beside
| one-half per cent. paid for expenses I
l the Syndicate. Is it not time that tt
independent press in favorof the restor
tion of the old silver dollar sound tt
I alarm before the negotiation of tt
whole $500, ,000, 900 of bonds shall swind
the country tn the amount of S57 00(