The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-01
THE SPEECH.
A Strong Presentation Of Current Political
Issues.
Major Calkins spoke as follows:


Major Calkins spoke as follows
In a country like ours history repeats itself
frequently. The Republican party is engaged
to-day in effort to save the Industries and the
labor system of the country from utter ruin
The Democratic party is engaged in trying to
destroy both In 1856 the Republican party OPP
posed the extension of slavery. IN 1860 it refused
to allow the dsmem berment of the Union; in
1864it refused to submit to a dishonorable
peace; in 1868 it insisted upon the adoption of
the constitutional amendments; IN 1872 it repudi-
ated insincerity; in 1876 it opposed sham reforms
and in 1880 it was in favor of honest money,
in all of which 1t was opposed by the Democratic
party. So, to-day, the Democratic party is en-
gagged in an assault upon the industrial interests
Of the country in as hagrant and wicked man
ner as it was to those questions in each Of the
periods have named.
Since the Democratic party have eulogised a
gentleman whom they are pleased to canonize
as the great embodiment of Democratic senti-
ment and principle, it becomes pertinent to an
imadvert upon sentence contained in his letter
declining the nomination of President at the
hands Of that party. Mr.. Tildens language is
as follows
Twenty years of continuous maladminstra-
ton, under the deInoralizing influence Of intes
tine war and of bad finance, have infected the
whole government system of the United States
with the cancerous growths of false constructions
and corrupt practices. Powerful classes have
acquired pecuniary interests in official abuses.
and the moral standards Of the people have been
impaired
It was recently said, commenting upon this
language by one of the able daily journals Of tho
city of Indianapolis That this pessimism, if it
comes from dotage, is pardonable though pita-
BILE = can hardly viewitin so charitable light
Let us see what has been accomplished in the
last twenty years, while the maladministration,
as Mr.. Tilden calls 1t, has been in power.
The Republican party found an empty treas
ury and now it has a surplus of $400 000 600 1t
found the credit Of the Nation so low that the
1oin floh Matt cfriA al Y4or noNk Asaa
count bearing high rate of interest, and no sale
for them at this ruinous price, while now its
bonds bear 3 per cent interest and are at
premium Of 90 per cent. 1t found an incipient
rebellion which rpened into a cyclone Of war,
which it subdued and made the union Of States
ndissolub,e. 1t found 100000 of slaves work.
ing without pay with the masters lash applied
to bare backs, and labor forced from servile
hands 1t struck the shackles from their limbs
and made them free.
It found the mother Of the slave children
denied the right of owning her own child. The
Republican party placed her guardianship above
that of the master
It found fathers and husbands unable TO
protect the virtue of their wives or daugh-
ters; it wrote manhood upon their face and
placed in their hands the power Of the law for
their full protection, 1t found slavery recog
nized in the Constitution and It blotted It out BY
the thirteenth amendment It found the mouths
of witnesses closed in the courts Of JUSTICE and
it unlocked their tongues and gave them the
power to speak by the fourteenth amendment
1t found men born and reared il this country
deprived Of the right of suffrage and placed
the ballot in their hands 1t found party
conspiring against the credit Of the nation, and
most favored nations Of the world. It has paid
more than $1,000. 100000 Of the public debt
It subdued rebellion and gave to the rebelhous
the rights Of citizenship and suffrage 1t ox-
tended amnesty without stint and charity with
an open hand. II spbduee the WILDERNESS in the
territories Of the West and oreo1o1 them into