The Plymouth weekly Democrat., 1867-07-25
SPEECH
HON. GEO. Il. PENDLETON,
OF OHIO,
To the People Of Minnesota,
DELIVERED AT
Saint Paul, July IL, 1867.

thank you for this friendly greeting
| have for a long time desired to visit these
new Northwestern States. | had heard
who has not of the fertility Of their
soil, of the beauty of their scenery, of the
healthfulneSs of their climate. of the Won
derful development, which has, as If by
the magic of a fairy's wand, converted
their forests into farms and cities. [ had
read from one who wrote with masters's
power of these great cantral plains, where
the st. Lawrence and the Mississippi kiss
each other before they separate fer their
long journeys to the oceans-above which
the sun at It's zenith seems to llnger in ad-
miration for moment in its ceaseless
course to the Pacifc-where the icy blasts
OF the North are melted to cool breezes in
the warm embrace of the sultry winds Of
the Southland where, under the infu-
ence of all that is beautiful in nature, and
all that is impressive in the character of a
people made up of all the families Of our
Caucasian race, the soul Of an American
country's opportunities and his own du
ties. But | wished to see them with my
eyes-to know them by my own expert
encc, that | might, by the intimacy of per-
sonal association, warm up still more, if
that is possible, the fervor of my patriot
ism and add one more to the unnumbered
ties of affection and admiration and inter-
est which bind my heart to my country.
desired especially to visit Minnesota,
for, like him to whom | have alluded. |
was one CT those who aided in admittin g
her to the Union, [applause] and welcom-
ing her TO the full possession of all the
powers and rights and dignities OF the
original States. When your committee
invited me to meet here to-day. vast num-
bers. not only Of my own countrymen, but
of that portion Of them who are one with
me in common political faith, one with
me IN opinion as to the truo administra-
tion OF the Government, with the assurance
that they would give me hearty welcome,
[ determined at once to crafty my wish.
And SO | camc-threading the valley of
the Man traversing the fertile farms of
Indiana, The vast prairies of Illinois,
the teemiDg grain fields and picturesque
lakes of Wisconsin, across the Mississippi
with its castellated bluffs, across the up
land plains of your river counties, carpcted
with the most brilliant wild flowers, and
laden with the weight of the coming har-
vest, to fad in your attractive city, in this
unequaled scene, at the very threshold of
your peerless State, every promise of gran
deur and beauty fulfilled, and every antc-
ipation more than realized. Cheers
In Ohio they are fond of telling us that
the Democratic party is dead, The news
papers assert it, the stump speakers an
nounce it, the State Convention annually
breaches its funeral sermon and writes its
epitaph If their wishes were consulted
it would not only be dead, but damned al
SO. Loud cheers. ] Let them look upon
this scene. Let them hear the shouts with
which | have been welcomed, merely he
cause | am an Ohio Democrat, [cheers, |
and although they may assert again that
the old party is dead, they will do it with
the cheerful air with which the boy whis-
ties as he goes through the graveyard,
looking with fearful glance behind, around
over the shoulder, lest the dead may come
to life again. or his ghost may be sitting
above his grave. [Cheers.] The Demo
cratic party dead!. Within month
have been to the far East. / have seen
the brave and constant and unflinching
Democrats Of Massachusetts,; | have seen
the Democrats of Connecticut jublant over
the result of their late conflict TCheers. |
| have seen the Democrats of New York,
and Pennsylvania. and Ohio, marshaling
their powers for the contest in October.
i have seen the Democrats of Kentucky
vigorous, unfaltering in the very midst of
their fght-and everywhere, whether in
the East or the South, or the great Cen
trail States-in every condition, whether
enjoying the fruits of victory or gathering
up of their forces after the pressure of de-
feat, or putting on their armor for another
struggle, find it a. living, vigorous, act
i've, energetic party; and here, thousand
miles away, in the great Northwest, l find
the same party, sustained by the same
courage, animated by the same hope, and
vitalized by the same devotion to epria-
ciples aud forms of government which have
for seventy years permitted a development
of individual liberty and collective pros.
perity without parallel iu the history of