The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-10-02

70 have an answer. but il can not be found IN
their National platform.
Again, what Is the position of the Repub-
hcan party on silver money! Is il honest
or dishonest currency Does it rank with the
best money of the world, or is it a spurious is
Suel The history of the Republican party
shows its hostility to silver money. In 1873 a
Republican Congress struck from the Coinage
act the American silver dollar. 1t was done
with the silence, skill and deception of inter
National fraud. When the struggle came, as
il aid five years later, for the restoration OF
this branch of our currency, Republican
President, Mr.. Hayes. inspired and guided by
a Republican Secretary of the .TreaSury.
Mr.. Sherman. launched his veto against the
bill for the RECOMMENDATION OF silver. From
that day to this toe ieVe there has been no
annual message delivered by the President 20
Congress, and no annual report maze by the
Secretary of the Treasury. which have not
contained d recommendation looking TO re-
peal of the law for the coinage Of silver, and
pointing TO gold one as the specie basis for
d paper currency"
The speaker. after reading the tariff plank
in the Republican platform adopted at Chi
cago, said:
within these few lines there is the most
extraordinary confession OF CUNT ever made
10y Il political paruy, and OF the most fatal i'm
port to those who are resi- OnSibie for the evils
it condemns. The inequalities here admitted
10 exist in a system of tarIf taxation were
placed in the law more than twenty years ago
By the Republican party. AMI have remained
there ever since. Less than two years ago, in
tho EOr:y-S eVcnth Congress- that party went
through the work of tarin revision, ard a ill
purpOrting to accomplish that purpose be-
came a law in March, loS3. Still the ineqUaii-
ties Of the tariff remain. The mission
OF that fact is made of record. The
I burdens of taxation are unequhlly
placed on the labor and productions
of the country, A greater crime than is here
confessed can hardly be committed against
the people. Long years or opportunity to
correct this enormous evil have been neglect
cd. Under Republican tariff legislation
mOnopOlies on every hand had waXed fat snd
grown I'D giant proportions while labor has
often cried for bread. ana cried IN vain What
scenes have we beheld during the last few
weeks IN Ohio ana Pennsylvania? Have they
/ been scenes of comfort, protection and pros
pcritv to the iabOrer! DestitutiOn, idleness.
riot, bloOdShed aud violence. rather than re-
muneraINc waEeS ana plenty OF work, are
some OF the fruits of that policy which the
party in power has inflicted on the iaboriGS
/ classes.
plank of the Republican platform is 70 reduce
the surplus. Who made tnat surplus in the
Treasury and where did il come from, II came
IRON the pockets of the people and is not
N eicd tor the expenses o. the Government
Ills tae result not only Of unc ;ual taxation.
bat also of taxation who iy unnecessary and
beyond any public or Legitimate demand. The
exact amount OF this surplus revenue in the
{ treasury is difficult 20 ascertain. Major Ca-
kins, the republican cand date for Governor
S;ft d It, | believe, as high 81 OC0c, and
seems to take pride in the fact that his parry
has eXtOrtei from the taxpayers of the
United states so large sum If money for
winch me GOV rifneut haS no need.
He regards this idle, dead money in the vaults
DI the Treasury as blcSs!nr. lie i mistaken
in his philosophy of Government. II Is
not I blessing: it is a curse. 1t should not be
these; u should be in circulation i'll the hands
of the people 1t is active mOney which pro-
notes the general welfare. The miser'S
boards 90 10 one any good while ths busy
dollar brings oy and re lei. the business in
tcrestS of this country a the present moment
are painfully III need of more active busy
money than IS now in circulation. There is
fitR Fnf.iQl n nd for larl
the Republican party has made Itself respOn-
Sibc by draining hundreds of millions of
money from the channels of active trade into
the vaults OF the Irc3Su y-thera 10 lie III
useless Tepose as an evidence of the folly and
crime OF unnecessary taxation"
senator Voorhees, spoke OF the efforts of the
Republicans to build up navy in The follow
ing language:
Tine Republican party in its successive al
minlStratIOnS since the war mas taken from
! the Treasury nearly S3eO,OJJ 900 of money on
! account of the navy, and there is not one
good ship this hour 10 show for 1t all. Would
/ you expect me to vote still further millions
for the same purpose and to the same party?
