The Democratic advocate., 1878-06-22
Aulitital aAairs,
How Northern Members of Congress are
Raiding the Treasury.

How Northern Members of Congress are
Raiding the Treasury.
1869, 122, ,O35 Asked for by the Northern
States-Democratic Economy and Repup'
lican Extravagance.
Those Republicans who announce them
selves as ready to go into the next cam
paign on the sole issue of opposition to the
payment of Southern claims, will, perhaps,
not be SO enthusiastic in support of such
platform when they examine the speech OF
II. D. Money, of Mississippi, delivered in
the House, Wednesday, April 24th, from
which valuable document we have prepar-
ed the following resume. Mr.. Money SAID;
"The attempt is industriously made to
alarm the caution and economy of the
Northeru people with the scarecroW OF
Southern claims. Pains-taking newspaper
correspondents, with great hope and little
scruple, searching for sensation, have pa
raded before the public long list OF de-
mands upon the treasury in behalf OF
Southern people and Southern enterprises
They have been circumstantially minute
in detailand exaggeratedly incorrectin the
aggregate exhibit. To swell the amount
to startling total they have not failed to
add together the amount asked in all the
bills for the same object, and present their
duplicated amounts most unblushingly as
a fair and honest statement. The Repub-
lican stump orators in Congress have per-
haps simulated an alarm they did not feel,
and solcmnly and pathetically warned the
North that the Southern people would de-
mand pay for every house that was burned,
eyery mule that was famed, every slave
that was freed, and every bale OF cotton
that was captured in the late civil war.
The evident design, however, OF their de-
clamation upon this subject is to create am
impression that Democratic representa-
zion from the South is standing menace
TO the integrity of the treasury. Above
all they teach the doctrine, clear and sharp,
that Republican domination is the national
safety, insuring administrative economyand
official honesty. The idea that these gen.
tlemen teach, that the rule OF the majority
is dangerous to the welfare of the country,
is heresy not to be tolerated in a free
republic. To properly inform the house
and the country of the real danger TO the
treasury we will present an exhibit OF
claims made by Northern Representatives
for Northern communities upon the ma
tion's purse"
Mr.. Money here presented table show
ing that, so far, 155 such bills have been
introduced in the 45th Congress by North
ern members, which if passed, would take
from the treasury the enormous sum Of
81 1,569, ,122 OBS. OF this number Is come
from Michigan alone. Hubbell, one OF
the worst Southern claim ranters in or out
of Congress, being father to IL, appropri-
ating $66O,OOO. Massachusetts, comes in
for the modest sum of SEC, ,OOO,O 600; Penn
sylvania being content with something over
$l,zOO,0OO. Maine asks for 81 1854, ,l94;
New Hampshire, 1866, ,954; Vermont,
$63s, All; Rhode Island only So, 163 ,l57;
Connecticut, 81 ,49O,345, and SO on, till
the aggregate makes the enormous sum
above named. Mr.. Money gives each
claim in detail. He then said:
0This is so stupendous that it bewilders
the Comprehension The mind cannot en-
tertain at one time the idea of even a
thousand different objects, but when we
reach hundreds of thousands, millions,
hundreds Of millions, billions, the impress
sion is. of vague vastness simply. How
contemptibly Insignificant appears the sum
asked for by the South, compared with
that demanded by the North. Even the
reckless inexactness Of the N. Y. Tribune
with its duplication of bills, brings the ag
gregate amount asked for by the South t
only. s15O,OOO,OOO. Millions, indeed
1t appears ridiculous to speak of millions
and lam ashamed of the wretched povert.
of the Southern idea of appropriations whel
Iview the magnificent and Titanic scheme
ofour Iarge-natured neighbors ofthe North
In making this statement of Northerl
claims I do not, as do the gentlemen i
the Republican party, take account of tn
bills for pensions. shall not sectionaliz
the soldier for party benefit. will no
drag the man who offered his life for hi
conntrY into the arena of politics, and
resent the depraved demagoguery tha
would thus utilize him. If nothing els
can escape their touch | ask gentlemen Il
at least keep hands off these monument
Of republics gratitade. z
Mr. Money then contrasted the numbel
and amount Of claims allowed by Republi
can congresses with those Of similar ma
ture passed when the Democrats were il
power, and eonclusively showing that il
the forty second congress the Republican
.lIo.ved claims to the amount of 81 1873