The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-09-23

cratic party in Congress refused to pay rebel
claims, while their party has paid millions of
them that no Democrat anywhere proposes
the payment of the rebel debt, or to disturb the
of the constitution as to the negro,
and that the party in all its conventions, Ma
hona1 and State, has SO resolved every year
since the war, and that Gen. Hancock, in his
letter of acceptance, took especial pains to say
that he would, if President, exert all his power
to maintain these results of the war invio-
late and inviolable. And SO said Mr.. English,
also. L s s5i.- eTefI V.,ta =tf
My Republican friends, give me your atten-
ton moment, while I show you by most
conclusive and overwhelming test that you
have grossly slandered the Democratic Con-
gress, and that the fears you would inculcate
for party purposes are utterly groundless.
One of the leading arguments you use this
very year to combat our demand for q change
is the fact which you claim that everything is
going right now, and that we do not need any
change; that our debt is being paid, our
finances well guarded, and our people prosper |
GUS in their business. This was the argument
OF Mr.. Schurz, speaking for you ut Indianapo-
lis. You claim that the Government is being
well enough managed now, and that any change
is unnecessary. "Now have thee, Jew" The
Congress Of the United States, in both branch
es, is Democratic, and has been, the House for
six years, the Senate for two years. These
bodies constitute the legislative department of
the Government, and not dollar can be ap-
propriated to carry on this Government without
the vote of the House of Representa- tives; not
an appointed public officer without the confirm
alton of the Senate. In other words, if the
House should refuse to vote the money, the
wheels OF the Government would stop il the
Senate should refuse to confirm, its executive
offices would become vacant and we should
have revolution and chaos. And vet, mark,
with this tremendous power in the hands of q
Democratic Congress, you confess that it has
been SO well and carefully used that there is
a Ia r in fho oar,f fhatt
chlnery does not even need oiing Now an
other thing. You do not like Haye !, and you
confess that Hancock is good man, and yet
all we propose is to put Hancock in Hayes
place and keep right on with this rebel Demo-
cratic Congress!
But, fellow-citizens, must dismiss all these
things, and come to another Republican pre-
tense which is urged against our demand for q
change in the Government. 1t is claimed that
we need a statesman" for President, and that
we ought not to elect smere soldier" to that
high office. This is an argument which is some
what new to Republicans, but they seem to take
it kindly since the Chicago Convention, and es-
pecially since they found out that their candi-
date was not "soldier' enough to hurt him.
Now why do we necessarily: need statesman
instead of a soldier for President? / deny that
we do. Look at the reason and common sense
OF the matter. There are three great depart
ments to this Government And this is the way
make the Legislative department, originate and
enact the laws the Supreme Court, which is
the Judicial department, passes upon their con-
stItuttonality and validity wheniany question is
raised, and the President. who is the Executive
department., sees that they are executed. So his
is an executive Office, as its very name implies.
Now what qualities do we demand in such an
officer? Manifestly executive qualities quail
tiles of wil-power, of decision and energy.
Gen. Hancock is no rough, unlettered man.
slau harv oil klA -.
qualities of the great soldier, he is a man of
penetration and judgment, man of most re-
markable common sense and sagacity in civil
affairs. Take his orders at the South, take his
letters to Sherman, and tell me where is the
" statesman or lawyer of our times who has
exceeded his understanding of our Government
and its workings? These papers of his are in
| deed most remarkable, and stamp him as no
mere fighting soldier, like Sheridan, but as be-
longing in intellect to that class Of great states
.men-soldiers, SO to speak, of which the great
| Frederick and Napoleon are llustrious e1-
| amples. $500
But, fellow-citizens, if we must have q states
man for President, 1 insist that he should be a
| clean statesman one who has fair and honest
| public record. The man who is elected by so,
| 0,000 of people to fill Washington's seat
should have character above suspicion, al
| least above proof of dishonesty. I approach
| now painful feature of this discussion. Fol
the honor of my country, for the cause of pub
Lie morality and decency, could wish that thert
| was no necessity for any animadversion upor
| the personal character of a candidate for sucf
| an exalted Office. And l shall say but o few
words on a subject SO unwelcome and SO I'M
| pleasant. 1t was a great misfortune to tn,
| Republican party and tho whole country tina
the Chicago Convention, in moment of grea
| excitement and enthusiasm, and without know
| Edn1unds, and other honest men, made tn,
| fatal and supreme mistake Of taking its Presi
| Dental candidate from that group of a dozel
unsayory and damaged politicians who, in tn
| most corrupt and venal period of our his
tory, were exposed and disgraced by Con
gressional. committee Of their own party. Bu
the party which has made this great and un
fortunate blunder, and which, by making it, ha
compelled me to discuss the record of its candi
date, now lifts up its hands in holy horror a
what it calls personal slander and mud-throw
ing" The Republican party, whose slander
| broke the great, good heart Of Horace Greeley
which has followed Samuel ]. Tilden four year
with its lying pens, dipped in the malice of he'll
| and which has never yet failed to assail an
blacken the character of every public man VIII
opposes it, now cries out against " mud-throu
ing J" Gods, what protest from such
quarter
Now, 1 repeat that nothing is being sal
about Mr.. Garfield except what is suggested
the record of his public sayings and acts Ever
candidate for President must necessarily pu
l U
gagged and prevented by any means of dis
cussing them, this country is on the high roa
to despotism and destruction. '= 81
But if must argue q proposition SO plair
suppose we turn this matter round and take a
Illustration. Suppose now that the day aftt
Gen. Hancock was nominated at Cincinnati
had been discovered that during the war b
had been court-martialed, by commission
say, of five officers, three of them his own in
| ma fri for dicbn lflv yin
some sutler to cheat the soldiers, or the Co
ernment Suppose he had denied the charg
and had appeared before the commission an
sworn that he had had no relations with til
sutler, and had never received any money frol
him, but the commission found that he had, Q
their oaths, his friends with the rest. Nov
what do you suppose the Republican part
would have done about this? Do you thin
they would have been 30 meek and modest th'
they would have kept still about it? VIII
ought they to do in such case? Why, WI
would not concede that, under such circun
stances, they would be justified in spreadir
before the people the sworn record whif
proved that Gen. Hancock was bribe-tak'
and perjurer, and unfit to be President?
Now, this is all the Democrats are doing wit
i Gen. Garfield. He has been court-martialed
} his own party in Congress; found guilty
/ conniving with an old political I" sutler" by Il
name of Oakes Ames, Notwithstanding he swo
that he had had no such dealings with the Sal
Ames. Do I overstate this matter2 This
only one charge where there are good man
! but is it not fair subject for comment?
could read to you for an hour what the leadiI
Republican papers of the country said abo
J this transaction, and how they denounced NJ
Garfield, some Of them demanding his expr
l sion. These papers arenow supporting him f
President, eating their own words, and are joi
ing in the new position which the party is ia
9 taking, that, after all, there was nothing We
t bad in the Credit Mobiier, and that Oak
Ames is a deeply-wronged and prosecuted mai
If this line can only be established it will car
relief and joy to Colfax and Patterson and I
the other " Christian statesmen"
said there are other serious charges again
1 Mr.. Garield-one Of them. at least as DANA
s ing as this one-his relation to the dishone
9 District paving ring, where it is confessed tn
4 4 he received $1,000, under the gu1se OF leg
Q services, for which he made no argument al
: the Cha