In the Republican platform the restoration OF
the navy to its old time strength and efficiency
I Is demanded with great zeal. Why has it not
already been restored! Has the Navy Depart
mcnt been a robbers IoOst, where money was
| obtained II net expended for the public Serv
| icel At any rate. the country has lost conf
| dence, and the appropriations will be cut down
! Tor thar department as low as possible until
| there is change. | deny, however, that a
great navy in time of peace is the true policy
! Of the Government, any more than a stand
ing army. Every once in while clamoroui
appeal is made in Congress for stuDandOu:
sums OF money for ships, guns and fortlhca
itonS. These appeals during Republican as
cendancy have generally been heard just or
the eve of Presidential election One was
made very earnestly in the last session OF
COn9rcSS: if ii hai been successful the cor.
rIpticn fund OF the Republican managers IN
the present canvass would have been much
large than il Is.
Continuing senator Voorhees, said:
ut is i singular and fatal fact that on every
question of public policy mentioned in it.
National platform the Republican party
! stands self-cUnHemned by its own conduct
and history. II denounceS rs a great wrong
the grant Of large tracts of the pub ic lands TO
corporations, after having granted nearly
2JO,uOU.dO Of acres. IT dec ares these lands =
heritage for actual Sett err, after having given
all the most valuable tn railroad corporations
Ii demands the speedy forfeiture of all land
grants which have apsed by reason OF non
compliance of their conditions, when, in fact
with fun power for many years. the Repub
lican party has never forfeited single acre
1t WAS left for Democratic house II begin
this WORK IN the last session OF Congress. y
Democratic Committee on Public Lands. with
my Democratic colleague, Mr.. Cobb. as its
chairman, prepared and reported bills winch
passed the House. FORGETTING nearly 51,0W.0G
of acres. These bills were sent 10 the Repub-
lean Senate and not touched. Other bills for
the forfeiture of large grants were reported
by the committee, and are on the House cal
endar for action next winter.
The Republican platform declares thai
American c .tlzens by adoption must have the
same protection everywhere which is secuted
to American citizens by birth. while ut the
same time the Republican party. and conSpic
. uuuSy its candidate for President. has, with
out protest or notice of the outragcS Der
mitted the British Government TO arrest on
suspicion and impr.son without accusation or
{ trIal. and without limit as TO duration, any
nagurslized citizen of this country, if a native
OF Ireland, and found in that unhappy land.
ii story is made up on this question. While
James Il. Blaine, as Secret trY of State. was or
dering national salute at Yorktown in OctO-
her. 1881. in honor of the British flag. that
same flag as the hated emblem of more than
seven centuries of accurSed tyranny, was
waving in ins Dlent triumph over British jai.s
I IN Ireland, wherein lay McSweeney and other
subjects, and wherein DoyntOn. a Union
soldier went bind; all of whom were Ameri-
can citizens by adOptjon,and not one of whom
received the protection OF his Government
But it remains for the great and sacred
subject of pensions TO illustrate the full meas
ure of fraud and false pref ,nSe of which the
Republican party is capable in its utterances
before the people and in its Official conduct.
In its platform it pledges itself 10 repeal the
limitation contained IN the Arrears act of
1879, so that all invalid soldiers snail share
alike, and their pensions begin with the date
of disability or discharge, and not with the
date of application. Why was that limitation
on soldiers pension arrears ever found in
the laws of the United States? Because the
Republican party in Congress put il there and
kept il there. 1t was originally placed in our
pension system, WI ali ITS cruel ami lntam'
Gus injustice. by Apubiican Pension Com
mittees enacted byS6 Congress Republican in
both Houses, and approved and siEred by
Republican President. And now, when the
ghosts of the dead, who died waiting. and IN
want OF their inst dues, cut of by this Repub-
lican statute of iimiJat Ons. come back to re-
proach the authors with their trcacnery and
crimes, the lea iers of the Republican party
Cry out with terror, with uplifted hands and
starting eyeoalis; Thou canSt not say we
did it; are in favor of its repeal"
The speaker paid his respects TO tho Repub
hcan Pre- slider tial candidate III the following
words: Il have no wish to aSSail Mr.. Blaue,
nor need / do so. Twenty-TOur hours in your
presence wCuli not be time Cnol,.-h in which