The Russellville Democrat., 1878-09-12
COL. GUNTER.

l-aSt iuis} Has tuC 'sa} aPpoiheS for the candidates for Congress from the fourth District to address the citizens of Pope county at this place. Col. T. NJ. Gunter and Mir. J. F. Cunningham, one of his opponents put in an appearance in due time, but owing to the fact that there were very few people in town, it was deemed not worth while to attempt to have speaking, and so we had not the opportunity of hearing joint discussion by the two gentlemen.
 In the evening, however, the string band serenaded the gentlemen at the Tucher House, and Col. Gunter in response to calls made upon him, appeared and made the people a little talk, the substance of which a DEMOCRAT reporter caught and gives as follows:
 He regarded it as one of the most gratifying rewards which faithful public servant could receive, to meet cordial welcome home. He was proud to say that every point where he had met his constituency ill tAe present canvass, he had received the warmest welcome and met the heart fest assurances that his course while he had been trying to serve his peo- pie for the past six years was fully approved.
 All governments are formed for the safety and mutual good of the people, and that government is best which looks best to the interests of of it's creatures. The unfairness. extravaganza and corruption Of the government for some years past has been complained at. He has endeav- ored on all occasions to expose fraud, extravaganza and corruption and to correct the same, Many abuses and evils have been corrected, as com parison will show. Under Demo cratic and Whig rule the President got $25, 1000 and perqulsites, amount ing in all to $40,000. Under the ad- ministration which we have had lately, the President gets salary of $50, ,000 and perquisites, in all about $l10,000. Under Democratic and Whig rule the President had the power of appointing about 40,000 officials. Under Republican ruic the President appoints about 1l0,000,- all with salaries increased in about the same proportion that the Presi dents pay had been increased. The Democratic house has cut down these government appointees about l,200 and reduced expenditures $30,000 GOO. Not only this. but as a meas ure of economy we have eIdeavored to reduce the army The standing army is 26,000; but we have tried to cut it down to 10000. The officers in the regular army, owing to the craps and odds and ends of which the army is composed, now almost out-number the enlisted men. The House has tried to effect consider atlon of regiments and commands so as to get rid of so many officers. Had tue House been successful, and not been thwarted by the Senate, the saving to the Government would have been $l,200,000. The Demo crats in the House-himself and his colleagues-had also tried to have the Indian Bureau transferred to the War Department, so that all the work might be done by these super numerary officers and thus the four and half or five million dollars which the Indian Bureau costs, will be saved. His side of the House had also made an effort to remove the system of red tape by which the Revenue Laws interfere with the production and sale Of tobacco. The law now acts as a restriction which bars the possibility of making tobac- co growing in many districts profta- ble. Under the existing provisions of law the producer can sell his to- baceo to no one but licensed deal er In many districts there are only a very few of these licensed dealers and so the producer of tobacco has to take whatever one man offers him for his tobacco, as there is no open and free competition. He was in favor of so amending the law as to do away with all such restriction and give the grower of tobacco the bene- fit of competition for his products.
 During the six years that he had