The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-08-07
THE OHIO CAMPAIGN.
OPENING SPEECH OF
GEN. THOMAS l.. EWING,
Democratic Candidate for Governor.
Delivered at Lancaster, Ohio.

delivered at Aancaster, ONO.
My NEIGHBoRs AND FRIENDS: Iacknowl-
edge with peculiar pleasure and gratitude this
cordial welcome home It would be insincere
in me to say that do not regard it as intended
in part ss personal compliment; but its sig
nificance is that in this great citadel of Demoo.
racy, the Upper Hooking valley, the garrisonis is
early astir with preparations for the impending
conflict
The two chief parties which claim the suf-
frage of the people of Ohio this fall fairly rep
resent the national parties Of which they are
important divisions. The Republicans, th6ugh
not as outspoken, perhaps, here in Ohio on the
questions of finance and free elections as in
the Eastern States, reflect the average sent-
rnens of the whole party; and the Ohio Democ-
racy represents the sentiment of the over
whelming majority of the party throughout the
country, as is shown by every vote in both the
Senate and House on every phase of those
Questions The struggle, therefore, in Ohio
this year is one between the dominating ideas
Of the two great opposing parties on the upper
most questions of the day; and chiefly to this
fact is due the great momentum OF influence
which is everywhere conceded to il.
The Republican party enters the canvass
claiming to have administered the Government
economically, reduced the interest on the pub
Lie debt, and established specie payments; and
confidently demands new lease Of power as a
public benefactor.
most entitled to credit for economy in public
expenditures. The Democracy for four years
past has held the House of Representatives,
which controls the appropriations of public
money! and in that time the appropriations for
the expenses Of the Government, exclusive of
interest on the public debt, have been s6O4,-
$4,000 For tbs four years preceding, during
which the Republican party controlled appro-
priations, the same expenses amounted to
S609 399, 100, 80 that the control of one branch
of Congress by the Democracy for these four
years has saved the people SS4, 720, GOO, being
an average of over s2l, eco a year: Since
June SO, 1866, the people have paid 81, 81 ,0o0,
600 in Federal taxes, and out Of that vast sum
but $528, ,0O0, GOO have been applied to the prin-
cipal of the public debt If the Republicans
had been as economical during the nine years
preceding 1875 as the Democrats have forced
them to be since then, the public debt would
have been reduced S345. 100000 more without.
imposing one dollar of additional taxes on the
people. The $2l, 100000 year saved since
1876 by the Democratic House have been saved
in spite of the most vehement and determined
resistance of the administration and Senate;
and it never would have been saved at all had
not the people at last disregarded the howls
about the alleged reasonable purposes of the
Democracy which have formed the campaign
arguments of the Republicans since the war
We have here an illustration, fellow-citizens,
of the necessity of frequent changes of admin
istration. Reform of extravaganza and abuses
can only be secured by such changes. In the
flush times of Grant and Boss Shepherd, the
Hon. Proctor Knott asked leave to introduce
bill to pay salaries to the cast-iron boys, which
are the hitching posts along the avenues, saying
they were the only fellows in the district not
salaried. The constant tendency of every
branch, and twig, and leaflet of the public SER
vice is toward growth Of patronage and power
Every subordinate finds need Of some subor-
dlnate under him, every division is struggling
to become bureau, every bureau to become a
department This tendency, stimulated by the
enormous revenues Of the Government during
the prosperous times following the war, un-
checked by formidable opposition, encouraged
by the desire of the Republican party to magnify
the General Government whichit seemed to hold
under q lease for ninety-nine years, renewable
forever, has been only in part arrested by the
election of q Democratic Congress- Neither the
House nor the Senate can enforce thorough
economy on the public service in opposition to
the Executive Departments, and q complete
cnaDSe VI duuilulsbrdlOu IL tn6re10r6 mQlS-
pensable to cut down public expenditures to
! the limits of economical efficiency Theannual
expenses Of the Federal Government in 1877.
for all purposes except public debt and pen
sions, were $114, ,0GO, ,0O0-nearly twice as great
as for the year 1860, when they were but $59.-
OO,OO0. Ii is true the population of the coun-
| try increased in that seventeen years nearly so
| per cent but, admitting-which is not the fact
that the expenses of the Government must
| increase in the ratio of the increase of
| population, those expenses for 1877 were $27,-
| OO0, 600 greater than they should have been in
the ratio of the expenses of 1850 and this, too.
