Address Of The Democratic State Central Committee

You are on the threshold of an important campaign. The niemory of the past twenty years and their sucoession of reverses is not without its lessons for the future. In ten cainpaigns you have met defeat without dishonor. You have stood in your power and niight, a rebuke to reckless trespassing upon constitutional rights, and, although you are always in the minority, you have by persistent and patriotic effort iuaintaiued yourselves as a bulwark against the encroachmeuts of the Re publican party on all that is held sa cred by tho American peoplo. Wit courage and honesty you have coutend ed for principio and sound goverumen Against insidious bribery, shnmelesscor ruption and bold trilling with the or ganic law of the land, you have fough for tho preservation of those principie upon which our government is rearec and only by the wise application o which, in the administratiou of the laws the property of the country can be se secured and the Union perpetuatec But for your honorable course in tb. politics of the country the burdensoin ovils of state we all now deplore, woulc be alarmingly aggravated. These evils are the results of the mal admiuistration of tho party im power and have had the effect of paralyzin all branches of industry, annilnlatin our commerce and debauching the pub lic conscience by confounding all dis tinction betweon right and wrong. Be hold the list : Frauds in the Army frauds in the Navy ; frauds in the Inte rior Department ; frauds in the Treas ury ; revenue frauds ; whisky frauds Indian frauds ; custom house frauds civil servies frauds ; frauds in the arch itect's office ; frauds in tho Attoruey Genera I's office ; post-tradership frauds the disgraceful array cuhninating in th gigantic fraud of frauds- tne electora frauds of 1876, which in the judgmen of the world is a high-handed outrag - a revolutionary attack upon consti tutional rights, which will become a mischievous and fatal precedent unies rebuked by the people in the couiinj election. Our governineut íb one of th people, for the people, and by the peo pie, and yet in the last Presidentia election the candidato in whose favo the popular will was expressed by a majority of 300,000 was counted out anc the man not elected was inaugurated. By characteristic cunning the Repub licans have sought to make the financia question the main issue. This is an attempt to draw public atteption frotn their shameful record of thievery anc corrupt bargaining. But the people understand this aud will not be de ceived. In this campaign they purpose putting the Republinan party on tria under an indictment for its shame ful abuse of power and wretched man agement of national affairs. For the past seveu teen years the Dein ocratic party has not been in power aud, consequontly, its great principie of government have not been appliec in the legislation of the country. Henee the grave evils the country is laboring under. But the Democracy can iu no way be responsible for these evils. Con sistently and persisently the Democrats have opposed afc every step the entire Republican policy iu niatters of finance and especially the policy of contrac tion, which has "contracted" the prop erty of tho country, real and personal nearly out of existence. Every means of relief proposed in the last five years has come from the Democratie side in Cougress, and it is the conviction of al fair-minded men that, regarding the condition of the country as wo find i to-day, full, ampio, general, complete and permanent relief can come only through the triumph of Demooratic principies. In view of the present situation o the country we cali upon you to asseri your independence and determine to make in the present campaign au heroic effert in the cause of sound democracy and honest government. Condemn ai the ballot box the frauds that have been perpetrated aud rebuke the perpetrators. Remember that Rome feil when the voice of her people was siuotberec by chicanery and corruption. Remember that by tho samo causes the fate of one great republic may overtake another. Remember that the brightest and most prosperous days of the republic wero when it was under Democratie rule. Remember that the evils and burdeii8 we now labor under are chargeable to the Republican party, and that however numerous and burdensome they may bo the combined statesmanship and patriotism of the Democratie party are sufficient to remedy them. Democrats of Michigan, we have the National House of Representatives, and we have the Senate, our aim should be to preserve our majority in both these branches of tho government with the view of securing the executive branch in 1880. This we can accomplish by unitcd and harmonious action. Be prompted by honest motives, be guided by the signs of the times. Do not trifle with tho aims and noble purposes of the Ejreat party to which you have so long been attached. Do not triflo with the destinies of the Union, for the preservation of which so many valuable lives have been sacrificed. Be true, bo uonest, be firrn, and act unitedly and uarmoniously to reclaim the country from dishonest and incapable rule. In this campaign let yonr motto be, Honest men, Honest measures, Honest government, and your watchword, "No Condonation of Fraud." WM. B. MORAN, Chninnan Pcmocratic State Central Coininittec.