The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-12-04
Hon. Robert TOombs' Speech
PUTTING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
Evils WHICH AFFLICT THE COUNTRY
WHERE IT BELONGS


ar the State Capitol. IA Atlanta. on W edneS-
day evening. From the report OF his
speech in the Atlanta Constitution We quote
the following:
Seventeen years ago. when the war be-
tween the States mmenced. This Govern
m4nt was carried on for less than $50 00e.-
O0O We had a small army OF about 5000
men. We had little navy. aud We were
an industrious. happy people. The revenue
had been brought down TO the wants OF the
people The tariff was brought down 20
per cert Every department. OF The Gov
eminent wa ruH with honesty and lhtegri-
ty. But the III n OF the Eastern STATES did
not d. sire this state OF things 10 continue
From the time cur fathers sat With them at
the council board at Philadelphia and all
through the struggles that followed down
to that day, they wanted to carry Oh tie
Government on different principle They
wanted protection tor All their products
! and all their manufactures. They wanted
! to bring money into the treasury aud APP
ply it to their own ben fit. They sought TO
| sequester the public lands and put them to
| their own uses. aud not those ct the pc pie
of the United States. The first thing theK
did was to commence carrying out that
| policy. Tney enlarged all your expendi-
lures; they issued tens and hundreds ot
millions OF paper curfency.the furnishing OF
! which had hitherto beIoT2 ed 10 uhe people
| OF the different Stat, :. They then got OF :
( er institutions TO help them They com
| lie lands of the country, the common do
ma in of all the people, and turning
| hundreds OF millions our OF the treasu-
| nv in carrying on War-not in any view
| that they cared for the principles at Issue
| they cared not one-haf as much for the
negro as the people Of the South-but sim
ply to retain control OF the Government.
! They carried on the Government III 1881
! for one term nnder the elder Adams
| very good man, but the last of that class OF
I a n
came INTO power When tHey got into pos
! session of the Government, the first object
| was to overthrow the South, TO overthrow
| her institutions. TO invade her soil. and TO
| nu rider her Inhabitants And 10 effect this
| purpose they brought all the people they
| could from Ireland. Germany and the
! lands beyond the sea. They got hold
of the Government seventeen years
| ago, and Inflicted upon Us the worst race OF
| thieves upon the face OF the earth. A o
plause.l Nobody disputes that. They take
| all the premiums for that. Applause ]
| They stand out reproach to the hum an
race. They have got so common that the
! public senSibilities have been deldened.
After the war they flooded the Treasury
" it'll $700,000,000 OF greenbacks and $780,
| 600 QUO OF national bank notes. There nev-
| er was a government on the face of the
earth that could make money. There
never was government on earth
| tn It could make tig-leaf to cover the
nakedness of our mother Eve. They could
| draw money from the Treasury and appro
| pirate il to theirown use. but III, Y can make
dollar of money. Ii SET ms 10 be the idea o.
! some gentlemen IN these days and when
was a boy they had a good deal OF that idea,
| that, if you want money. you can just
stamp it, All The Government has to do l.
simply to stamp it. You may stamp all you
please, but how are YOU going to redeem
| il? o. that suhje | believe very much
in my cid friend PTeston's ideas on redt em-
| "a m T,.f r.Afn mi ca htA
| Take all the money and burn 1t up.
| tLaughter.l
These people thought they would pro-
tect the raw material of the country
Finally they caught up with the con-
sum ption OF the United States, and il
was loss on their hands. Everybody
| could compete with them, and SUGGEST ully
| And what was the result? There were
| no United Statss ships that fOated on the
ocean. The fact was that We were ahead OF
| no nation on earth but the Indians Laugh
! ter After that work was accom- pliShed
| the Congress of the United States extrted
all manner OF means tor retaining the pow
er they hrd Obtained. Frauds every " e re
| IN the the elections became a by-Word, and
you all know that, TO cap the climax, they
stole the Presidency. Applause-} They
had stolen towns, cities and States, and then
they stole the Presidency. They went on
untu they brought up the national debt 10
52,OOOOOO,OO0. We have not done as much,
perhaps, because we have commenced later.
laughter They robbed some OF our
States by their deputies. North. Carolina,
south Carolina. C. o sia. and the other States
of the South, went through a second robbery
"a complete spoilation. Their great idea
WAS to develop the country-to make every
body rich. If should make new dictiou-
AIRY TO succeed oil Worcester, would make
new definition for development. Devei-
opment simply means robbing the people.
As have said, here were the national debt,
state debts. railroad debts. Then the tariff
Fouched everybody. 1t protects the manu-
facturer, but paws the deuce with the con-
sumner IL rugh5er.l Building railroads
whenever the State would indorse
the bonds got Us for some $50, O00,G00
or $4O,000,000 We threw off some.
and wish the rest had gone with
It. shall not cry because my people
VIII not pay for thefts, any more than |
would pay for my own chains [Applause ]
When the Republican party got through
mere, we were ten thousand millions OF dol
lars N debt; every body breaking, every
Dody ruined; and that is the condition to-
day throughout the United States. The
money changer and the bondholder is the
only one that holds his own. and he has to
KEEP his hand on il all the time and pray
tor IT, Applause and laughter.J. God AL
mighty curses them for it. Here is the vast
number of people all over the country. toll
ing and struggling, and there never was
country on the face of the earth that work
"a harder and lived worse than the people
of the southern States They have lived
hard, worked hard and made nothing. 1t
becomes us, and especially our legislators, to
know how this is. 1t is not all the fault of
the Government. Our own folly has some
thing to do with it; but the great part of it
has been done by bad government"
Senator Ben. H Hill was called for when
Gen. Toombs sat down, and in briefly re-
responding said: 81 have seen all the great
men of this country and take him all in
all, have never seen a gretter or a nobler
man than Robert Toomb s. Applause He
has said many excellent things tonight in
a very short space OF time. That is charac-
teristic of the man."
From VKa~hiunt0n