Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-10-02
CLEARFIELD, Pa, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1877

ton Hence, II tho S5,O0O, ,OOO,OO(
received represent but three.forths o
the amount levied by law, the remain
ing fourth, lost or stolen, but paid by
the people, is sl,Gs5, ,956, ,i07.2l, sun
greater than the assessed value of al
the property, real or personal, in Penn
sylvanla, and sum, too, which, will
interest from the time il was collected
would more than pay every dollar O.
tho national debt The payment O
taxes is never the most pleasant duty
but it becomes especially hard in these
times, when the taxpayer has every
reason to believe that out OF four dollars
paid by him for the support of the gov.
ernment one dollar is lost by negligence
or directly stolen. What private citi.
zen would so conduct his business
What corporation would exist an hour
under such management ? If rail
road President were TO make such q
report to his stockholders, he would be
instantly driven into disgrace. And
yet the people are told that the cry fol
retrenchment and reform is hollow and
ihslncere. Why should the expenses
of the government now be almost twice
as much per capita as before the war ?
The last fiscal year of Democratic ad-
ministration closed June 30, 1860, and
the ordinary expenses, including inter
est and pensions, were under S59, 9,000,-
0OO The last fiscal year Of absolute
Republican control ended June 30, 1875,
and the ordinary expenses, excluding
interest and pensions, were over sl42,
10000. The increase in our popula-
tion cannot account for this alarming
increase in our annual expenses, nor
can ii be charged to the war, for all
claims resulting from the war-such as
pensions and interest on the public
debt-are excluded. 1t is the result of
official alincompetoncy, ,extravaganceand
corruption. 1t cost yearly about 1.95
per head to govern us before the war !;
it costs now nearly $3.50 per head.
STATE PLATFORM.
After having donated to railroad
corporations over 200 100000 of acres
of the public lands the Republicans, in
their platform, in impudent mockery,
declare that the public lands belong
to the people, aud should be reserved
exclusively for actual settlers" This
means, ! suppose, if the railroads don't
want any more Of them. And yet
about the time the Republicans In
Pennsylvania were adopting this res
olution the Republicans in the Uni
ted States Senate were voting a re-
grant Of public lands to tho Northern
Pacific Railroad Company of 10000.
600 Of acres
The same platform makes earnest
declaration in favor of home industry,
and yet the people do not forget that
a Republican Congress in 1872 reduced
the tariff on biluminous coal, iron, steel
and other articles in tho mining and
manufacture of which Pennsylvania
labor and capital were and are largely
employed.
And the same platform is loud in
protest against the payment of South
ern claims. This cry has served many
political william a convenient purpose.
But let the truth be known. What
are Southern claims A persistent
effort has been made to have the peo.
pie believe that these claims are de-
mands upon the Government, made
exclusively by persons in the South
who were engaged in the rebellion.
Instead of this being true, vast ma
jority of the claims thus far allowed by
Congress have been presented by
Northern and Union mon for losses al
legged to have been sustained by them
in or on account of the war. And how
stand the two parties on this question ?
In the Forty.second Congress (Repub.
lican) bills were passed Tor claims
amounting to 2,49S,172.35. In the
Forty-tbird Congress Republican, the
amount was s2,541 ,23s05 Now, the
Forty.iourth Congress (Democratic)
passed claims amounting to only 1875
267.43, about 81, 100000 less than had
been allowed by the Republicans IN
the Forty second and Forty-third Con.
gress. Instead Of bills for the payment
of $4,000, 900, 600 Southern claims hav-
ing been introduced in Congress, the
actual amount pending is $4,000, 107.
In magnifying the number one bill for
the same purpose, but presented by
different members, has been counted
fiity-four times ANOTHER, forty-nine
another, twenty.nino another, twenty.
four and so on. By such means are
the people to be misled and the Repub.
lican party kept in power.
THE CURRENCY.
1t is remarkable fact that the Re.
publican State platform is silent on the
question Of the currency. Why2 Not
because the people feel no interest in
this question, nor because u political
party asking renewed lease Of power
should now define lis position upon an
issue 20 vital but because 1t was
deemed safest for success to leave the
subject open, that the managers OF the
campaign might take any position that
party necessity might require. The
question, to some extent, Is supposed
TO be one of latitude aud longitude, and
hence it was thought cruel TO com
pei the same speaker to deliver the
same speech in Lancaster as in Allie
ghony. After an unbroken silence OF
three months the Republican bugle
call is for hard money and national
banks The currency that sustained
our armies in the field-that carried
our flag to victory-that preserved our
govcrnmcnt-that paid Tor tho torn
limbs and mangled body of the living
soldier and for the precious lie Of the
dead, must be withdrawn as worthless
rags And in its place the people must
take currency founded upon the in.
terest bearing debt OF the government,
and whose circulation has already cost
the nation over 5000, 900 Nv
friends when you endorse your neigh.
boris note you think you do him ia.
yor but would you not think that
man insane who would pay bonus TO
bo allowed to endorse his paper 2 And
yet such Is tho law under which the
national banks are organized. They
do business upon the credit of the gov
ernmcnt; they receive semi annually
interest upon the bonds deposited, and
in addition ninety per cent. thereon in
notes for circulation, which they are
allowed to loan at any rate of interest
authorized by the law of the State
where the bank is located to be charg-
ed by any other banks Of issue. Thus
it happens that local banks may have
special charters, allowing eight and ten