! after the Democratic Congress had made every
| reduction which the heads of departments
could be driven to. A change Of administra-
| ton will demonstrate that further very large
reduction can be made, to the relief of tax
| payers and the purifcaiion of the public
| service
| Mr.. Sherman claims great credit for having
successfully funded $S47, ,OOO, 600 of the public
debtinto s, A. and 4-per- cent bonds since March
4, 1877, reducing the interest paid by the Gov
ernment about SIC, ,OOO. GOO year; 1t appears,
est on the public debt paid in 1877 was $97,
124, ,O01, and last year $40, 900, and this
| year S105, ,0O0, 600. In other words, in 1878 and
| 1879 over $13, 100000 more of interest on the
debt has been paid than when Mr. Sherman
took charge Of the funding operation. Thai
large sum is what the operation cost 1t il
made mp Of bonuses in the shape of double
interest, and of commissions paid to the Syndi
cate. Meantime Mr.. Sherman has increased
the principal of the bonded debt $50, 600 COO
1t will take the savings of interest by refundine
for eight or ten years to pay off this increased
bonded debt, and the bonuses and double in
terest, and get even on the entire operation.
Why have American capitalists bought tn
4-per-cent bonds? 1t is because they are prac
tically 61T-per-cent bonds, being exempt from
about ~ per cent of taxes which other prop
erty pays, and because the industries of tn
country have been 30 broken down that capita
had better get 614 per cent, assured by tn
Government, than rick an investment in almos
any industrial pursuit Is 1t a great achieve
ment to have industries perish for want o
money, in order that it may go into untaxe
Government bonds. / admit the desirabilit
of having our debt held at home. so far as pros
porous business leaves q surplus for invest
ment; but the readiness with which hundred
of millions of money, heretofore employed il
industrial pursuits, has been turned into thes
bonds is only symptom of the industrial con
gestion which has drawn the life-blood of busi
ness from the extremities to the heart and re
fused to send it back to give strength to tn
body. Suppose Mithoff and Whitley, here i
Lancaster, should close their shops an
turn out Of employment several hundred me
and invest their capital in untaxable bonds
yOu 1ccl iudb W DO du 6NlucllC6O puDl-
prosperity? Would you throw up your hat 70
Mr.. Sherman AMI bis funding scheme? Ye
that is just what has been done all over tn
United States. Silent mills, fireless furnaces
scanty wages, want of work, swarms Of tramps
all attest the success of Mr.. Sherman in 8
shrinking and diminishing the business of tn
country, the wages of workingmen, and tn
profits of capitalists engaged in productive in
dustry, that money, accumulating in horde
and fearful of all other investments, was cage
to take the 615 per cent of interest and exemp
ton offered by the Government rather tina
embark on the dead sea of industry. / veni
ure to say that the people of the United State
have lost in aggregate wealth in the past tiy
years, through the prostration of industries
brought about by the Republican tinanc
policy, 800 or 400 times more than the nomint
annual saving of interest which Mr. Sherma
will accomplish by his boasted funding
Furthermore, fellow citizens, assert, an
am able to prove, that after all of the 81, 800,
OCO,tOO of taxes paid by the people since 1866
after the rominal reduction of the public deb
s52S, 100000, and after the refunding 80 ia
accomplished, the public debt of the Unite
States to-day is far greater effective burde
on the people than it was before the first dolla
of it was paid. Measure it by the things whlc
have to be sold to pay it-by pork, corn, wheat
beef, horses, labor. 1t takes so per cent NOR
Of labor or land or products to pay the inter
est to-day than it took five years ago
How is the country benefited by a nomins