The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-09-16
RED-HOT CANNON-SHOT.
Democratic Party Exposed
TO View.
Address of Congressman Cannon Before
the Illinois Republican Con-
vention.

lican party OF the State OF Illinois meets in gen.
eral convention to-day 70 take counsel with
each other and To make a declaration OF prin-
eiples and to nominate candidates TO be elected
in November next. Since 1856 Republican
executives and generally Republican State
officials have held power in the State OF Illinois.
During that time-over generation-extendng
through the most troublous period Of the Ma
tion's history no State official or Governor has
failed TO perform his whole duty or done
aught to bring the blush of shame to the brow
OF the party. During that time the Republican
party OF the State OF Illinois has furnished two
Chief Executives, who have been twice elected
as Presidents OF the United States-Lincoln and
Grant. Measured by the events which they
shaped and their achievements, they are ac-
corded and will be through the ages among the
foremost men that the race has produced.
need not recount the achievements made under
the lead of the Republican party see men
before me who helped to make them and ali
people know the magnificent history OF the Re-
publican organization. Suffice to say, by way OF
remembrance that during all these years the
Republican convention never assembled in Iii
nois or in the nation but 1t announced its
principles and platform, and, when given the
power, put them into the Constitution and
enacted them into laws After twenty-four
years of Republican power, so far as the
national administration is concerned, the
Democracy. under the forms Of law. elected
Grover Cleveland. They came into power under
various war cries. One was the Republican
party had been in power SO long that il bad
become corrupt, and the money should be
counted and the books examined The books
were examined, and the money counted. After
an expenditure running up to multiplied millions
OF dollars, every cent was found and turned over
TO our successors. Another cry that the
taxes should be reduced. They came into power
with forty three majority in the National House
OF Representatives. Under the Constitution
revenue legislation can only originate in tho
House Of Representative Now have taxes been
reduced one cent? The last appropriation orig
mated in the House of Representatives and il
not only equals the expenditures of the year
ending June 30, but leaped S54, 900 900 beyond il.
II this increased expenditure had covered some
great improvements that were all cogni-
zant OF, we would De satisfied. but it does
not. The navy Of the United States
not provided for Tilden impiored his Demo-
cratic friends to make liberal appropriation for
our Notifications, and yet bill was passed by
the Republican Senate which fell stil-born and
dead in Democratic House, and to-day those
Notifications upon our great seacoast are unpro-
vided for, and we stand powerless before the
powerful nations OF the earth, only able to
buster and threaten one little nation upon the
globe, Mexico. But that was not all. They
pledged themselves to reform the civil service.
Grover Cleveland in his message and in letters
to George William Curtis and other. announced
with a flourish of trumpets that order of
things had been assured that the spoils system
was to be abandoned and Republican officials
who performed well their duty were to DO con-
tinued in office; yet three months had not
passed by after the Inauguration before his sec
reteries gave confidential information and after
ward public notice that eX parte charges could
be made against the conduct of Republican
officer holders Instead OF removing them in
manly manner the administration placed a
the SANDER machine into full motion in every
township throughout the length and breadth OF
the country. The surplus in the treasury was
TO be distributed, they said Was it distributed?
On the contrary, there to-day SIC, 100000 more
money in the treasury than when Cleveland
was inaugurated. When Congress passed the
| famous resolution directing the surplus to be
| paid out for the purpose OF reducing the public
| debt, Cleveland put the resolution in his pocket
"A pocket veto. The debt should be paid and
our surplus put in the channels of trade. They
| said they going TO revise the tariff. Yet
| with forty-three majority in the Democratic
| House OF Representatives, Mr. Morrison brought
| his tariff bill in the House after it had been
| sounded from every stump that the tariff would
| be revised, and they refused to even consider
Men were AFRAID TO enter upon any
] enterprise because they did not know
what was going to be done with
the tariff. They would not make contracts, and
| thousands OF men were idle. Randall in his
district to-day is advocating tariff Wis on and
Randall in Pennsylvania is eulogZing the ben
efts of protection. This is the inconsistency of
| the Democratic party. / read the other day
the platform adopted here by the Democrats of
| Illinois, and find ii the same old platform OF
1884. Platform laws and principles are nothing
| unless they have back Of them men who have
| the courage of their convictions The Republic
| can Senate under the lead OF that able vigilant.
and industrious Senator OF ours Cullom, passed
| the interstate commerce bill, wise and con-
seryative bill, and sent it over to the House.
! The House refused to pass IL, and there
| was no legislation upon that important
! subject Men from the Pacific coast came
with petitions asserting that the present
regulations prohibiting Chinese inmigra-
ton being violated, and asking that
, more rigorous laws he enacted. The Republi-
can Senate passed tho desired legislation, and it
| slept in tho House for two months without ac-
| ton, and sleeps still, and will sleep forever.
| The Senate passed a bill TO enforce more yigor-
ously the laws against polysamy IN the Terri
tories, and the Democratic House refused to
| even consider that bill. might stand here for
! year, il had strength and YOU had patience.
and recount the sins of omission and commits
! sic of i better
than by saving, 1T is party that learns nothing
and never dies. The Republican Senate, under
the lead Of that other gallant Senator from llli-
nois, Logan, considered and passed liberal
| pension bill. Because of the great difficulty in
obtaining proof to establish pensi ION claims, this
bill provided that every soldier who served three
| months, ard was hOnorably discharged, should
be pensioned according to his present disability.
| That bill sleeps its eternal sleep on the cal
endlr in the House Of Representatives. The
South elected Grover Cleveland, and L tell You
to-day In those States the vote of one d mo-
throughout the North. BY intimidation or
fraud they carried those States. No man who
wore the gray likes the blue as well as the
gray Why, only two weeks before adjournment
that man from the South whose eloquence
cells all others, declared on the floor OF the
House that not only was the manhood Of the
Southern soldier equal to that OF the Northern
soldier but that in the eye OF God and in the
eye OF future posterity the same honor would
be accorded to the man who wore the gray as
To the man who wore the blue. / grant
you that they were perhaps equal in bravery
and equal in honesty, but the principles for
which the Southern soldier fought were wrong
them wrong now, and in God Almightys
chancery eternally wrong. During the
last House session petitions in defective
pension claims were presented to the
House, and many bills granting pensions were
passed by Congress, yet Grover Cleveland re-
fused his signature to 102 Of these bills. sol
dier served in the war, contracted heart disease,
and returned home Threatened eviction by a
heartless landlord, he started out to find another
roof TO cover his wife and children. He was
| found dead in the snow day later Of valvular
disease of the heart. Congress passed bill
allow tug that widow a pension OF Sl2 month,
| and Cleveland vetoed il. What was his motive
for these actions? The solid. South does not
! want any more pension legislation and Cleve-
| land needs the wishes of the men who elected
him.
! THANK You, gentlemen. from the bottom OF
my heart for the greatest compliment have
| received during my life, that of presiding over
the deliberations Of the Republicans OF Illinois
Now, gentlemen. await vour pl asure
The COlOred VOte.
| The votaless Democrots Of WashinO ton