The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-09-24
NUMBER &c. 6 #.


tiopal Conventions have denied all power of
Congress to authorize banks. By votes and
speeches in Congress, by declarations of con-
ventlons and leaders, by studied amendments
offered to the bills under which the national
debt has been refunded, the natisnal-bank
ing system has been struck wherever
blow could be- put in. This fabric of
banking is now inwrought not only with
the business of the country, but with the main
tenance OF specie payments. 1t standsa lion in
the path of fiat money, imitation, and all the
long train Of financial heresies which possess
the Democratic mind, especially in the South,
In unnumbered ways, direct and indirect, this
vast interest is constantly exposed to the action
of Congress. The Cincinnati. Convention seems
to have felt this need of caution on this point
whenit nominated Mr. English for Vice lPresi-
dent. He is President of. a national bank
They nominated a Union General as blind
TO the soldier, and a bank officer as a blind to
the bankers. Evidently it is thought the
Northern Democratic team drive better with
binders but even binders do not always'an-
/ swer.
? In 1854. after solemnly asserting just when
The rebellion was gasping its last, that ,theYar
/ for the Union was a failure, the Democratic
Convention at an instigation coming then from
the sheltering refuge of the Canadian shore,
the same instigation which prompted like ex-
pedient now, put up Union General. That.
General did not issue Order No. 40 in the midst
of lawlessness and butehery which civil ati-
tholity could not arrest. No, he issued orders
arrestlng the Legislature of Maryland, a State
which had not seeded. and he issued orders
proclaiming martial law and suspendng the
habeas corpus at election time, and placed
soldiers as supervisors of the polls. But even
with such a Union General the disguise was too
thin 81 SsSnI3f 4saAiNSl2& 70 -
. War claims upon the treasury have been and
will be subjects fruitful of much agitation. l
I amsmoved to refer to it by the wholly ground
less assertion in regard to- it now going the
rounds of party journals. The fashion of this
assertion seems to have been set by Mr.. Ran
dali, the Speaker of the House of Representa-
lives. Mr.. Randall is one of the ablest and
! most intelligent, as he is one of the most
courageous men of his party, and speak Of
INN with much respect. 1nlseyeral speecheshe
has taken up the matter of Southern claims.
always to say that they are barred by the Four
tenth amendment of the constitution. It
puzzles me to see how as discerning man can
hayefallen into such an error The proceed
oIIgs over which, he presided. constantly refute
!, the assertion. In the Fourteenth amendment
stand these words; rNeither the United
States nor any State shall assume or pay
I any debt or obligation incurred in aid Of the
lnsarrection or rebellion against the; United
States, or any claim for the loss or emancipa-
ton of any slave but all such debts, obligaa
tons and claims shall be held illegal and void -,
The claims which stand in staggering totals in
bills already before Congress, aud in other bills
said to be waiting, are not touched in this seq
ton of the constitution For example, it is
insisted that the direett tax, imposed by the
nation on all States in 1861 should, as to the
seeded States, be refunded. The amount
claimed Is S. 492, 10. Again, it is said the war
tax laid on cotton should be refunded. The
argument is that cotton, like wheat and corn.
is a product of the earth, and that wheat and
corn were not taxed, and therefore cotton
should not have been taxed. There is plausi-
bility in this; hut petroleum is a product
OF the earth also, and that was. heavily
taxed, not only during the war but aftefward,
| and yet Pennsylvania has, never claimed that
the money should be refunded. The amount
of cotton tax claimed is $40, 180, 22O, Again,
buildings We're occupied, crops We're tramped,
fences and wood were burned, provisions were
consumed, 9edifices u were demolished, ~ ana
regions We're laid waste by the armies- of the
Union. The total Of such claims dizzies arith-
metic. These are not debts or obligations in
CURED in aid of instruction or rebellion. De-
cldedly not In favor of rebellion They are
claims because of acts done to crush rebellion.
The constitutional amendment does not
come within gunshot of them. The error of
the distinguished Speaker is the more puz-
part of his address recently that the Republican
majority in Congress had paid $100,000,000 of
such claims. This, / presume, is true, if he
means the Republicans have voted to paw Union
men whose property was taken for public use
the value of the property SO TAKEN But whether
correct In the amount or not, he is certainly
correct in saying that vast sum. has been SO
paid. Does not this fact clearly show that such
claims are not extinguished by the constitution?
