Year: 1871

IAk6n dlOller-LlNb llefe Is no protection
for one unless there is oppression Of another.
Neither is it the protection of American labor
against foreign labor, for at no moment Of dihi-
10 bring in foreign labor where they could, from
ScotlandA England and Wales for the iron. and
the Chinese for the works in New England.


need give no details as to the tariff for they
of the manufacturer, and the great body Of labor
reformers are fully awake to the sublect-men
too acute to be deceived and tso numerous to be
disregarded.


THE KU-KLUx BILL.


Nor need more than refer to the Ku-Kltx bill
so-called, which surrenders TO the President the
right to Judge when the hdbodS corpus should be
suspended, and giving the power to use the army
to any extent which the trainers Of the govern
ment would not grant to the Father Of his Coun-
try, and which nobody, If freeman, should en-
trust to any mortal man, much less to a man
whose whole education and life, associations and
tendencies, have been with soldier s and not with
citizens; legislation for which they refused in
quiry at the eommeneement Of the session, took
no steps during the session. nor until the extra
session began, when they felt that from their con-
duct on the santa Domingo question they were
losing the confidence ofthe country. and that they
must continue in session until the Eu-Kiux bill
was passed, and so endeavor 70 raise some qnee:-
ion which would overturn the reason OF the peo-
pie by exciting again those passions born
Of the war, and which should have died at its
close.


DEBT AND cuRREzcT


few words will dispose of what have to say
to the public debt and the currency. We are
paying off the public debit This is the only ans
wer 20 any argument against this administration
which you hear from an intelligent man. I be-
lieve We are reducing 1t but 20 what amount and
from what sources. who has been able TO say! We
every man N business feels, and II Il We're HSH re
which now exceed the whole annual expenses Of
the administration Of the younger Adams, we
of the country-at least until there should be men
in Washington whose interest, well as duty il
would be . expose, and bring TO punishment the
1t win be well remembered that, in the year
preceding che Presidential election, the Republi-
can State Convention passed resolutions almost
identical with our own have heard recently
that they ''paltered with us in double sense"
and that a gentleman Who in intellect and charae-
ter had other things to give him honor had strRg-
gled for hours to make their construction doubt
ful to the P9oPle- They had all the advantage in
upon the same ground that we did. And not more
than three Republican members ofCongress could
the financial question, stood on the same ground
as was occupied by the Democrats, and two Of
although believe you are too shrewd to pay
more than you owe, or to pay gold where you are
only bound to pay green6aeks; cannot give the
and felt it where addressed the people.


Now 1t is not necessary for me to argue that by
the law Of their issue and the face Of the $50
bonds their interest was payable in gold, and the
principal in greenbacks. The bonds Of 1881, and
the IO-4O bonds were each but on different points
in law, payable, both principal and interest, in
gold.





ing at different times and at rates OF interest not
exceeding ~ per cent Now twas clear that the
greenbacks if they were the currency at the time
of maturity, and in gold If at that time had re-
turned to the old currency of the constitution.
What means did the Secretary and Congress re-
sort to, for the purpose OF accomplishing result
so much desired1 Did they tell them that 1t was
doubtful whether the country could have returned
to specie payment when the bonds came due
lwaiving ali argument on the right TO call them
would be the part Of wisdom 70 x the relations Of
debtor and creditor by issuing another bond at a
lover rate in which law and bond should declare
the principal as well as the interest payable in
gold3 No, they knew who were the creditors and
who were the debtors; the creditors were the
the debtors were the whole people who did pay
taxes. 1t is true there was duty on side but
hesitate. The first act OF the first Congress Of the
administration Of General Grant was approved on
the 18th of March, lse4 bearing this title; '.An
act to strengthen the public credit" Its text is


aThst the faith of the United States is solemnly
Of all the obligations of the United States, not
bearing interest known as United States notes,
and of all interest-bearing obligations Of the
United States, except in cases where the law au-
thorizing their issue has provided that they may
gold. None shall be paid before maturity, unless
United States notes shall be convertible for gold
~ pArs OF unless AT sucn tllIie DonuS at q lower
rate of interest than the bends to be redeemed
can be sold at par in coin"


