Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-21
ArTMrLY ADDRESS.
The Republican Party ArraiEned-An
Appeal to the Democratic Voters of
Georgia to DO their Duty by Voting
at the October and November Elec-

ut the October and November Flee
| lions.
| To the Democracy Of the State of Georgia:
The undersigned have been appointed by
! the Executive Committee of the Democratic
party of the State of Georgia to prepare an
address to the party and the people of this
State.
We are now in the midst Of an exciting and
! very important Presidential campaign. Prob
ably at no tins in the past history of the gov
| eminent has it been a matter Of SO much vital
! Importance that a change Of administration
| and of administrative policy should take
! place. In Republican government like ours
| where the people are the sOvereigns and the
popular voice dictates the policy OF the gov
| ernment, it is vastly important that those in
| authority be required to confne themselves
| within constitutional limits in administrative
| policy and the execution of the laws. This
government, as organized by our fathers, pre-
| scribed the proper limits within which the
action OF the Federal Government should be
confined. and il recognizes the reserved pow
| ers of the States.
The powers conferred upon the Federal
! Government were necessary to enable 1t to
! conduct properly all the foreign affairs OF that
] government, and all such interstate affairs as
| are beyond the power and control of the indi-
/ VIdual states. The reservations 81 power by the
| States were equally necessary to enable each
! State to conduct local self government and
| promote the public interests and the general
/ welfare.
On account of the broader scope of the pow
| ers of the Federal Government. the tendency
| has been towards encrOachment upon the re-
! served powers of the States and the long con-
/ tinued domination of one political party over
/ all others, naturally tends TO promote and en-
| courage such encroachments. 1t also encour-
/ ages unnecessary and unreasonable appro-
| priatlons, extravaganza OF every character,
1 speculatiOns and populations by government
| officials who rely upon their friends IN power
/ to a greater or less extent for immunity from
! punishment for malpractice in office.
! The Republican party on March next will
4 have been twenty -four years in power, four
! years of civil war, and twenty years since the
! termination of the war. They have greatly
! enlarged in practice the powers of the Federal
| Govern ment. They have increased the taxa
| ton of our people to an enormous extent.
! They have made and continue to make lavish,
| and in many instances unreasonable, appro-
| prlatlOns OF money Wrung from the pockets of
| the peOpleby rigorous taxation. Govern
| ment officials have grown rich in many in
| stances by the improper use Of public money.
| Vast tracts of the public domain have been
/ donated to corporations, building up gigantic
! corporate power which threatens to control
! not only the people, but the legislation
| of the country, in future. These vast tracts
of the public land, which according to
| the original policy OF the government were
/ intended to be kept as homes for our people.
| have been withdrawn from homestead entry,
4 and placed under corporate control. And
! while portion of the railroad enterprises to
| proper and promotive of the public interest,
| vast tracts have been squandered upon enter
prises which were Of no important public ad-
! vantage to the country. The result of this
| policy has been not only to deprive the people
| OF the homestead rights which was part of
| the heritage Of an American citizen, but to
/ placing thousands and hundreds of thousands
! and even millions of acres, in the hands of
| particular corporations or individuals, which
/ must in the end lead to most unfortunate and
| deplorabe results.
| During this period of the reign Of the Re-
! publican party the merchant marine of the
| United states mas been nearly DESTROYED, and
| the commerce of the United States in Ameri-
! can vessels almost swept from the ocean.
We are subjected to the humiliation of hav-
ing to conduct our vast commerce almost en-
| tirely upon foreign vessels.
During this same reign Of the Republican
| party, while between three and four hundred
millions of dollars have been appropriated for
building ana repairing our navy, large parts
! of it have been squandered, and our present
navy places us on the ocean below the dignity
! Of third rate power; and we have not a sin
| gle vessel or sing gun that is to be com
! pared IN efficiency with the superior vessels
and armament of other powers, and in case of
a foreign war our coast cities are absolutely at
| the mercy OF our antagonist if he has a re-
| spectacle navy.
