The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-12-24

II lney were permitted.
John Bright ON American Democ.
- T18 ~ sv racys c Wn -ee
At the same meeting at which Mr2 Cob.
den made his noble speech in defense Of
freedom and the North, the other cham
pion of human rights, who is loved and
honored in this country even ,aore than
he is in his own, John Bright, paid the
following glowing tribute to tho power of
democracy:
"But there is one point of this ques-
tion to which ! must refer before l sit
down. and that is, that the enemies of
popular right and power have been point
ing to the dreadful proof which is afford
ed IN America, that an extended suffrage
is thing 10 be shuuned as the most ca
lamitous thing possible to country. I
won't refer to the speeches that have dealt
With this question in this manner, or to
newspapers which have SO treated it.
believe now that great many people in
this country are beginning to see that
those who have been misleading them for
the last two or three years have been pro-
foundly dishonest or profoundly ignorant
lCheers.J Ii | am to give my opinion
upon 1t, | should say that that which has
taken place in America within the last
three years affords the most triumphant
answer TO charges Of this kind. Let u.
see the government Of the United States.
| might say good deal in favor of it in
the South even, but We will speak of the
Free States. In the North they have a
suffrage which is almost what here would
be called manhood suffrage; there are
frequent elections, vote by ballot. and
5000, 10000, and 100, 900 persons vote
at an election.
"Will anybody deny that the Govern
ment at Washington, as regards its own
people, is the strongest Government in
The world at this hour? [Cheers.l And
for this simple reason, because il is based
On the viii, and the good will, of an in-
structed people. Applause Look at
Its power | am not now discussing why
1t is. or the cause which is developing
this power but power is the thing which
men regard in these old countries, aud
which they ascribe mainly to European
institutions but look at the power which
the United States have developed They
have brought more men into tie field,
they have built more ships fo- their navy,
they have shown greater resources than
aDJ nation in Earope at ttia moment Is
capable Of. Look at the order which has
prevailed at their elections, at which, as
you see by the papers, fifty thousand, or
One hundred thousand, or two hundred
and fifty thousand persons voted ip a Civ
en- State. with less disorder than you have
seen lately in three of the smallest bor-
oughs in Eneland-Barns,able, Windsor,
and Andoyer. Laughter and cheers.
"Leek at their industry Notwith-
standing this terrible struggle, their agri-
culture, their manufactures and commerce
proceed with an uninterrupted SUCCESS
They are ruled BY President, chosen, it
is true, not from come worn out royal or
noble blood, but from the people, and
one whose truthtuiness and spolless honor
have claimed him universal praise and
now the country that has been yiHifed
through half the organs OF the press in
England ring the last three years, and
was pointed out, too, as an example to be
stunned by many Of our statesmen, that
country, now in mortal strife, affords a
haven and a hope for multiiuaes flying
from the burdens and the neglect of the
$ld Governments of Europe cheers;l and
when this mortal strife is over-when the
Union is cementcd afrcsh, for | would
~ in the language of one Of our own
poets. addressing his country.
"The graves not dag where traitor hands lay
In fearful haste thy murdered oorse away
loud cheers, then Europe and England
may learn that an instructed democracy
is the surest foundation Of government,
and thar education and freedom are the
only sources of true greatness and true
happiness among any people," I'm
mense cheering.]
GRANTS MISSISSIPPI CAMPAIGN. -
Gen. Halleck says of Grants campaign in
Mississippi: I
tSucu VIC couSiueT tue character or the
country in which this army operated, the
formidable obstacles to be overcome, the
number Of the forces. and the strength of
the enemy's works, ws cannot fail to ad-
mire the courage and endurance of the
troops, and the skill and daring of the
commander. No more brilliant exploit
can be found in military history. 1t has
been alleged. and the allegation had been
widely circulated by the press, that Gen.
Grant, in the conduct of his campaign,
positively disobeyed the instructions of
his superlors. 1t is hardly necessary to
remark that Gen. Grant never disobeyed
an order or instruction, but always carried
out, to the best of his ability, every wish
or suggestion made to him by the Gov
ernment Moreover, be had never COM
planned that the Government did not fur
nish him all the means and assistance in
its power to facilitate the execution Of any
plan he saw fit to adopt.
ORIGINAL MURILLos. Two original
Murriilos have been discovered in Paris.
Eight thousand francs we're offered for
the two BY person who casually saw
them at the auctioneer's. He declined
n 4 a b =