The Russellville Democrat., 1888-09-06
BRECKINRIDGE's LETTER.
HoUsZ OF REPRgsESTATIvEs,l !
 WAsHHGToS,D DC. August lI.l

BRECKINRIDGE'S LETTER.
 HoUsz OF REPREsEyTATIyLs,l
 WAsHiseToS. DC. Angust ILL Mai. W. H. Govan Chairman, and Hon.
 J.E.Gstewood, Secretary, of the Dem-
 ocratic Convention, Second Congress
 ional District Of Arkansas:
 GESTLEMEN:-
 received on tue 9th inst. your telegram of the day previous inform ing mesof my unanimous re nomina- ton for the Fifty First congress by the democracy of the Second district. I would have responded promptly by wire but for the belief that the dele gates had doubtless started for their homes on the evening of the 8sh.
 I accept the nomination with the highest and warmest appreciation of the honor it conveys, and permit me to add, with 8 profound sense of its responsibilities. Being detained here by my -offic.al.duties, andi the detention being likely to extend well into the autumn, it may not be in appropriate for me at this time to make some observations upon the public questions which chiefly con cern our people.
 Many of the questions which have engaged public attention in recent years have already been settled by the democratic party, and they wlll remain settled so long as our party retains even partial control of the federal government. Though never fully in power since the war, yet we have been able by persistent effort and continued agitation to stop the further application of the policy of making grants of land and money to railroad corporations, and other forms of direct subsidy; to restore vast areas of the public domain to the people, to establish home rule once more among the states; to sap var ious forms Of extravaganza; to stop the republican financial policy which was continually to give to the cred itor more than was his lawful or hon est due; to repeal the contract labor law; to regulate the railroads, and to effect many other reforms of less striking character but of substantial good to the people.
 Since the great tide of public favor, however, has been slowly but steadi- ly setting in toward democracy, it has once receded far enough to show the people the effect of a backward movement sufficiently to let the re publican party have complete con trol. It serves to show how perma nent and distinct are the differences between the parties.
 During the two years of the Forty Seventh congress, from '6l to 'S3, the republican party once more had con trol of all three of the law making parts Of the government. They promptly took advantage of this short lease of complete power to re-chsrter the national banks and to strengthen the war tariff by the act of 1883. The democratic party was never known to charter a national bank or to grant any kind of subsidy. It has always looked forward to Q suitable period when this and such other class legislation as their op- ponents had enacted could be re pealed. The people, regretting this great error, were quick to return to democratic prlnciples, from which we have never departed under any pretext or delusion, without reaping the consequences of bad government and distress. They promptly re- turned to the democracy the control of the house of representatives of the Forty. Eighth congress and have so kept it ever since, and they fol lowed this up by giving us also the presidency.
 At the close of this the first demo cratic administrator for more than a quarter of century, and at the close of a session of congress that will go into history as one of the most iilustrious m our annals, we go before the people and point, not sim ply to what we have done, but we confess to them also tbat there are many things to which they have heretofore been accustomed that we have not done. We have furnished no star route thieves to be prosecuted and permitted to escape. We have made no fraudulent contracts in the navy CT elsewhere to consume tens of millions of the peoples money and to disgrace the nation ct home and abroad. No whisky ring has stolen vast sums of the public revenue and kept it's confidential agen. beside the president in the white house. No land and no money has been voted to set up in business any railroad or any other body of men. No Credit Mobelier fraud has bought it's way through congress. No United States marshalls have harrassed the people at the polls to prevent Q fair and free expression of public opinion upon the party in power. No troops have been used