! The financial policy of the Republican party
| has been the boast OF Republican orators and
| statesmen for number of years past. They
/ have attempted to convince the country that
/ its great prosperity was owing to the financial
! policy of that party. The result of that policy
! has been to place the finances of the country
| in the hands of the bankers, whose power is
| so enormous, that they can, by boarding their
! funds and refusing discounts, bring financial
/ panic at their pleasure, or, as in the late in
/ stance, many OF them in practice, by engaging
/ in wild and reckless speculatiOns' have
! brought ruin upon themselves and great dis
| tress to the whole country. AS the Republi-
: can party boast Of their financial policy they
certainly cannot complain if they are Judged
4 by the results of that policy, which at
| present are easily compTehended by
| the most superficial observer. The large
/ and wealthy banking houses of
! New York have boarded their money, keeping
| some thirty millions of reserve more than the
! law requires, and have refused TO accommo-
! date the bankers Of the different sections Of
! the Union, who have usually received accom-
/ modatlons from them, which has crippled
them ana lett them unable to accommodate
their customers and the people IN the differ
/ eHt localities. The result is a stringency IN
/ the money market Of the country, which has
| crippled every interest, has engulfed many
! enterprises in ruin, and threatens great dis
change.
! Our own State was blessed during this sum-
mer with wheat crop more abundant than
| the average. Usually this crop affords much
! relief, but there has not been money in the
hands OF buyers to move the crop, and most
! Oft still lies in the barns of the planters
Our factories are suspending operations or
/ working upon short time Our merchants are
! greatly cramped. Our planters can scarcely
] IdleC ulUuty WIFI WHICH TO paw their taNpa
! and our mechanics and artisans and railroad
/ employees are already working at reduced
1 wages, and on account of the stagnation in
/ business, many of them have entirely lost
/ their places, or have been temporarily sus-
| pended.
In word, general stagnation and depres-
sion Is found in every branch of business, and
| with every class of labor. Can il be that a
| just and economical administration of the
/ government, and wise financial policy pro-
| duces such results? Is it not clear to the mind
1 OF every citizen who not Centralized bxyr
/ prejudice or party bias that a change OF ad-
/ mlnlstratioa, and the Inauguration of differ
ent party IN power, Is necessary to the cOrrec-
/ ton OF these great evils? In looking for relief
| and Tor necessary reform, the eyes of the peO-
1 pie are naturally turned to the Democratic
\ party, and all the indications are, if that
/ party viii do its duty, that Cleveland and
/ hendricks, the Democratic nominees for
I President and Vice President, will be tri-
! umphantly elected in November next, which
| Will be the inauguration of new era. which
| viii doubtless be productive Of the most be-
| nign and beneficial results
The Democratic party in convention in Chi
cagO lald down wise, liberal and just plat
form, suited to the wants Of the people, care
fully protecting every interest, and at the
same time maintaining jus, equilibrium be-
tween the conflicting interests of the country
and discouraging and denouncing all unjust
monopoly and all oppression and usurpation
OF power. The news from the different Sec
! tons OF the Union indicates that the tide of
popular sentiment is setting in the right di
rectiOn, and the great Americ mind is wax
ing up to the necessity of refornl-reform is
the battle cry, reform is the watch-Word and
the whole vast American column should move
steadily on under the banner of reform.
Nothing less than a change of policy and a
change OF administration can produce the re-
suit so earnestly to be desired by the patriotic
OF ali parties, by those controlling the great
interests of the country, and by the honest
masses Of every section of the Union.
The Democratic masses have been aroused
and the great current of Democratic senti-
ment, viii, il is believed. bear down all oppo-
sitiOn and compel the Inauguration Of the
necessary measures of reform.
Now, Democrats of the State Of Georgia q
word to you. Georgia has been the banner
Democratic state of the Union. If there lie a
full turnout at the polls we believe she will
maintain that proud position, but RELYING
upon the strength of the party, and sound
ness of its principles and patriotic aspirations
and hoping that the right viii prevail with
out effort on their part, we fear there is too
much apathy on the part of the Democratic
masses. They are ready to rally and to stane
by their banner whenever they deem their
cause in the State in danger, but they seem to
have assumed that all is going right without
effort on their part, and they have evidently
relaxed their energies. In q word. there Is
not that interest, energy and activity which
ought to be manifest at a critical period like
the present.
We therefore call earnestly upon the Exec
utlye Committee in each county in the State
and upon every leading Democrat in the state
to go actively and energetically to work to
make the organization complete in counties
where il is not already So ORGANIZE namo-