The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-08-28

CLERK OF THE OHIO SENATE, DE
LIVERED AT PIQUA, OHIO,
AUGUST 3, 1879.
The Records Of Republican and DeMOcrstIc Leg
iSlature COmpar ed-"By Their Acts
Ye Shall Know Them"

At q large and enthusiastic gathering Of the cit
iZens of Miami county, held at PiquA, O.yAugust
g. 1879, the following just and unansweiable ex-
position OF State affairs was made
Hon. Frank ], Mckinney, Chairman Of the
Democratic State Executive Committee, presided,
and at the conclusion of General Thomas EWing's
eloquent speech, introduced Allen o. Myers, as
follows:
FELLOW CITIZENS 1T is now my pleasure to in.
troduce to you Hon. Allen o. Myers, the Clerk Of
the Ohio Senate one Of the most eloquent and
brilliant young Democrats in Ohio who is going
about the State with the Constitution in one pook.
ct, the Declaration of Independence in the other
and the American Eagle under his arm, propos.
ing to have Fourth Of July time of II until the
day of election. daughter and applause)
Mr. Myers then came forward and said:
Mr.. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GRNTLEMEE:- Gen.
eral Ewing, the eloquent advocate of Democratic
principles, and the able leader of our party in the
pending contest for political supremacy in Ohio,
has left me nothing TO say upon the National
questions at issue in this canvass, and 1t would
be presumption on my part in his presence and
to this audience to attempt discussion Of those
great and grave questions of which he is tuch q
thorough master
But fortunately, fellow citizens, there Is theme
upon which he has not touched, with which my
experience as a conesponde and my duties ss
an official have iamiliarized me- and in some de.
gree qualified me to speak sllude to State Of.
fairs. For years the people of Ohio have been so
absorbed with discussions of National affairs that
they have had but little time TO devote to State
matters, and strange as IT may seem, they are
comparatively ignorant and misinfoImed upon
the questions Of State taxation the Stale debt and
the expenditure of their own money.
In the present csnyass, the attitude Of the two
great parties will force the peoples attention to
the management Of the State Government Asa
Democrat rejoice that this is so, because thor
ough knowledge of these questions by the people
cannot fail to win from the tax payers ard all
good citizens hearty approval of the courageous
and economical administration of the State Gov.
ernment in all Its branches by the Democrats,
(Applause.) Indeed so conscious am Of the
strength Of our position and the jbstnen Of our
cause, that here and now, on the threshold Of the
canvass challenge any Republican in the State,
Of respectable character an sound mind n make
these exceptions to exclude Jim DalEell, Of Noble,
and Tin Horn" Grosvenor, of Athens) to meet
me in joint debate to discuss the records Of The
"0Connor" Legislature and the "GIosVenor'
Legislature. (Applause)
The Republican State Convention, in It's plat.
form Of many colors, arraigned the last LegiBla-
ture at the bar Of public opinion for Eundry
crimes and misdemeanors All that this LegslS-
ture did was bad all that II failed 10 do was
good. The first count in the Republican indIct-
ment charged the Legislature with being Demo-
cratic To this count we unanimously plead
guilty" daughter and applause) To the 9th.
er count, so tiDged with partisan malignity and
hate as to refute themselves, the Democratic State
Convention pleaded mot guilty." and den anded
full hearing and a fair trial before the honest
and intelligent people Of Ohio, ard ark at your
hands, felow-citzens, just verdict on the facts.
The trial Is on; the jury is before me am
here as a witness to testify; let him refute my
testimony who can but l challenge them to
meet me in open court, as I am willing to meet
them, 1t is mete and proper that the last Demo-
cratic Legislature should be aTIaigned before the
people for o hearing, for the great principle
which perme ates our institutions-the accounta'
bIlity Of public servants to the peope-should be
enforced, before you exercise your tufrsges and
grant new lease Of power; and II your public
servants have proven recresnt to the sacred trusts
committed to their care, they should be rejected
as iaithless together with the party endorsing
them Upon this principle, the last Republican
Legislature is on trial for while the Republican
platform denoUnces Sll that the last Democratic
Legislature did bad 1t failed TO set forth what
good deeds the Republicans will do If they are
given the Legislature. Having failed to promise,
we must look back to their record when last in
power and compare their acts with those Of a
Democratic Legislature, and, by this means, de-
termlne by an infallible test, whether the Demo.
cratic or the Republican party best care for the
Interests OF the people when in power, and best
guard the honor Of this great Commonwealth.
DEMOCRATIC ECONOMY,
When the last Republican Legislature came into
power, the Republican press OF Ohio had htWlea
itself hoarse over the 'niggaIdly'. economy Of =
Democratic Legislature, and in this connection
you will remember, they were exceedingly
alarmed over .he attempts Of The Confederate
Brigadiers" in Congress, to ruin this Government
by economy, This poor, pitiRble, baldheadea,
political subIeTFuge was kept up until the Re-
publlcans found, too late, that the people were
approving Of this economy" by Democratic ma
joritIes. Four years ago they charged that the
had been engaged In starving out our charitable
institutions by stinted appropriations. In the
sxty-second General Assembly they Immediate
ly set about to remedy this awful state Of affairs
by liberal appropriations and justified their need
less extravaganza by saying that they had 70
ma ke appropriations to cover up deHciepeie oe-
Casioned by "copperhead" economy. The hrBt
year they were in they appropriated 5000 O00more
than the Democrats did before them, and after
being in one year and recognizing the PeBiten-
tiary, the Soldiers Orphans Asylum, and every
State institution that contained Democrat they
appropriated $500 900 more in the second year
than the previous Democratic Legislature, max
ing total comparative increase Of nearly one
million dollars All, how this "GRAND OLD RE-
PUBLICAN PARTY" as Charley Foster calls IL,
loves the treasury Of the State When the last
Democratic Legislature came into power In t870
they found the State institutions reveling on the
summit Of extraVagant and useless expenditures
of public money A shameless waste Of money
was going on In every institution In the State.
While the financial distress had embarrassed eV-
cry branch OF business and occasioned BhriDkaRe
In values, and compelled every honest citizen TO
practice the severesl economy In his business and
domestic affairs, the cost OF maintaining our un-
iortunates increase In iIightful ratio. To meet
this extravaganza O Republican Legislature in
creased the tax levy for asylum purposes. Tho
enormous aud growing expenditures OF public
money, for our charitable institutions attraote0
the attention Of the late Constitutional Convene
tion In debate on this subject Hon. Lewis ID.
Campbell, of Butler, gave table Of figures show.
ing that while In 1858 the State expended SS6 l5A
to support our State institutions, in 1878 the ex-
pense was 81 3l40 086 an increase Of 426 per cent,
while the increase Of population and taxable
wealth was only about 400 per cent In 1877 a
Republican Legislature exceeded anything that
had ever been done before by appropriatinR 81
100000 for our Stale ingiitutiOnR ahnut NT0O mn
more than had ever been appropriated BY any
Legislature, Republican or Democratic Ohio
may well boast Of her magnificent charities
That government does not exist, and never did,
that has taken such wise and munihcent care OF
the unfortunate within Its borders. But Ohio can
be kind to her feeble children without being ex.
ravegant Nay, she can be muniAcent In the
care Of her afflicted without robbing her citizens,