New-York tribune., 1868-10-21
MOTLEY ON THE CANVASS.
ADDRESS OF Ex-MINIsTER MOTLEY IN BOs-

of the Parker Fraternity Course this evening hos'"
Hall was packed with brilliant audience, wD"
gave the distinguished speaker fitting receptson'
The following is full report of
THE ADDRESS.
have been invited 20 say something tO-nlgbt
the great subject which s aitatng the country
is certainly the duty Of every good citizen TO exsD
inc for himself tile questions at Issue, when connc ns
this Is shaking half continent, aud to be decided DE-
tween the rising and setting Of the san, day RAPIDLY
approaching Aud 1t equally his duty. after hsv
ing thoroughly satisfied himself upon the merits OF tne
great debate, to do what In him lies for the iurther
ance Of that which he firmly believes the hgnh
There have been important elections In ths country
during the brief threeuarers Of century which COM
prehends the whole Of national ie-that turpueh
fu-throbbing exutant national life. the like OF wnch
the world never knew BEFORE and which Inns something
appalling in very strength For az hre span hnS
suiced to place Amercs in the foremost r"Gk VI so
great nations of hstoryf such is the iniancy Oh 'no
Republic Is she be in the nllne>s OF her power
when the centuries which are what years arc
individual, shall have brought her to maturity
On TO whom IN our generation h con'inteu tne op
resentaton OF all s stupendous vitality during tho nj
tie allotted for the playing Of parts upon this
earth, how deep is the responsibility that In our
day at least the Republic receive no detnmen''
Certainly there have been bitterlyconrc-ed elections
IN this country before Party spirit IL always rife, and IN
such vivid. excitable dsputatious comm intes our
are and trust always will be- IL IL the very soul Of free
dom. To those who reflect upon the and ends Of
popular government nothing seems more stupid than In
grand generaties TO deprecate party spirit Why, gov
ernment By parties ond through party machinery the
ouly possible method by which free Republic can &C
complish purpose of Its existence T-od Repubhcs
Of the may be said TO have fallen. not because OF
party spirit. but because there was no adequate ms
chinery by which party spirit could develop itser
with facility and regularity. Never before did
rem ReDuDliC considerable scale
exist. Popular representation, the rierlion OF men
90 speak each for q hundred thousand or moro OF
their fellow citizens at some common central p0int-fs-
mlar with II, much 80 thai seems Dke one
Of the elemental aws-was entirely unknown to the Re
publcs great and small, OF Antiquity Of the Middle
Ages That which makes the Democrats Republic poss
be and perfectly convenient on tbs vast scale OF this
country was never imagined before. TIE Democratic
force In older Republics evaporaed ns"sy or expodeh
baefuy, because engine had been invented py "nen
Man becomes master OF the superhunan strength vi
men-of the aggregated thought aud will Of great multi
tudes And free government may ccas o c free, even
although ali tho forms and appliance" Tor energetic action
are present. the party spirit, the pent expansive va
Dor which all things Is absent ar ,uihcient The
modern kingdom Of Italy has the fr~'t constitutional
form compatible with limited monarchy liberal and eI-
banded system but with the bulk OF tho
people there Is deficiency Of the popular elemeDt
the party spirit, the political steam. nave heard OF
districts where there fifteen hundred
voters and where i've thought of n: To the polls
during what should have been an exeng political can
yass Such Is the effect upon country OF centuries OF
political childhood 'of paerna aud sacerotal despotsn
The task patriot who believes IN human progress
IN political and human frcedom harder III that country
than In ours but hearts VI Italy know not DE-
spar And Republic be trne 10 herself the futnre OF
the human race assured by eximpe No sweep of
overwhelming armies, no ponderous tr~at,ses on tne
rights of man. no hymns liberty though et TO martial
ft. f,,l. - q mil
human throats exert 90 persuasive an ipnuonce -
| does the spectacle Of q great Republic, occupying
q quarter Of the civilized globe, aud governed
quietly and sagely by the Peopl" nsef Wen,
| 1 believe that there Is usually no grrat deficiency oi
party spirit with us, great lack Of democratic
steam Our tendency perhaps u exagS're the issues
aud the stakes but doubt whether be posb'e to mag
nifty the Importance Of this Presidential elcton. As citi
Iens Of free Commonwealth. therefore, whose peculiar
privilege s alone among great nations Ia elect period
cay chief for those functions which In mose
countries discharged by rulers appointed over tho
people according TO permanent aud ingenious nctions IL
this occasion ~ scan very eosey the doe
trnes promises aud the characters of the rival par
ties. Which Of the two is most tn harmony with
that great democratic principle which this Re
public must obey, II it is not To perish foreverf
Aud believe that most Of us-Repubi,lAs aud Demo
crtsare honestly desrous Of arriving at that truth, OF
obeying that law. question mans motives No man
outside madhouse hopes Wishes since the war, 70
upset American Republic ~he thing cannot be done
the Union ndissouble. So much at least has been
proved n Is worth the precious prlce wo have PAID
for IT, know that what was once believed ny millions
in this country, and almost universally outside OF It, 10
be the OF delusions now an established axiom
Let the world make the most of it, and govern itself &C
coringly Treason done s worst. bat this 6overp
mcnt has not fallen for 1t founded the roch oil
equal rights. We read the Declaration of Indepep
dence at last With solemn and majestic opening clause
which peas through the world ike coral strain pro-
Claiming new birth to the nations" that this truth
sefevident that all men are created equal that they
arc endowed by their Creator with nalenable rghts
that among these life. liberty. and the pursuit. OF hap
pness"-without o blush Q seer or feeble sophism
once the response. There many TOPICS interest
ing and important 10 all OF Oh which fully under
stand and rejoice diversity Of opinion but thsre are
great subjects on which 1t Is dimcut 10 compreneho
radical difference.
SLAVERY STILL AN ISSUE
could place myself OH tue same point q
view moral OF political. with those who thought negro
| slavery other than . misfortune aud hn IL hes
always seemed to me- the words Of our great magic
trate aud martyr, that slavery bo Eos wrong. moth
ing In wrong It is also very hard for me To under
stand how any American wish "a degrade this ma
leslie Uuion this OF the Peos by the People.
thus political scheme OF acting directly upon man,
Of Law dealing directly with rslonshie creatures
into something called Confedera,y info league o.
cruoratons into system which proved fatai 10 the
only great Republic which has preceded our our own I'D
modern tmesthat of the United Netherlands; ~sys'em
which for time seemed to strike the American people
emerging victorious from its struggle with the Britsh
Government with paralysis. out Of which our fathers IN
~ rescued US by tho glorious Nao"ai Constitutions the
sysem which jefferson Davis aud hs followers bad the
madness To thuk than the American Unon be-
the spirit negro slavery had bathed into it the
breath of Immortal llfe Yet this s~ny the question
.,,,l t ssue Some OF thought Il tcd by the great
four years agony But when thoaght the subtle and
cniled ITSELF.