The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-10-02

THE ~ RAJ
WAR CLAIMS - THE REPUBLIcA!
PARTY's RECORD on FINANCE.
KEokUK, Iowa, September 10
The Hon. George w. McCrary, Sec
retary OF War, delivered to-day be
fore a large audience q speech on th'
Political Issues Of the Time" Tn
following are some of the more IN
,eresting portions of the speech:
A SPECIMEN OF DEMOCRATIC ECONOMY
/ shall not, on this occasion, wear
you with many figures, but q few
striking facts should be stated 10 IL
Illustration Of the boosted economy .
the Democratic party. When ths
party came into power IN the lowe
house of Congress, in December
1875. the Presidential contest o
1876 was looming up in the near ia
ture. 1t was therefore deemed neces
sarv by the leaders Of that party Il
make a great show of retrenchment
1t was accordingly announced with {
sound of trumpets all over the coun
try that the Democratic House would
reduce the annual expenses OF th'
Government TO the tune OF some SIX
ty millions Of dollars. The claim
was considerably modified before The
end of the first session of sh'
XIIyth Congress; but after all th'
appropriation bills of the session
were passed it was claimed that al
actual saving of nearly thirty mill
ions had been secured. The appro
priations for lS76-'77 had been ar
bitrarily cut down, so as to show
reduction of nearly that sum. 4
was charged by the Republicans tina
the larger part Of this reduction wa
fictitious, being only a Withholding
or postponement of necessary expend
lures to be provided Cor, after th'
election, by deficiency bills or il
some other way. We charged tha'
the arbitrary reduction was an elec
pioneering trick to deceive the PEG
pie, pending the Presidential election
This was vehemently denied, buI
time has proven the charge true.
The books are now posted, and we
end since the Presidential election
deficiency bills have been passed
amounting in the aggregate TO Sl4,.
534.612 So, and that about n mill
ion of deficiency items have been
provided for in the sundry civil bill,
passed at the late session. We End
also that the aggregate of approprla-
tions for 1875, wien the Democrats
of the House were preparing for the
election, was sl4S,5 35, 1913 Al, while
the aggregate for the same appropri-
atoms for 1878, passed by the same
party managers, is Sl12,57G,S92 10,
or an Increase in 1873 over 1876 of
s24, O4O,S "a. Now, when it is
remembered that the Republican par
ty, while in power from 1866 to 1875,
continuously and rapidly reduced ex-
penditures, and that the last year of
Republican rule shows a reduction of
more than sixteen millions of dollars,
aud the last two years q reduction OF
twenty-eight millions, | think
we may fairly challenge a eompsri-
son between Republican and Demo-
cratic expenditures.
PAYMENT OF SOUTHERN WAR CLAIMS.
The Democrats OF the North insist
that it is not the purpose OF their par
ty to provide for paying dislcyal
claimants for damages growing out
of the war. x is, however. a signi-
icant fact that no such denial comes
from the Democrats Of the South.
On the contrary the Democratic mem
bers of Congress from that section
have regularly, at every session Tor
years past, flooded Congress with bills
Cor the payment of these claims If
there is no purpose to push these
why are they kept alive!
Why are they kept constantly before
Why are they renewed
from session to session, and kept al
ways pending You need not be
told that the Democrats can gain and
keep control of Congress only by the
aid of g solid South, and VOC know
well that a solid Democratic South
would dictate Ghe policy of the party.
The Democratic Representatives from
che North, few in numbers and pow
when standing alone, would
be compelled. al in the old days Of
slavery, to submit TO the d~ictatlon
of their Southern leaders. The pre-
s~entation Of these bills for the relief
Of Southern war claimants means
or it Means nothing. and
Il il means anything, it means hat
the claimants are expecting relief If
the Democrats come into power
in both Houses, and are de-
termined TO make in every Congress
a record for vigilance in their prose-
Besides, it is Of importance
to remember that vast sums of mon
ey may be drawn from the Treasury
aud paid to disloyal claimants under
The law as it now stands, ii it's egecn-
lion is placed in the hancs OF the
party. There must, uu-
Der existing law, be q finding in ia
vor Of the claimants loyalty, but
suppose you appoint a Southern
Claims Commission, under the con-
.rol of Southern Confederate Demo-
crafts, and leave to them the decision
Of the question of loyalty ia that
:ase how many claims will be reject.
ID for disloyslty?
There are now on fle many thous-
lnds Of claims in which the evidence
s more or less conflicting on tbepoint
f loyalty. With a Confederate
commission TO pass upon
be question, it is my opinion that q
,ast sum would be drawn from the