The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-06-09
RAnIcaLM MENDaCIrY
sherman,s Lying slander of the Demo-
cratic Party Rebuked.

sherman's Lying slander of the Demo
cratic Party Rebuked.
In the United States Senate, Friday
night, May Doth, pending the consid-
Grafton of the Northern Reconstruc-
ton bill, John Sherman, United States
Senator from Ohio, made speech in
which he charged that " the strength
of the Democratic party for gears,
during the arar and since. has been an
the pest-houses Of the cities a0here rice
breeds" Having so delivered him
self, Sherman retired from the senate
chamber with the atrocious lie upon
his conscience. Judge Thurman, as
soon as he could obtain the floor, adj
ministered the rebuke which follows.
We commend it to the careful perusal
of our readers:
Mr.. Thurman. Mr.. President, | re-
| gret that my colleague has lett the
senate tonight. wish to say a few
words on text of his l wished to
say them in his presence but cannot
be deferred from noting what he-said
/ by his voluntary absence; and al
1 though shall refrain from saying all
that | would say were he present, yet
[ am not to be prevented from MOTTO
ing what he did say merely because
/ he sees fit to absent himself. The SEN
ator from California noticed the sin
gular declaration he made, that if the
/ last Presidential election had depend
| ell on the vote of New York, that is
| to say, if with that vote Mr.. Seymour
would have been elected, there would
have been war and revolution, fol
that was the substance, the meaning
of the remark. | let that pass with
the remarks that have been made up
on it by the Senator from California
But my colleague saw fit to go further
and he saw fit to use this language:
:. The strength of the Democratic
party for years, during the war and
since has been in the pest-houses oi
the cities, where vice breeds"
That is the language that senator
of the United States uses of $780, ,00(
voters of the United States. AT the
last presidential election there were
cast, exclusive of the state OF Nevada
5,622, ,163 popular votes. OF those
General Grant received 1878, ,55l, anG
Mr.. Seymour 2,643,312. The vote o.
the state of Nevada, as am informed
by her senator, was about 1900; anG
General Grants majority about 1900
Making that addition, the entire vote
for General Grant was 2,985, ,S01, anG
for Mr.. Seymour 2,G49, 1862, and Gen
Grants majority was only about 1856,
i 600. And now, sir, in respect to sub
stantially one entire half of tht
American voters, in respect to tha
party which held the reigns of gov
ernment for nearly seventy years. ane
under which this government grew
up from poor feeble body of thir
teen states along the Atlantic coast tt
be one of the greatest empires on th'
face of the earth in territory, in pop
ulation, in intelligence, and in wealth
my colleague says the strength of tina
party !" lies in the pest-houses of tht
cities, where vice Breeds"
Sir, l should scorn myself if were
to go into any refutation of such {
charge as that. I have heard tn,
Democratic party denounced agair
and again. 1t is too common to do it
1t is too common to forget-that whel
they denounce the Democratic party
in this way they are denouncing ont
half of their own countrymen. When
they denounce the Democratic party
as traitors, as sympathizers with trea
son, as disloya4 men, they say to tn,
world that one-half of the American
people are enemies to their own gov
ernment. When senator gets NJ
here and says that the strength of tht
Democratic party, the strength of on,
half the people of the United States
"lies in the pest-houses of the cities
i where vice Breeds" he holds up ;
picture to the world which should
appall mankind and repel every maj
from our shores. Sir, it will not do
If it is mere figure of speech, it il
figure of speech which man should
be ashamed to utter. If it was in
tended in seriousness, then there i
no condemnation too strong for tn
utterance of such sentiment.
Why, sir, my colleague lives in
county that gives good solid Demo
cratic majority; county in whicl
there is no great city; a county O
farmers, of men with moderate farms
few Leyond eighty acres, very few
indeed; county which l will under
take to say has not its superior in th
whole United States for the virtue o
its inhabitants and for their respecta
bility. To the east of that is just sucl
f another county. Democratic to tn
core. On the west of it is still jus
another, still more Democratic. Or
the south of it is still another, ais
Democratic; so my colleague ca
: hardly step out of his door; he can
not take days ride without bein
surrounded by the Dem ocratic farmer
of his neighborhood. 1 want him t
go home and tell them, if he dare, tn
men who have seen him grow up froI
boy; the men whose hands hav,
: helped him in the struggle for life
the men who have given him supper
and cherished him and helpel TO max
him what he is let him go home if h
+. dare and tell those old men that tn
: strength of their party Lies in tn
. past-houses of the cities, where vic
breeds"
Sir, could not refrain from maxim
these remarks, because you are to vot
2 tonight on this bill /; the debate. wi
/ then cease, and it would look lik
: bringing up an old quarrel to call al
tention to it in any other debate.
is not my fault that my colleague
g not here to defend himself, for defen
| himself he ought to do, if he has sell
: respect.
In 1860, the anxiety of the Radical
s for the preservation of the publ
lands for the use of the people a
S homesteads, knew no bounds. The
d really carried the Western States fc