Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-10-16
An ELOQUENT Speech by Schuyler Coiiax'


Indiana:
come here for still another purpose.
If was not to make political speech IL
ia unnecessary. You know right well, as
Won read the newspapers, what my opln-
ions are on the great questions OF the day.
I have felt that selfrespect and propriety
forbid my entering the political arena, to
analyze, discuss and criticise the principles
and policy of those arrayed against us.
I will not deny that have longed thus to
speak in this campaign, but have felt that
when persons are selected for the two
highest offices in the nation, as they are
indeed the highest in the world, that
sense of propriety should restrain them
from bitter or personal attacks or crltl-
cisms on the position and character OF OPP
posing candidates Whatever, therefore,
others may do, must be faithful to my
own convictions, and avoid such course.
In regard to the principles, policy, plat
form and lettersTof the Democratic candi-
date and party, my lips are sealed.
But there is,one subject on which my
lips are not, and never can be, sealed, until
they are sealed in death, and that is the
glorious record made by this noble, pat
riotic Republican party. That record Will
stand forever, written in letters OF living
truth and light on the most brilliant pages
of our country's history. OF this record
can feel and say, as you can, let .posterlty
read this, and let posterity judge. Oh,
what record it is When this country
was racked to its very centre, by the shock
of contending armies; when the degener-
ate sons of the country raised their re-
bellious hands against our flag; when
men proved themselves unworthy of their
birth, and sought to trample in the dust
that banner of beauty and glory; when
they sought to make it the winding sheet
of the worlds hopes-there was one party
among whose numbers not single man
was unfaithftll to the Constitution and flag,
and that was the Republican party
Where, ask, would have been the coun-
try to-day if there had been no Republ-
can party? You would not have had
country left to be proud Of Our country
lives, because we dared to stand up and
saw the last man and the last dollar shall
go, if necessary, to put down this internal
conspiracy. We knew this war would
build up large public debt, and we knew
that tax laws must be passed to pay IT,
We knew these things were unpopular,
but we said this is necessary for the saliva
ton of our dear land, and must be done.
Your Representative and | said ii it drives
us into private life we will vote for these
tax bills for only by these can our banner
be kept flying in the field.
don't speak to-day to gain votes. 1t
would be unnecessary, if | was disposed
to do so. The result of the election is
lust as certain as if the votes were al
ready counted out in November. Great
applause When the time came, in the
PROGRESS of the war, that CONSUMPTION was
necessary, we knew how unpopular
draft must be-; but our soldiers were
dying from sickness in hospitals, and
being shot down by rebel bullets, and we
found this was the only way to keep our
ranks full. We had but one motive, and
that was to save our country and your
Representative and I said that though the
act drive us into private life, our vote
shall be recorded in favor OF any and
every law necessary to crush the rebellion.
We took the responsibility and the coun-
try was saved, and you rejoice over that
salvation to-day and do not regret that the
essential means were used. We had to
levy internal taxes to pay the public debt,
but we are reducing the taxes every year,
and they will be further reduced every
year, until we will tax luxuries and i'm
ported articles only. The time will soon
come when this will be sufficient to meet
the wants of the Government.
That is not all, but it is enough to
crown with eternal glory and honor those
who dared to stand in the gap; to risk all
for the salvation of the country. But that
is not all. Oh, no. Let us look still fur
Their at the record of this party. You
know how, for years and years, we hid our
faces in shame because of that
greatest of all disgraces, American
slavery. When that institution, the sum
of all villainies, had plunged the country
into terrible civil war, after three years
of forbearance, Mr.. Lincoln issued his
proclamation declaring if the Southern
people continued to murder Union SOL
diers a hundred days more, he. would
strike the institution with the battle-ax of
the war power, and shatter it from turret
to foundation stone. We stood by him
unswervingly in that exciting contest. Do
you not remember how faithfully every
one of you Republicans stood by our no.
BILE and martyred standard bearer? Do
you not remember how we were de-
neunced for it, and had invectlve and
calumny heaped upon us without stint !;
how we were called fanatics and negro
worshipers, and accused OF making war
to free the negroes, and not to save the
Union? In Congress, on the stump,
through the press, our enemies
endeavored to overwhelm us
with the torrent Of calumny.
But, inspired by the same devotion to lib
erty and Union which inspired our fathers
in the Revolution, you persevered, un-
awed, unchecked by the tempest of in
vective that ragged around you upon every
side at last you triumphed. You blotted
out the stain from the national escutcheon,
and, at last, you could stand up in the
great Republic and proclaim, from the
hundred harbors of Maine to that far-dis-
tant Pacific State whose foam is amber
and whose sand is gold, throughout the
domain of this vast Republic, that there
was not single man who could stand up
and call himself master, nor call another
man his slave.
This, fellow Republicans, was your
work, and of this you should be proud, as
one of the noblestl legacies you can trans
nit to your children. In this great act OF
Justice and liberty you have been honored
by the world, and 1 sincerely believe ap-
proved by Almighty God. Where are
the men now who pointed the finger Of
scorn at you, and who filled their mouths
with revilings at you because you dared
to strike at slavery? Not tongue OF
these men dare to wag now; they are as
silent as the tomb, every one of them
You and l shall pass away, but what we
have accomplished shall live in all future
history, and brighten under the eyes o.
posterity. As age after age rolls away
your children's children will rise up tc
call you blessed, because, in the midst o.