The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1868-05-05

Mack Washington Correspond
ent Of the Cincinnati CONNER
Cial, Radical, and Ben Wade's
Marietta Speech.
Ben Wade, in his Marietta speech last
fall, abused all foreign-born citizens in
scandalous manner, and now he denies
doing anything Of the kind. "Mack" re-
ported that speech and here is what he
writes the Commercial, of April 29. in re.
gard to it: A
"Sturdy old Ben is out in another con-
tradiction. This time it is in relation to
a speech made by him in Marietta last
fall, and reported by me. He made very
unprovoked and unjustifable attack upon
adopted citizens of all sorts, using the
expression that some Of them "knew less
than the horses they Drove" Lately q
German fellow. citizen called upon sturdy
old Ben for an explanation Of this re-
markable speech, and sturdy old Ben fell
back upon the old tactics Of saying twas
all a id lie. He never said any such
thing, especially about the Germans. On
the contrary, he had always had the most
profound respect and esteem for the Ger
mans, as an industrious, energetic and
thriving people. It was the Irish he
meant at Marietta-the Did Irish--so
he says. Now, if any persons feel desi-
rous of earning something in the way Of
small bet, perhaps he can do it by ac-
ceptlng a wager, which I hereby offer,
that if an Irishman will 60 to sturdy old
Ben for an explanation Of that Marietta
speech, sturdy old Ben will tell him he
never meant anJ reflection upon the Irish
at all, but it was the did Dutch be was
driving at. In the course Of the tete-a-
tete sturdy old Ben will probably say that
so far from entertaining any hostility to
the Irish, he was very fond of the Irish
character, being in fact an Irishman him
self; and this, / take it, would be about
the worst SANDER ever uttered against the
Green Isle, which has produced a great
many varieties of the human species, but
never yet, thank fortune, a sturdy old
Ben.
aThat Marietta speech was an indecent
and inexcusable yituperation--an attempt
to justify negro suffrage by contrasting
the ignorance of foreigners with the in
telligence of the negroes. 1t will not do
for Mr.. Wade or any of his friends to say
at this late day that the report was an in
correct one, or that sturdy old Ben did
not say precisely what 7 represented him
as saying. The report was literal and ex-
acknowledged so by persons who
heard the speech and afterwards read it in
the Commercial. 1t was acknowledged
SO to me by sturdy old Ben himself a
week after its appearance. had heard
that his friends had undertaken to deny
its accuracy, and 1 inquired of sturdy old
Ben whether I had not reported him just
as he had spoken. He replied unhesita-
|tingly in the affirmative; but now he says
he never said such thing as that foreign
ers know less than the horses they drive;
and in conversation with the correspond
ent of the Cincinnati Volksblatt he dis
covers an attachment to, and reverence
for, the German element sufficient to make
one believe him more than half Dutch
man, and to entitle him to be called the
Baron ven Ben.
ssIt is easy to understand why this
acorrection" is made lust new. The Chi.
cago ;Conyention is soon to meet, and
sturdy old Ben wants to be nominated
for Vice President. His Marietta speech
is very we'll remembered by the German
element, and it is felt that something must
be done to appease the ire of the German
element, which that Marietta speech ex-
cited. Hence the conversation with the
Volksblatt correspondents. But it won't
do. There are hundreds of foreigners in
Marietta who heard the speech of sturdy
old Ben, and who will very readily con-
tradict any attempt to soften its rudeness
or explain away its unprovoked insult to
every adopted citizen. If sturdyold Ben
is nominated at Chicago, neither Ger
man nor an Irishman can vote the Radi.
cal ticket without indorsing his yillainous
vituperation. That Marietta speech lost
hundreds of votes to the Republican
ticket in Ohio last fall. It will lose count
less thousands of them throughout the
country next fall, if sturdy old Ben is
put upon the ticket with Grant at Chica-
go. Forewarned is forearmed; so let the
Radical managers select a decent candi.
date for Vice President. Sturdy old
Ben, with all his patronage in perspect-
i've, will be dead weight which no par
ty can carry"
All foreign-born citizens should care
fully peruse and preserve the above as
proof that the Jacobin leaders consider
the Negroes their superiors. Remember
the slanderers at the ballot-box.
b@DR.@, of New Orleans, is in
Washington at present. He was dele
gate from Louisiana to the Charleston
Convention, and a strong Douglas man.
wrr - .