The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-08-24
SENATOR VOORHEES, TALKS.
On the Record OF tE, Democratic Ad.
ministratiOn in LIS First Year.

On the Record or fEt' Democratic Ad.
ministratiOn in LIS First Year.
From Speech at Indiana Convention.
Shall we glance for a moment at
the condition of our National Ad-
ministration? | have some reasons
to give why Mr.. Cleveland's Admin
istration inspires confidence and com
mands the approval of tile American
people. Great applause.
Not single prediction of evil
made so adundantly by the leaders
of the press of the Republican party
prior to the election has been fulfill
cd-not one. They have all proven
false prophecies. What were some
of these predictions? They were as
dismal as vapors in season of dis
ease and death. Our soldiers were
to lose their pensions, according to
the stereOtyped cry of the Republi-
can party in 1884; whereas, in point
of fact, this last Congress-thc
House being composed very largely
of eX-Confcdcrate soldiers-passcd
double the number of pension bills
that any House ever passed before.
They became so numerous that Pres
ident Cleveland vetoed some of them.
One know of because the man had
been dead six months (laughter),
and. another he vetoed because he
found the good woman's name al
ready on the pension rolls, and hc
thought she did not noed two. So,
gentlemen, you will find an eager
haste on the part of this heavily
Democratic House, composed of rhen
from the South, largely, to pension
the Union soldiers; and not only that,
but one-third more pension certifi-
Gates have been issued since Clevc-
lands Administration than in the
same length of time at any previous
period in our history. And at sta
ted intervals, and without hesitation,
the eN-Confederate in the House and
Senate is seen voting for the sppro-
priation of from sixty to enc hun
dred millions a year, their portion of
which they have to pay, for pensions
of soldiers of the Union. 1t is a
pleasing spectacle; it is bright one,
and l rejoice in it.
The Union soldier will never get
as much as he ought to have, and /
am glad to know there is no part of
this country that begrudges him all
that he can have. Then it would
seem that the prediction as to the
treatment of the Union soldier has
proven false. Again, however, an
other prediction was that the Treas
ury of the United States would be
sapped with Southern Claims-rebel
claims. The very walls were to be
broken down. The credit of the
country was to be destroyed by the
plumber and pillage of thousands and
tens of thousands for war claims.
Not one has been paid; not one has
been allowed, and never will he, un-
less the carpet-bag reign comes back
into power again. Applause. i
We were likewise to discredit the
financial policy of our country, so
that, as l have heard one speaker
ray, greenbacks would be worth
nothing; that our financial system
would be dishonored, and that our
credit, now largely above par, would
he largely discounted. 1t is not so..
the credit of this country is as strong
under Democratic rules as it ever
was. Our foreign relations are sat
isfactory, and what is more and in
higher and brighter contrast to the
preceding Administration, their ad-
ministration up to date is clean.
There have been no scandals, no
plunderers, no defalcatiOn, "Star
Routes,' or jobs ofthat kind. There
fore, Lthink l can say that we had
better contidue as we are doing.
Give the Democratic party full
lease OF power, and while it advan-
ces and fosters public interests we
should give it our confidence and
our support. The labor organiza-
tions of the country will fare better
with the Democratic party in power
also. We have reclaimed by the
Democratic House of Representa-
tives in the last two Congresses
the Forty y-eighth and the Forty ninth
over 100, 100000 acres of the pub
lie domain which had been granted
away by the Republican party to
great railroad corporations. Ap-
plause. Several of these fOrfeitures
have been joined in by the Senate,
but not half of them. The Demo
cratic House is leading and blazing
the way against monopclies. and we
should uphold their hands in the in
tcrcst of the laboring masses of this
country.
NS .G