The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-10-08
H, .1I' ." % SPEECH OF
, Samuel B. Ruggles,
AZ DsIhi N. ", August 40, 1898,


PRODUCTION TO a meeting Of Repub-
licans assembled at the abovo time
and place, by the Chairman
Mr., RUGGLEs said in response
that rhe sincerely thanked the
Chairman and his much and long
esteemed friend, Judge Hathaway.
for introducing him TO the meeting
as one who bad laborsd opromote
the welfare not only of the State
and the Nation. but especially Of
this important and interesting
County Of Delaware. ITdeod, ho
felt that he might almost claim to
be one of lis citizens, having Tor
more than forty years enjoyed a
portion of almost every one oftheir
summers in its pure and bracing
air, amid its .tufted hills and crys
tai stcams. He particularly dcsir-
ed also to render his grateful &C,
acknowledgements for the fattering
recognition: Of the early service
which in Gods good Providence
he had been permitted to render,
in officially commencing within
this very county-thirty three
years ago-the actual construction
of the New York & Erie Railway,
that first great link in the cont.
MENTAL chain directly connecting
the Bay Of New York with the
Golden Gate OF San Francisco. In
behalf of the County he should
ever claim as a. proud historical
fact, that the first segment tf forty
miles in the broad arch embracing
more than fifty degrees of Iongi-
tude and spanning our-3epublic
from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
was commenced in this upper val
ley Of tho Delaware, at Deposit, at
sunrise, On the Sd Of November,
1885. Como what may of chance
or change, in whatever fury Of
party madness, the historical honor
thus won by your own-let me say
our ewn-County of Delaware, can
nevor be lost. ENNE.JN.
The American Union, of which
this same county is an integral
part is on the eve of elccting
President and Vice President tol
the next four years, and you have
done me the honor to request my
attendunceon on the present occasion
when the National Flag, without
one stripe or star effaccd, but. bear
ing the names of Grant and Coltaz
is given to the breeze. | beg, how
ever, 10 say, that am not and
never have bech,s in any proper
sense, q party politician; and | will
also add that mono Of the PUBLIC la
bors 10 which such kind allusior
has been made, were intended tc
promote the interests of any politi
cal party or section, but sought to
embrace and subserve tho genera
ands dslasting interests of the whole
country, and all its citizens. Still
lessSshan / follow the un worthy
example of some who deem it prop
er and useful in a political canvass
to disrarage tho personal charac
teristics of the candidates. Nor in
deed would any such course of re
mark on my part be of any use tc
! the intelligent audience now pre-
sent, who have read and perfectly
understand the record of each ant
all of them. | shall confno my
brief remarks under a single head
in noticirg.public.yiews on public
affairs publicly expressed by one o
the candidates for the Office OF Vict
President, and in calling your at
tention 10 the mischievous ant
anomalous feature in our politica
system which compels the people, al
tho primary electors, to practically
vote for President and Vic
President in pairs, without tht
power of selecting one and reject
ing the other. ..
This singular result, as you al
know, grows out of the mistaker
assumption in the Constitution tha
the Presidential Electors, which i
theoretically provides, will eSer
ciso sound and careful discrimin
in selecting and voting for the in
dividuals to fill the Offices of Presi
dent and Vics President, t,-whil'
we all know that these EIector
have become mere ministerial pup
pets, bliAdly executing the instruc
tions of the party Conventions, b,
which the candidates are selected
As these conventions nominate
both tho President and Vice Pres
ident, tho people who are reall.
the only electors, are obliged t
vote for both or neither. In
word, they are compelled to eIec
to one of these high offices, a can
didate they may greatly dlsl'k
and disapprove, in order to e'cc
to the other office another candl
date they may prefer.
| believe that q vast majority {
the American people now dcsir
freedom of selection and cholc
for both these officers, and
hold that measures ought I
bo commenced TO secure
proper amendment Of. the Const
tuition, which shall brush away tn
cumbrous and mischicvous machir
cry of Presidential electors, and 81
, cure to the people q direct and SCI
arato vote for each Of these officer
Rely upon it that our five or 81
millions of intelligent voters ca
and will select the candidates quit
as wisely and tboughttully as an
of these party Conventions. a
any rate, they could prevent !, th
, nomination for one of the oliic'