There is no dificulty in ascertaining the mean



se1re. It pledges what was not pledged before,
the faith of the government to the payment Of all
bonded Indebtedness, except the seven-thirties
in coin 1t provides against the government fall
ing into other hands, and prevented even aSecre-
tary Of the Treasury Of their own, differing from
them on this question, paying any obligations be-
fore maturity. unless greenbacks are at Rar with
gold, or unless bonds at lower rate of interest
can be sold at par in coin 1t is intended to cut
off from a determination of this question by the
political power of the government, without sub
jecting the eountry+o the imputation of a viola
ton of Uublic faith eEuressiV Di0dead bafora he
world


This act besides prevented any determination
favorable to the taxpayer by the Supreme Court,
had the United States allowed suit to be brought
to test the construction Of five-tWenty bond be-
cause the act although not In terms declaratory
one, did give the previous act a Legislative con-
struction:


There had been no desire on the part of the
party to repudiate the debt but to pay it honest
ly and according to the law and the contract; and
If the decisions of the Supreme Court had been
allowed to stand, holding the legal tender act un-
constitutional, there would haYe been little more
disturbance on this question in the West, and
people might have reconciled themselves to the
necessity of submitting to an injustice which
they could not avoid.


ENORMOUS EXPENSES AND NEGLECT OF DcTY.
You have already read from other persons serv-
ing in Congress. and necessarily more familiar
than can be with the expenses Of Congress and
the several departments, the enormous sums
which are expended; but as / wish to shorten as
much as. can MY remarks to-day, / shall say
nothing as to their details. They are euormons
enough to stsrtle any one who viii set himself to
wanting in duty 10 you if 1 did not refer TO the
fact that nearly all the Cabinet officers habitu-
ally absent from Washington, when under former
administrations, with far less labor to perform,
the President was at his post, and large majori-
ty of the Cabinet officers Public affairs go to
rack without the eye of the master, Just As your
fortunes would go to-day If you failed to oversee
government is allowed to manage itself, and the
people IN charge are at their pleasures or their
private affairs.


se
attention because the Presidents connected with
il. allude to santa Domingo, and speak of 1t
from the President himself and to him comes
home the responsibility for this business. / say
like barnacles, because do not know that the
charge is true, and there enormities enough
about it to require no such added shame. They
have been exposed by one Of the victims of the
atrocity-the Senator from Massachusetts-and
by Senator Sehurz, whom they would have made
victim il they dared. No mat. r what we may
think of the opinions of the Senator OF OfMassaehu-
setts, OF his bearing, as arrogant He self
poised, conscious Of his strength. and, assured
of the fullness OF his knowledge Of the subject,
how could he but feel equal TO his task and con
scious that those who were assailing him knew
nothing Of the matter7 His peers on the floor in
intellect, though none approached him in the de-
tailed knowledge OF the affair, all sympathized
and those who looked TO The other end az tbe
avenue who Joined in the attack upon him. But
they fell upon him in the senate and struck him
down from his high piaNe by blows as ruthless
and cowardly as ever fell in that chamber before.


Their excuse was that he was not in accord
with the administration. A noble conception in
deed of the duty and once of Senatorl Not in
accord with the President who had told as be-
fore. and who told us again, when this scheme
was turning to ashes on his lips that he had ano
opinion Of his own in Opposition to the opinion Of
the people" when every one connected with the
administration was doing his utmost to disparage
Mr.. Sumner then, and are now filling the mails
with the speeches OF a man famous for his admi-
nistratiOn of department, and who are endeaV-
oring to bring to bear the power of great church
on this question, and which, fortunately is meet
ing from the religious organs of the denomina-
tion the fate which 1t deserves. And all this
Santo Domingo question, the purchase OF a part
of an island distant from our coasts, inhabited,
the larger part Of it, ky hostile nation with
whom we would be instantly at war, had never
been known Of or noted by our people, except =
few spectators, who, careless Of any patriotic
view, hoped to win money by 1t when the waters
were troubled.


rHE PRESIDENTS ABUSE or POWER.


shall only say Of his appointment Of the last
two Judges ofthe Supreme Court that has made
the judicious grieye, and II the prevailing motive
was TO change to his viii the decision Of that
great tribunal on a question affecting the whole
Country, It brings reproach on the court which It
has never borne before, assuming, as do that
the Judges appointed had no connection with
their promotion, their views on the legal tender
act being enough. regret to call attention to
kf ~