Year: 1868

NNftAAE va lAkE cAlAA1 BL Il ATOH-
ernment which they are trying to destroy.


Il has been equally difficult for me to
form an apology for such unreasonable
charges as | find in your speeches-and in
the speeches Of others claiming 10 be Demo.
crais-against an administration that has
had to contend with every form ofdificulty
aud misrepresentation that the ingenuity of
those who were in rebellion against the
Government, and Of all who were in sym
pathy With them, could invent
IFegret to find in several ofyour speeches
that you make no allowance for the extra
ordinary and trying circumstances through
which the Government has been compelled
TO circumstances that would have
made 1t wise and proper to have raised
money by forced loans, if no other means
could have been found to save the nation 5
lie


fou have said truly in your late speech
that the Republican party 'denounces al
forms Of repudiation as a national crime
You then try to throw on that party the
odium Of deliberate design to repudiate
the national debt


The reputation ofthe national debt is one
Of the last asts that the Republican party
viii ever tolerate or allow.


| have been panied to ind in your several
speeches course of reasoning that is tending
to revive the rebcllious spirit throughout
our Southern States-a course Of reasoning
that has already won for you the enthusiastic
support Of those who were most prominent
in the Rebellion, and of all who are in sym
pathy with them throughout our country.


lam sory to see in your speeches an effort
to prejudice the laboring population with
the statement that the Government is intro
ducing system of unjust and unequal taxa
ton.


It is certain that our Government could
never stand in the presence Of such laws as
prevailed throughout the Southern States
before the Rebellion; laws that made it
crime to 'unbind the heavy burden, and let
the captive so free;;" laws that made it a
crime to teach poor helpless slave to read
and write, fearing that knowledge of the
Declaration Of Independence, that declares
the unalienable right Of every man to his
life, his liberty, and the pursuit ofhappiues,
would make him unwilling longer to remain
a slave


To talk of such system aud such laws as
have prevailed at the South being demo
cratic, is to talk of a living body without an
animating spirit


The Cincinnati Catholic 7elegrapL, the Off
eial organ of the Catholic Church in the
West has said, with great propricty, that


The interest of humanity and the welfare
Of white labor, in particular, are involved iu
the question of Slavery more than IN any
other, and tits the duty Of men to prepare
their minds conscientiously that they may,
as far as possible, maintain what is best for
The ne0Dle Every one acknowledges that
Slavery Is an evil No man who Is free
would ever consent to be slave. 1t Is alb
horrent to his nature No one can allege
any right to reduce a human being 10 that
miserable condition. It is detestable to mind
and heart. And moreover he who re
duces a free man to Slavery Is exc0mmuni
Gated by the Catholic Church. Slavery was
the cause Of our national troubles. 1t was
for Slavery that the war was commenced,
and the blood Of the brave men who have
fallen on both sides has been shed by this
iusatiate monster. The hope Of its restora-
ton is not abandoned There are multi
tuies Of men who would love to sec it IN the
ascendant as it was before Never were
truer words said than that slavery was the
cause of cur national troubles.


Notwithstanding all the misery that Sla-
very and the war has brought on our coun-
tgy. let US assure all who took part in the
Rebellion that we intend to do them all the
good we can. We intend to secure for them
and for ourselyesthe constitutional guaranty
ofa republican form of government, which
is the greatest earthly blessing our nation
can possess.


It has been with more than ordinary sor-
row that find among the errors Of your late
speech other grave charges against the Re
publican party.


You say it has adopted a policy of hate
Of waste, and of military despotism, in all
ofwhich you are as,much inerror as whenyou
state that the Republican party has expen-
ded $500. 600. 900 Of the taxes drawn from
the people Of this country to uphold des
potic military authority, and to crush out
the life Of the States


The facts, as shown by Mr. Blaine in
Congress, are that only a very small part Of
the amount you name was expended in
maintaining the authority Of the Govern
ment over the Rebel States Let US unite to
frown down that spirit Of rebellion that
found encouragement in the Democratic
Convention that met in Chicago, when it
virtually recognized the principle Of Seces
sion and Disunion as an established fact, By
proposing "a cessation of hostilities and a
call for a convention of all the States to
meet in their sovereign capacity and de-
liberate with men who were then 10 active
rebellion, putting forth all their efforts to
overthrow the Government BY force


You charge the Republican party with
proposing to deprive the people Of the
South Of their right to vote for Presidential
Electors You then say that the first
bold steps are taken to destroy the rights Of
suffrage


THIS reasoning IS unaecountable in view
Of the fact that the Republican party has
been constantly making efforts to extend
the elective franchise on principle Of
equal rights to every man without regard
/ to country, caste or color.


Nothing could be more unfair than your
charge that the Republican party intends
that there shall be no peace or order at