National Republican., 1878-09-11
The CAMPAIGN IN IOWA.
may fairly challenge q comparison between
Republican and Democratic expenditures.
ICbntinnnd from Fsrt Pug. ]


Republican and Democratic expenditures
SOUTHERN WAR CLAIMS.
The Democrats Of the North insist that II IL
not the purpose Of their party to provide for
paying disloyal claimants for damages growing
out OF tho war II Is, however, a significant
fact that no such denial comes from the Demo-
crats Of the South On the contrary, the Dem.
ocratic members of Congress from that section
have regularly, at every session for years past,
flooded Congress with bills for the payment Of
these claims. Ii there Is no purpose to push
these claims, why are they kept alivc2 Why
are they kept constantly before Congress? Why
are they renewed from session to session, and
kept always pending2 You need not be told
that the Democrats can gain and keep control
of Congress only by the aid of solid south,
and you know well that solid Democratic
south would dictate the policy OF the party.
The Democratic Representatives. from tho
North, few in numbers aud powcrless when
standing alone, would be compelled, Us In the
old days of slavery, to submit to the dictaton
of their Southern leaders. The presentation
of these bills for the relief Of Southern war
claimants means something or II means moth
ing, and, If 1t means anything, II means that
the claimants are expecting relief If the DEM
ocrats come into power In both houses, and arc
determined to make In every Congress rec
ord for vigilance in their prosecution. Be-
sides, II Is of Importance to remember that vast
sums of money may be..drawn from the Treas.
ury and paid to disloyal claimants under the
law as 1t now stands IL its execution Is placed
in the hands Of the Democratic party. There
must, under existing law, be finding In favor
of the claimants loyalty; but suppose you ap.
point q southern claims commission, under the
control of Southern Confederate Democrats,
and leave to them the decision Of the question
of loyalty In that case, how many claims will
be rejected for disloyalty.
There are now on file many thousand OF
claims in which the evidence Is more or less
| conflicting on tho point of loyalty. With a
Confederate Democratic commission 10 pass
upon the question, 1t Is my opinion that a vast
sum would bc drawn from the Treasury 10
pay rebel claims, without any open action in
the way Of the repeal of the law prohibiting
tho payment of any but loyal claimants.
| II may bo said that the House of Represen-
tativcs has passed q proposed amendment to
the Constitution, offered by Mr. Conger, n
Republican member from Michigan, 10 pro.
hibit the payment of such claims. The pas.
sage OF this resolution by the unanimous vote
the Republicans aud q majority of the Dem.
ocrats ~ by no means a settlement of tho
question. The Democrats who voted for IT,
| in most cases, regarded II rs political ncces.
sity to do so, and would, in case of its passage
through Congress, rely with confidence and
certainty upon the failure to secure the con.
currence OF the necessary three. .fourths Of the
| States.
| II the door for these claims Is once opened
we shall live to see the loyal people of this
country heavily taxed to pay the losses in
CURED by the rebels engaged in an effort, by
force Of arms, to destroy the Government. And
you may rcst assured that tho door will be
opened il the Southern Bourbon Democracy
shall ever regain the power in tho Government
which they held before tho war aud which en-
sbled them then, as it would again, to dictate
terms to their Northern allies.
| THE FINANCIAL ISSUE.
The Republican party points with justifablt
satisfaction to its record upon questions of cur
rcncy and finance. In answer to the clamor o
our opponents about these questions, we appca
with confidence to an honest and intelligent
people, aud simply ask for u comparison of ou
financial situation of to-day with that of tel
years ago. The record Is one in which no
only every Republican, but every citizen a
well, should feel just pride. The burden 0
our national debt has been steadily decreased
The aggregate OF reduction sincc March 4, $50
has reached the sum of Si59, S52 735. 10, whereby
there is au annual saving OF S3l 20. $3.50 il
interest. Tho aggregate Of reduction sine
March l. 1866, exceeds the enormous sum o
S672, 900. .00O-s,bout one-third of the presen
debt-and secures an annual reduction of in
tercst OF inorc than SiS,OoO,0OO
Our national credit, always the unerring tes
of the wisdom aud soundneSS Of our natiOna
, policy, has steadily and rapidly improved, un
Ill to-day. for the first time in our history, W
are able to borrow money, at home or abroad
at per cent. interest and the process Of con
vcrting our per cent. bonds into per cents
| is progressing satisfactorily. The sales Of pc
, cent. bonds for sixty days past have average,
over S6g0,00o per day. In spite of Democrati
opposition, we have adhered to the policy Q
simple honesty-the policy of keeping slcred
tho nations pledges the policy of treating tn
4 greenback as q promise to pay-an obligation
a debt, to be paid, not In another promise, bu
in dollar, as plainly expressed on tho face U
the paper; and by this policy, and by thi
: alone, the money of the peOple-the green
{ back-has been brought substantially to pa
, with gold. To show you how our nationa
: credit has been preserved and improved 1t
u only Necessary to state what til
f record shows to be true, that since the ir
;. coming Of the present administration, til
, Government has sold at par S2OO,0O0,00O of
per cent, aud over sl29,00OOO0 Of per cen
4 bonds, largely to our own citizens. II this
not enough, let me call your attention to tn
further most significant and gratifying faC
that the premium on gold coin, which was 81
per cent. March 1, 1865 aud which was 81
per cent. on March L. 1869, is now only {
A per cent. l know well that these result
have not been reached without some shrlnkag
= in values and consequent loss aud suffering
. but these were inevitable, and happily Il,
| worst Is over. We are buck again to q sOli
. basis We are down to "hard-pan." We sha
u shortly resume specie payments, thus releaSin
d the specie in the Treasury, and then, with
r circulating medium amounting to over S9D1
, OOOOD0 that are dollars" each aud every OF
" of which is worth precisely 100 cents, We sha
u resume our upward career of prosperity. tt
l. road to specie values has not BEEN in all r
IN spccts, u pleasant one to travel We have bee
compelled to come down from very hg
'e horses; we have cessel to ride upon the wal
d OF speculation and to reveI In the excitemel
Al which came with the war and remained for
time after 1t was over, caused by supe
W abundance OF currency OF uncertain aui shit
l. ing va!ue--an excitement which was uumntur
aud necessarily short lived When prices n
- measured By u liuCtuatng currency Of doub
'r ful value and uncertain quantity, they mus
nj of necessity, be fictitious. Let Us rejOino til
III we are back again to the safe foundltoa Of
IL STABLE, EIrAL, AND HONEST DOLLARS.
- Nor have the hard times" through whiC
v We have passed to reach this end been m u
Y, mixed evil. We have learned by experuu
"a lessons of economy, industry, prudence, ~
=, frugality, which our fathers understood ~
II ra'tical, but which we had forgotten, NJ
y. should not have learned In any other way.
O. No STEP BACKWARD.
"a The great question between the Rcpublica
J" aud their opponents is this Having rcaCht
re this solid footing, having secured u Currcn'