Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1884-10-10
FACTS FOR HONEST VOTERS.

We have said on the Democratic
Railroad land grant matter that the
Democratic party gave S4a 500, 1000
acres in aid ofvarious railroads Since
the appearance Of our article the San
Francisco Bulletin and the Toledo
BLADE have both contained articles
making the same claim. Mr. Ellison
in the Democrat Of this city. denies
tina: the Democratic party ever gave
an acre of land to the railroads. We
have made a general statement but we
now proceed to specify. If it wasn't
begging the whole question, and show
ing ourself unable to furnish the proof,
we would adopt the popular Demo-
cratic style Of ''interrogatories" as is
now being practiced by the Indianapolis
Senhneiin the farce of the Blaine libel
suit which it is now defending. Wenow
say that the Democratic party. by her
representatives then in office, gave to
the Illinois Central Railroad 2,5o5,o53
acres ofthe best land on the American
Continent. We shall make our charge
forcible by specifically pointing out the
place and amount ofthese grants. Let
this one suffice for this article. We are
not objectlng to these appropriations.
Our Democratic friends charge that
the Republican party should be turned
out of office because of its railroad
land grants. A thing that they them
selves began. If that be good rea-
son then the Democratic party for the
same reason ought not to 60 into office.
We are astonished however, that any
man having two grains Of sense above
an oyster would object to the appropri-
ations to the Great Pacific Railroad
lines. These lines pass through des-
ert which, until within few years was
thought perfectly worthless. They
connect the Eastern and Western por-
ton ofthe continent. The millions of
bushels of wheat and fruit raised on
the Western slope now find market
among our own people; besides, the
heretofore worthless wastes Of our
American plains are now being dotted
with villages and towns which not only
never would, but never could have
been been built and sustained without
these roads. These Pacific railroads
were not only built cheaply considering
the country through which they pass,
but are one of the sources of glory to
the great Republican party. If the
Hatch and Ellison kind of Democrats
had remained in power from 1861 to
the present time the people of the east
would have been driving across the
plains, the few who dared venture, in
OK wagons, and the plains themselves
which are now worth millions upon
millions to the government would not
have been worth confederate dollar,
in the money market to-day. The ar
gument of figures is always in order
when the question involved relates to
the relative ability of two parties to
manage,the finances ofthe government
In 1861 when the Democratic went out
of power the treasury was not only
empty but there was an excess ofex-
penditures Of $a1,139,7s6.2S. There
is now in the Treasury an excess of
receipts over expenditures Of $216,-
62o,o17.5o. Hatch in his speech in
which he ann nounced his willingness to
be struck dumb for the rest of his nat
ural life if he could only get Adair
county farmers to see the enormity OF
Republican steals, said "turn the ras-
Gals out" but the voters have improv-
the sentence; it now reads :"Keep the
rascals out"