Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-05-12
DEMOCRACY AS IT IS.
Scathing Speech Of Congressman
Reed, of Maine, on the Deficiency
Appropriation Bill.


Appropriation bill.
| Mr.. SPEAKER. X Whv was II for for
years preceding the war, that the Democratic
party kept slowly and steadily solidifyng itself
into party in favor of human slavery? Why
was 1t, when the war broke out, that the Demo
cratic party Of the South went into the REBEL
Ion, and the Democratic party of the North
back into the breeching? Why was it that after
the war was fragrant these men met together
under the lead of a discarded General, and re-
solved the very year before Appomattox Court
House that the war was failure? Why was it
that when we proposed in legal and proper
| fashion to make constitutional amendments
| abolishing slavery by virtue of law, long after
! it had been abolished by virtue of facts, they
found themselves arrayed in solid opposition to
| it?
Why was it that when we came to the aues-
ton Of the honest payment OF the debts of the
country the Democratic party arranged itself
sohdly in favor of partial or total reputation
of those obligations? Why was 1t that they
came before us discarding their own leaders and
adopting men they had received from our
party? Why is it, in single word,
for the last twenty-five years, upon points about
which there is no dispute now, they have al
ways been wrong?
do not talk now about matters that can be
discussed L talk about matters done by us
which not half dozen men on the other side
would want undone to-day. Why is it that they
have Always gone wrong upon those subjects
and have always taken wrong positions?
will tell you, my friends. The notion that
party is made up Like a subscription to
ladies magazine, by sending out a declaration
n al
nlticance. Men associate together because
they are progressive, because they are honest
because they have purposes connected with the
furtherance and improvement of government.
Other men associate together because they are
conservative, because they are opposed to prog
ress, and because they are not on an average
/. sufficiently enlightened.
That Is the plan on which parties are formed.
They are not formed to meet future issues.
The future issues spring up, and parties deal
with them according to their constitution and
their nature.
The difference between the Republican party
and the Democratic party is founded on this
principle. All parties act from common aver
age. There is great deal more of the govern
ment of the people in this country than Is gen.
orally admitted even by ourselves. The people
express their average intelligence every time
they come to the polls, and every party
presses its average intelligence The reason we
have been right and they have been wrong has
not been that they had not brilliant leaders it
is because the average of intelligence with us has
been higher than the average of intelligence
with them. That is the whole secret of it, and
it is an "open secret to any man who looks at
the history of parties for the past few years.
These are general principles; let us descend
little to particulars. / say that the Democratic
party for the last thirty years has not had an
honest heartbeat north of Mason & Dixons
line l say that they have continually come
forward as party of false pretenses. Why,
look at the acts of this session. Only the other
day they came before us and delayed this very
bill which now discussing by bill pre-
scented by the gentleman from Indiana (Alr.
Hostetler), which was to deprive of the rights
Of citizenship every individual who had a
claim against the Government, including, as
was SO eloquently said by my friend from New
York CNIr. richardson, the very soldier who
fought for his country. And for day or
two they actually kept up the pretense of
pressing that! They were beaten and over
thrown yet just think of 1.-THE Democratic
party at this moment of all others proclaim
ing against the use of money in politics
Why, in the very instant of one of their cat
aleptic spasms Of virtue let Samuel j. Tilden
but stand visibly before them, pointing his
finger to the very least of his g barrels" and
straightway there would leap into that DID,
wizened, decrplt, and paralyZed frame a
strength and vlgor mightier than ''the might
OF France" for in that attitude, would be the
potentlahty Of swinging the whole Democratic
party, North and South, by its noblest part
its long, majestic. and prehensile tail And
yet, with that picture on the canvas visible to
whole continent, they come forward and
pretend to talk about suppressing the use of
money in politics.
was greatly struck by an instance of their
pretenses In the elaborate speech which was de-
hvered by the gentleman from Tennessee (AIr
House,. He resurrected what I never expected
to see dug up in this House-the committee for
no Jf1xa loot Of fro, dc 1o,4
dental election. Why, there has not been such
a resurrection of dead and buried people since
fitzpatrick saw the mummles of Peru rise and
range themselves on the sea-coast line of South
America. Well do 1 remember the launching
of that ilustrious committee. Never was there
on earth such an awe-inspiring pageant. The
air was thick with the coming storm. Across
the leaden sky had famed Anderson, red
haired portent, who afterward proved to be the
loftiest liar of historic Christendom.
Men went about with hushed voices, whisper
ing to each other of dreadful possibilities The
faces of the Democracy were radiant with a
solemn JOY. Now, at last, the usurper who had
done them so much harm should be hurled from
bus throne; and Tilden, Samuel j., the wise,
the ylrtuous, the innocent, the reformatory,
should stand before the world visibly what he
had always been spiritually, "the Lords an
olnted." We, for our part, sat here solemnly
rounding our backs to meet the coming storm.
When the Speaker announced the members of
the committee on the other slde 1t became per-
fectly apparent that the supreme hour of
battle had come and the household troops
had been ordered up. There at the head was
polished and able gentleman, taken some years
ago from our ranks, and who had voted with
often enough since to give the people the idea
that he was respectable and to be trusted-a
gentleman to whose fairness and impartiaity in
everything except his report I bear cheerful,
cordial and willing witness. Next came my
friend from Ohio (Mr McMahon), keen and
subtle, than whom there is man in five king
doms ADLER to dig pit for witness and sweet
" coax him into it, And there, to give a tone
of chivalry to it, was my friend from the Seventh
district of Kentucky (lIr. Blackburn, then as
now undallying and undoubting and consequently
undastardized and undamned. Time would fail
me to give an Homeric catalogue of all the
great souls of heroes who went down to dusty
death. 1t is enough to say that they were the
bright, consummate flower, the cream, OF, to
use metaphor more suitable to the subject
the combined sweetness and strength, the very
"rock and rye" of the Democracy.