If they were SO extinguished, surely the law
making power, would not have Ybeengso stupid
or wicked as to pay them year after year, and
this without any member of either house
ever suggesting that the constitution stood in
the way, These appropriations for Southern
claims also throw light on the quesSionwhether
Republican action in Congress has been hostile
and cruel to the South. The statutes on the
subject, enacted,b Republicans, make the 10y
atty of the cl INFANT sine qua non, and the
Democrats have repeatedly voted to repeal the
loyalty test, and bills for this purpose are now
pending. There can be no doubt that the way
! is vide open.toiall the Southern claims which a.
majority can be found to vote for anda Presi-
dent to sign. 'S
There is as little question that large and ever
increasing sums are plucked from the treasury
in the river and harbor bills to dredge small
Southern streams anduIbls entirely local and of
no possible use as channels of national COM
rnerce The creeks and bayous and ponds thus
improved at the general expense, some of them
cannot be found named ON the map, and all of
them are put into appropriation bills for the
pecuniary or political advantage of indiyiduals
and corporations. The erection of public build
ings for courts, pOstoffioeS and the likes at the
national cost, is another serious and increasing
drain ON the treasury. From small places,
where no Suehexp en9iture3 is needdda come APP
piications for public buildings. Many Of them
have recently passed the Senate. One place in
North Carolina where q public building was
voted has not more than $500 Inhabitants.
No one at all familiar with the facts can doubt
that with full Democratic swingsther doors of
the treasury will open, and copions streams viii
run South and empty into the pockets Of no
end of expectants. Whichever way we turn
reasons rise up before us for keeping the staff
IN the hands of those who have vastly most at
stake In the wholesome preservation of the
Government, its revenues and its laws Those
with the least at stake fought for one-haf of
the Government, and now the question is
whether we had better vote them both halves.
The Democratic party has had possession of
one house of Congress for four years. and of
both houses.for two years. r. What useful thing
has been done or proposed? They have strick-
en- millions of tax from whisky and tobacco.
They have attempted, by revolutionary means,
to put the Executive under diIress and to Grips
pie the Government, in order TO overthrow
Juoo ldNb. nudt elsS L 10
'notInow. YIG ,E3es8Ns Il. fdEE vF9g
1t is said that the Democracy have reduced
appropriations Edo notso understand it. The
claim of economy is no better than a juggle.
Here are the exact figures, year by year, Re
priblicanand Democratic ;of sums annually APP
propriated for current expenses stated in cur
rency and goldfor fiscal Year. l''sA 'tA3 i'5'l>i
1s74-Repubiean:gG Il sa gtlBIJgGu ~
currency -, ....... $lT2,29O,7OO
COD. -. .-..s..........-.... Io5,oo0, 5yo.c3
Iol5-Kepubhcan: y---
currency .....+........ 1o9,Ol1, I5oO
God. y. ....a -. ..4.s.,. 1868, 769. %
18l6-Repubhcan:
Gold :. 80. i129, 1913, 7l8 03
1s77-Democratic:
currency 1z4slZZsOlO.92
God. 1861 Ma
9, lS-Denocratle: I'D gps7f 20
currency 6os5oo, yo5.13
Cold =. ...........3.... 1926 415.63
-Democrafc:lJ 5sIll IS yIg53i9 1uiff
Currency ...,s....-......-s... 172s16, 300 "a
9od 1i7.Ss
Currency 40 go. 162s 404 647I6
'8GlS 'fjE
Currency. .s...... az.gd rs 154als 2szl
''op f1i,-;rT s ..,fsrsf;fsllfS451 s. II o
twill be seen that Hndera Republican major
itF appTop OPERATIONS steadily decreased down to the
Democratic accession in 1877 In the first wear
the Democrat contintied the reelection, omit
ting; hewefeE needed approp riatio .sgIn their
second year, the year preceding the rCongTes-r
sional elections, they badly neglected to provide
for many ObvlOHs and Indispensable appropr-