Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-02-05
SPEECH OF
Hon. ROBERT RANTOUL, Jr.
On the Coalition.
IN REPLY TO HON. GEORGE T. DAVIS.

lltT Is III Tue QltSllOl UGlUIb tlIe CUlIlUllllee : III
deed, | would not have troubled The committee
IDS | am also vely unwilling to do it-wlth any
remarks of mine, il there had not been cast up
on my native State an imputation 50 serious as
to demand immediate notice from me. A ma
iority of the people of Massachuset s are Invol-
we'd together in an lmputation which, it seems
to me, the honor of the people of that great
State, without distinction Of party, requires
should not, when it is thus cast upon her by Il
representative of one of her COngressional dis
tricts, on this floor, himself a native son Of hers,
be suffered 10 pass unrrpellcd. The lmputatiOl
is one of corruption-nnt, as | understand 1t, up
on a few leaders of a single political party, but
upon a vast majority of the voters of the Com
monwealth of Massachusetts-o a State which
has stood so high in this country since it began
to have a history, and which | am proud TO be-
lIeve has never forfeited her pristine rank in the
glorious sisterhood Of confed rated States.-
That such an tmputallon upon the people of
such a State should be noticed upon this floor as
soon as it is made, seems to me so plain that |
should think myself without excuse If | kept my
seat under such d call to speak here. Sir, Mas
sachusetts bears a name too Respondent with
the glones Of her colonial and revolutionary his
tory to be questioned by her children. She has
maintained her high standard of patriotism, and
virtue, and honor, too long, too uniformly, too
brilliantly, too have supposed for a moment that
a true son OF hers would endGavor to see her
fair fame sullied without rushing to her defence.
Sir, the imputation of corruption Is made here
upon two political parties, which the gentleman
estimates to contain forty three thousand IN the
one party and twenty eight thousand in the 9TH
era majority, according to his own calculation,
of the voters who take sufficient interest in DO
Iitlcal matters to present themselves at The polls.
That is the charge, and 1t is to that that ad.
dress myself. And first, let me answer as to
that portion of those voters with whom | am di.
rectly and politically identified, and have been
for more than a score Of years, though a series,
scarcely paralleled, of hard-fought batlles-I
mean the democratic party Of Massachusetts,
But before gong into the details Of this matter,
let me make one general observation, and |
shall appeal to the knowledge and conscious
ness Of every man that hears me, whether | am
justified in what | am about TO say, and that is,
that il there be any political party Iii any
State in this Union whose history places it above
the suspicion Of corruption, from its peculiar
position, it is the indefagitabIe and IndomtabIe
Democracy of the State Of Massachusetts; be.
cause there is no party in any State of the I'm
ion that has stood up against such odds, against
such disadvantages, against such actual losses
and sacrifices, as he Democratic party Of Mas
sachusetts, and every man in that party, has
confronted and sustained for very many years
past. WHY, who are the Democrats Of that
State The Iaborlng men Of the State, and
some mcn of talent who are not l%ab0rlng, bur
who are not Glrn oil capital and property. And
against whom are they contendlng? Against
the whole aggregate mass of the capital Of New
England, concentrated in the eastern portion Of
the State Of Massachusetts. That is the POSI-
ton OF the two parties. Now, | ask, If there
be corruption in the State Of Massachusetts
and do not deny that there Is corruption, more
or less, everywhere, III every state aud nation
under h~ea2en-but if there be corruption inthe
State of Massachusetts, where Is II? Prima
fuCia The answer is a pretty plain one. The
corruption 10 where the means OF corruption ex-
ist. There are several hundred millions of cap
lial piled up in and about the city of Boston,
There is no pihnr such aggregate Of wealth in
so few hands on the American continent; and
If there should be corruption there, it IL that
v st, unequaIIed mass of capital that purchases
whatever Is venal. This capital, like other
cIpltaI, is by the instincts Of its holders, ad.
verse to democratic principles. Conceive the
effect of this on the position of political parties.
The Democrats are mostly Of the laborlng class
es. do not say that there is bribery there;
but say if there be, i; is the rich that bribe the
poor, and not the poor thtt brlbe the rich. Up
on that position, then start IN the examination.
The Democratic party of Massachusetts consists
of men who stand up against their own indivilu-
al interests and this every man NAV know that
will pass through that state, and not shut his
eyes to facts around him. Is there an operative
in a factory who does not know that his place is
less secure to him it he votes the Democratic
ticket than if he votes the Wing ticket? Is
there an agent in a factory who does not know
the same thing Els there Il porter or a stevedore
on u wharf who does not feel his certainty of
iutu.e employment sensibly diminished if he is
known, nav, if he is even suspected, to be a
Democrat? Is there a storekeeper there, not q
Wing, who does not know that those who would
be his best customers pass by his door because
he does not happen to be Of the same politics,
and that the customers whom he gets in their
place do not expend with him such large sums
of money ? Is there a physician or a professional
man of anykInd who does not know that he
mikes heavy sacrifices if he adopts and profess
Is ll9 81 Cull6u ltIGSlGo LtldL IdNG UeeI 50 un-
popular formerly with the powerful of Massa-
cdusetts? Is there u lawyer of any tUlent, who
is a Democrat, who does not know that he could
quadruple his practice by simply protesting to
be a Wing? Clergymen, physicians, laborers,
tradesmeO all classes OF mel make sacrifices
by belonging to the Democratic party. No
mortal man in Massachusetts ever made sacfi.
fees by joining the Wing party, but tens of
thousands Of Democrats have sacrificed a large
propo ton Of their means of support by standing
up to what they believed to be sound, and true
aud r ght. That is the position ofthe Demo-
cratic ty o. Massachusetts, and that has been
its history fom its commencement down to the
present Tine. Against this party particularly is
the charge ofcOrruption aimed, and what Is the
ground of that charge? 1t is brought down 10
the alleged iact of a coalition.
Before going into The character of the alleged
coalition, let me ask, are coalitions 10 them
sslves wrong? Is it wrong that those who seek
a common object, should cooperate to effect
that object? Am to stop to inquire whether
my nelghbOr thinks as do upon all questions
all important questions, if you please-betore [
act with him upon any one important question ?
II the Capitol is on fire, ami the engines in the
Rolundo, and not men enough to man the
brlkes, must | refuse to fall IN aud help to work
for the salvation Of the common interest, and to
exlingnIsh the conligratiOn, because there hap.
o ans ~ be a man to work there for the same OBJ.
jest, who entertains different sentiments fion
me. on religion. for instance, the most important
C ,ncern Of man - he being a Catholic, and a
Protestant? Every man will say al once, that
he man would be al idiot who would suffer his
energies to be paralysed by s%eruples, against
the coalition in such a case, though it might be
a coalition with the atheists and drunkards, po-
lygamisrs and monarchists. ! hold that as a
general thing, for those to act together who de.
s re a great public object, impossible to be &C.
cutnplished without their union, shows thet they
are mpn of sense and understand how TO effect
ther object. What do all these men who cry
out against she alleged coalition in Massachu-
sets do in respect OF coalition among hem.
Do they Isolate themselves Does
each man stand apart from his nei !hbnrs with
whom he differs on any important question? II
they did, there would be no parties IN this couu.