The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-09-14


organs, says the Boston Globe. They
insist that everybody is now so happy,
and the government is getting on so well,
that nobody can wish any change, and all
people who have anything at stake will
vote against any change. 1t is poor
plea, for it has no meaning in it; but it
will do to finish off the list of fictitious
issues which Mr.. Gar6eld's partyha pro
duced since it made the great and fatal
mistake of nominating him at Chicago.
Let us see what they mean by declaring
so vehemently that there must be no
change. Do they mean that there must be
no change in the spirit and policy Of Fed
eral legislation? If so, they must wish a
Democratic majority to be maintained in
both the Senate and the House. If they
mean this, they indorse the Democratic
control which has guided the course of
public affairs for the last four years, and
we are heatily of their opinion; we only
differ with them in believing that con-
tinuance of Democratic control can best
be secured by electing Democrats toll
erably evident fact of which they seem
curiously forgetful.
Our Republican opponents are right, in
spite of themselves, in urging that no
change should he made in the political
character of the majority which controls
our legislation. Until that majority came
into power the country was fast going
down the slippery road to ruin. Every
department was filled with jobs A cabi-
net minister, now one of their Represent
atives in Congress, was under indictment
for malfeasance in office. A reckless
waste prevailed in every bureau. Enor-
nous sums were annually scattered among
the favorites of the men in Office. While
pretending to seek resumption of specie
payments, the party in power had not only
taken no practical steps toward that end,
but had blocked every movement in that
direction by increasing the public expend-
itures and plundering the public treasury
by jobs of the grossest sort.
As soon as the Democrats came into
power in Congress there was change
indeed. The enormous extravaganza in
which the Republican administration was
running riot was brought to sudden end.
Vast economies, amounting to scores Of
millions yearly were at once made in the
public expenditures. 1t was made too
hot for swindlers and jobbers in the de-
partmenta The government, in short,
was brought down to an honest and eco
nomical basis of operations, so far as the
Democratic Congress could reach. Then
this Democratic Congress undertook the
work which its Republican predecessors
had lacked the ability as well as the in
clination to touch. It made resumption
possible by economy in expenditure and
by favorable legislation. 1t enacted the
refunding laws and directed the Secretary
of the Treasury to call in the bonds bear
ing high rate of interest and place the
public debt at lower figures. And then,
by economy and its manifestly honest
purpose, this Democratic Congress so es-
tablished confidence in the stability of our
government that the low-rate bonds, in
which the high-rate Republican paper was
to be refunded, were taken eagerly and
held At = premium
Through the Democratic management
of public finances, and through the gen.
rally wise legislatiOn of the Democratic
Congress. the country At large rose to
prosperity. At the time when the legisla-
tive power passed from the hands az reck-
less and greedy Republicans into the con-
troll Of Democrats, the country was sunk
in the depths Of financial and industrial
depression. Il had been thus for years,
with . Republican Congress always prom
ising measures of relief. but never doing
anything except spend more and more
money year after year. But as che influ-
ence Of the acts Of the Democratic Con-
gresa began to be felt, the process of re
covery began ThepeOple took confidence
from the knowledge that the supreme
law-making power in the land was no
longer bent upon squandering the peoples
money on jobs for favorite contractors,
and that Is length they had Congress
that would restrain the terrible waste Of
the peoples substance through the execu-
i've departments Business soon revived,
labor began 70 End employment. and af-
Ter four years Of Democratic control ws
have reaahed such condition Of comfort
and prosperity that even To organs Of the
Republican party demand that ~no
change shaIl be madA
Perhaps. however, Ne misintsrpret the
meaning q tAis phrasA which l. now 20
Chilly mousAed BY Tie Garfield organs
and OraioUL Il = posible thai they
mean 70 BE underwood = advising thas 1
ohaage Be na1e u he Legislative hranch
q he gosezansnt but 10 change h the
eksc6sive bs1nch. n tAey really neaa
shiA tAsy ass niie,ly sryihs y decsivs
tAs Ppblio; - : eAa.ss q Rsgekliaaa