Year: 1869

boasted republic of ours, founded
upon generous PRINCIPLES of liberty
and equality, was the first to make
the exclusion depend upon the mere
color of a mans skin. Gentlemen,
there is no reason, logic or expert
ence, to justify it. 1t is the last
relic of slavery, and should be swept
away with slavery. We owe it to
our consistency as a party; we owe
it to the generous principles that
have animated us in great strug-
gle, not to cease our efforts until the
Constitution secures to every man
equality in rights and privileges.


THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE.


When this is done, as I am quite
sure it will be, with or without the
vote of Ohio, the Republican party
may proudly look over its past his
tory. Fifteen years of labor and
struggle, though they have been
checkered with many losses and
sacrifces-though tens of thou
sands of brave men have given up
their lives-and a great public debt
rests upon us-yet our country has
received advancement, glory and
progress amply commensurate for
all these losses and sacrifices. The
war was a necessity we could not
shrink from. If we had yielded to
the demands Of the South, slavery
would have been the National and
controlling element of the Govern
ment, and by slow steps the Union
of our fathers would have melted
into disjointed local governments.
If we had allowed the South to
secede it would have been the fail
ure of our system Of National Gov
ernment, and this secession would
have furnished the seeds of future
wars so as to have obliterated both
sections from among the powers of
the world. The war was then a
necessity, and in conducting it,
while we no doubt made mistakes,
yet the progress of the war so COM
pletely settled the causes of the war
slavery and secession-and the
results of it were SO complete a
triumph of our cause, and such an
illustration of the strength of our
Government and power as a nation,
that we need not in the future, if
we choose, do anything but practice
the arts of peace. We have just
cause of complaint against foreign
powers, but we will have no occa-
sion to go to war with them. Our
party contests will again turn upon
questions of political economy, and
not upon great questions involving
human rights or the existence of the
Union. On all these new questions
of political economy the Republican
party is at liberty to be guided by
all the lights of reason and expert
ence. 1t need not wear the old
clothes of either the old Wing or
Democratic parties. No man or
set of men can speak for the Re-
publican party in advance. In the
nature Of things differences of opin
ion will develop themselves, and we
ought each to express our opinions
freely, leaving to the authorized
agents of the people to carefully
weigh their arguments, and here
after decide subject to popular ap-
proval.


THE QUESTIONS OF THE DAY.


Perhaps the most pressing OF
these questions are those growing
out of the revenues and expendi-
lures of the National Government
We all agree that expenditures
should be reduced to the lowest
amount consistent with the public
honor and safety. But what is
that? Does this include new Pa.
cific Railroads? Does this include
the improvements of your rivers
and harbors? Does this demand q
further reduction of your army and
navy? Does this include new
bounties to our brave soldiers or the
soldiers to the war of 1872? Shall
we build new forts for sea coast de.
fense, or levee the Mississippi riv.
er? Shall we fight the Indians, OF
gather them into reservations, OF
turn them over to our Quaker
friends? These are the questions
of expenditure and though often
talked of on the stump never have
been and never can be made party
questions. They depend upon the
locality of each member of Con
gress, and his personal ideas as tc
what is necessary. During the
past year Republican Congress
has greatly reduced the public ex.
penditures. Aside from the interes,
of the public debt and the pension
fund, neither of which can be ma
terially changed by Congress, the
national expenditure has been re
duced to about S10O,0OO,OOO, ano
certainly ought to be reduced with.
in that sum. When we consider the
rapid increase Of our country, moi
only in population, but in the ex
tent Of territory, brought under
control of civil law, and the value
of our currency, this is as small s
sum as will maintain the Govern


ment. Another thing a Republican
President is now doing. He il
actually reducing the public expen
ditures within the appropriations
In Johnson's time, the heads O
departments and the President re
peatedly violated the law, and in
creased expenses beyond the amoun


of appropriations, and we had te
pass deficiency bills. Now we know
that Gen. Grant means to prevent
all expenditure, unless it is ex
rressly provided by law. His ad