The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-11-24
OUR CONDITION.
TINE UNITED STATES AHEAD or NO
NATION RUT THE INDIANS.
From T0emasps' Speech at Atlanta,
TAtlanta Constitution

From T00mass' speech at ATLANTA
[Atlanta Constitutional
| Seventeen years ago, when the war between
| the States commenced, this government was
carried oil for less than $50, 100000 The pub
| lie debt did not amount to $50 900 600. We
| had small army Of about 5000 men. We
| had Il little navy and we were an industrious.
happy people. The revenue had been broug ~
| down to the wants Of the people. The tall1t
was brought down 30 per cent. Every &C.
| partment of the government was run with
! honesty and integrity But the men OF the
| Eastern States did not desire that state Of
| things to continue. From the time our
fathers sat with them at the council board
rat Philadelphia, and all through the struggles
| that followed down to that day. they wanted
! to carry Oh the government on o dillerent
| principle. They wanted protection for all their
| products and all their manufactures. They
and apply it to their own benefit They
| sought to sequester the public lands and put
| them to thcir own uses, and not those OF the
| people of the United States. The first thing
| they did was to commence carrying out that
policy. They enlarged all your expenditures; +;
| they issued tens and hundreds Of millions Of
paper currency, the furnishing OF which had
| hitherto belonged to the people Of the differ
ent States. They then got other institutions
| to help them. They commenced throwing
away in millions the public lands Of the
country, the common domain Of all the peo-.
| pie, and turning hundreds Uf millions out OF
| the treasury in carrying on q War-not III
any view that they cared for the principles
at issue-they cared not one @ half as s. m4Gn len
South-but simply to retain control OF
the government. They carried on the gov
ernment in 1857 for one term under the elder
Adams-a very good man-but the best ol
that class of men that the people trusted I'LL
til Lincoln came into power. When they got
into possession Of the government the first
object was to overthrow the South, to over
throw her institutions. to invade her soil and
to murder her inhabitants. And to effect this
purpose they brought alI the people they
could from Ireland, Germany and the lands
beyond the sea. They got hold Of the gov
ernment seventeen years ago and inflicted
upon us the worst race OF thieves upon the
putes that. They take all the premiums for
that. IApplause1 They stand out hs n re-
proach to the human race. They have got 50
common that the public sonsbiIities have
been deadened. After the war they llooded
the treasury with seven hundred millions
Of greenbacks and q hundred millions
of national bank notes. There never
was government on the face Of
the earth that could make money. There
never Was q government on earth that could
make fig leaf to cover the nakedness OF our
mother Eve. They could draw money from
the treasury and appropriate It to their own
use. but they can't make dollar OF money.
It seems to be the idea Of some gentlemen in
i
good deal Of that idea that if you want money,
you can just stamp it. All the government
has to do is simply to stamp it. You may
stamp all you please, but how are you going
to redeem it? On that subject | believe very
much in my old friend Preston's ideas on re-
deemne it, ~ am against redemption" said
he. "Take all the money and burn it up.
EIaughter.|
These people thought they would protect
the raw material Of the country, Finally
United States. and it was a loss on their
hands Everybody could compete with them
and successfully. And what was the result?
There were no United States ships that tlOat-
ed Oh the ocean. The fact was that we were
ahead Of no nation on earth but the Indians.
II1aughter.l After that work was accomplished
The Congress Of the United States exe1ted all
manner of means for retaining the power they
had obtained Frauds everywhere in the cleo
tions became q bv-word. and you all know that
to cap the climax they stole the Presidency.
IApplause] They had stolen towns, cities and
States. and then they stole the Presidency.
They went on until they brought up the ma
tionaI debt to $4,000 00o00O. We have not
done as much perhaps. because we have com
menced later Laughter. They robbed
some Of our States by their deputies. North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and the
other States Of the South went through q
great idea was to develop the country-to
make everybody rich. II | should make q
new dictionary to succeed old Worcester, |
would mako q new definition for Development
Development simply means robhing the peo-
pie. AS | have said, here were the national
debt. State debts railroad debts Then the
tariff touched everybody. It protects the
manufactures, but plays the dTlce with the
consumer. ILaughterJ Building railroads
whenever the State would indorse the bonds
got Us for some thirty or forty millions. We
threw off some. and | wish the rest had gone
with it. [ shall not cry because my people
will not pay for theits, any more than would
pay for my own chains. tAppIause,
When the Republican party got through
here we were ten thousand millions in debt,
everybody breaking, everybody ruined: and
that is the condition to-day throughout the
United States. The money-changer and the
bondIloldcr is the only one that holds his
own and he has to keep his hand on it all
tho timo and pray for it. Applause and
laughterl Gnn Almighty curses them for it.
Here is the vast number nf people all over the
country toiing and struggling. and there
never was Il country on the face of the earth
that worked harder and lived worse than the
people Of the Southern States They have
lived hard worked hard and made nothing.
1t becomes 1le, aud especially our legislators,
to know how this is It is not all the fault OF
the government. Our own folly has SOM"
thing to do with it: but the great part OF it
has been done by bad government,