Year: 1876

! ing perpetrated by high officials of the
general government are being punished,
even in part but it is a greater comfort
| to know that public attention, without re-
gard to party leanings, is being turned to
the cause of this sckening state OF things,
which may be found in the inherent cor
ruption OF the present governing party,
ans. its long continuance in power An
influential western paper very truly says
that the true theory OF the American gov
| ernment is to preserve the rights of the
people against the eEcroachments of the
rulers and party leaders. The mere fact
that for while the majority of the peo-
pie follow the lead of an administration
or the dictates of party leaders. does not
| necessarily indicate that the will of the
people is not being violated Deception,
party prejudice, the ignorance Of the mass
es OF the ultimate designs ofthe managers,
and many other things frequently lead the
masses OF the people to sustain party,
| ~,
leaders and managers thereof, are really
defrauding the people and trampling on
their dearest rights.


But the people at times wake up. Their
| eyes suddenly open to discover that they
are the dupes OF designing men and that
they have been following the fortunes of
men whose only object is personal ag-
| grandizement and plunder. The people
OF this country to-day see the political sit
uation in light that convinces them that
the Republican party leaders have been
most wickedly betraying the trust reposed
in them; that the interest and wcll-being
OF the masses of the people are grossly
sacrificed to the rapacity of the few The
history Of Republican legislation in this
country shows no favor to the masses.
The common people, without money or
influence, have received no consideration
at their hands.


The tariff Legislation Of the Republican
party has been marked with most shame
| full disregard of justice to the masses, and
| directly in the interest OF aggregated cap
ital With the shallow pretense of rails
| ing the revenue. tax has been levied on
articles of common use, that, while it put
one dollar into the treasury of the United
States it put nine into the pockets OF man
utacturing corporations. The people en-
masse had to pay ten dollars when if the
tariff had been properly adjusted they
would have had to pay but one The fl
nanclal legislation of the country shows
the same discrimination in favor Of the
rich. The necessities of the government
| involved the credit system, and the paper
currency, irredeemable in gold. was put
forth to represent a portion OF the nations
debt and this was done in a way to give
double profit to the bankers. Vast amounts
Of the legal tender were issued when the
country was prosperous. and speculative
industry became ready to develop the re-
sources OF the country, but at the bidding
of the bankers and moneyed corporations
| contraction commenced aud hundreds of
millions OF the currency was destroyed
An internal revenue tax drained the coun-
try OF the currency, and suddenly in the
complications of commercial chicanerv
the money power became paralyzed on Il
Black Friday, and at its bidding expan-
sion ensued. Then again, when that pow
er had so hedged about for its own profit
that by contraction it could better oppress
| the people. contraction was again resum-
| ed, and SO it has proceeded until the pre-
sent day, the weaker yielded to the grasp
of the powerful until all speculative indus
tries have been brought to stand still
and capital stands threatening with its
! mortgage grasp to assert the ownership
OF the material wealth Of the country


The same one-sided policy has obtained
in the subsidy legislation OF the dominant
party. Instead of making it easy for the
masses OF the people to secure homes in
our possessions in the West, instead of di-
vlding it out in liberal homesteads to the
soldiers of the republic, the vast domain
has been given away to gigantic corpora
tions, whose capital amounted to scores
of millions, thus enriching the few and
defrauding the many The leaders of the
Republican party, in all these schemes of
robbery and plunder, surfeiting them
selves with accepted bribes of stock and
gold. Rings within rings have enabled
! congressman, senator's, cabinet officers,
revenue collectors, contractors, to retire
with brief terms of service into the luxu-
rious occupation of clipping coupons from
government bonds. A brief recapitula-
ton of the various systems of government
swindling in which the Republican lead
ers have had their hands elbow deep,
would sicken the heart of true patriot.
Laws have been passed through congress
without suspicion on the part of the pub
lie of a shadow of wrong, underneath
which lay concealed the most gigantic
wrong, all premeditated and planned, the
members having the prices of their votes
in their pockets while they answered to
their names.


1t is now very certain that the whiskey
revenue law was conceived in the interest
OF monstrous system of corruption that
is laid bare before the world to-day. It
made it impossible for honest men to be-
come distillers, and placed then in the
hands of dishonest government officials
the power to deal with these dishonest
men for their own profit. No doubt gi-