The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-09-14
]4oHicat.
THE CAMPAIGN.
Democratic Meeting at Hamilton.
SPEECH OF GEN. CARY.

court house yard, and opened the cam
paign with music, firing of cannon and
public speaking The meeting was called
to order by Judge Elijah Vance. Hon.
Lewis D. Campbell made brief opening
speech, concisel y announcing the platform
upon which he proposed to make the Con-
gressional canvass. Mr.. c. briefly defined
his views on the question of disposing of
the lands owned by the Government the
tariff, taxation, Chinese Importation and
other questions, after which he introduced
Hon. S. F. Cary, who spoke as follows:
FELLOW CITIZENS: It seems but yester-
day since we were IN the midst of DO
htleal canvass, yet wheneyer.we remember
the intervening events, the cares and
duties which have pressed upon us, we
realize that year has passed. The bronz-
ed faces which l see before me show that
you have been the subjects of that inexo-
rable decree that man should eat bread in
the sweat of his face, and that the battle
Of life has been no holiday amusement.
Whether IN the past we have been right
IN our judgments and votes we can now
determine IN the light of experience. As
with the best possible aids, and with the
purest Of motives, it is human to err, we
should seek, from every source, light in
the path of duty, or, in the language of
the good book, prove all thing, and hold
fast that which is good"
AS honest men and patriots, you have
no motive to be wrong in your opinions
or actions. As honest men and patriots,
and not as partizans, submit for your
consideration my views of the political
situation. If these views do not commend
themselves to your judgments you can
reject them; if they challenge your ap-
proval, adopt and act upon them, without
reference to party attachments Bondage
to party IS the meanest slavery, for it in.
wolves the unconditional surrender of our
manhood. From my own standpoint of
observation shall discuss the living
issues of the present canvass, and not
trouble you with the consideration of
questions which have been settled. He
who would appeal to your passions or
preJudlces to influence your votes is un-
worthy of your confidence, and you sho'd
suspect the virtue of his cause.
LABOR AND CAPITAL.
For many years my attention has been
directed to the interests of the working
classes, and have zealously and earnest
ly maintained that the most of our legisla-
ton, both State and National has dis
criminated against the rights of labor and
IN favor of capital. I have insisted that
there Is an unfair distribution of the Joint
earnings of capital and labor; that our
tariff and internal revenue laws are an
ingeniously wrought network to rob hon
est industry of its Just rewards. From a
careful examination of the condition of
the working classes in Europe, made dur
ing my recent extended tour, my convic-
tions have been strengthened, and unless
class legislation is arrested in this country,
Gods nobility will find themselves in a
more deplorable condition than the poorest
IN the Old World. What are the dangers
which threaten US, and the evils from
which we must be delivered or become
the vassals of vile, bastard aristocraey ?
We shall in the future elaborate on the
topics briefly discussed tonight.
The first OF tho dangers to which we
refer is
GENERALIZATION OF POWER IN THE FED
ERAL GOVERNMENT.
There are in our Government, as in Ma
ture, two opposing forces-the centrifugal
and the centripetal. The first, unchecked,
would throw the States out of their orbits,
and the end would be anarchy. The sec
ond, unrestrained, would fuse them into a
solid mass, and result in a centralized des-
potsm. Our fathers undertook to con-
struct a Government with checks and
balances, so that both extremes might be
avoided and an equilibrium preserved
They gave to the Federal Government
such functions as would enable it to secure
unity and harmony among the States and
constitute them Nation.
All powers not granted to the Federal
Government were reserved to the States
and the people. These master-builders
found materials which they believed they
could utilize without marring the symme-
try or weakening the structure of civil
government Without making slavery
national, its existence in the States was
recognized. This excIescence on the body
polite continued to grow and develop
until its weight threatened to drag the
afflicted States out of their orbits A
bloody civil war came; the surgeons 8
knife was applied, the eXcrescence was re
moved, the centrifugal force was rrrested,
the States retained, the Nations unity
preserved. In getting rid of one danger
We are encountering another: in avoiding
Scylla we are nearing Charybdis. The
centrIpetal force is now operating with
fearful effect. The virtual humiliation of
State Governments, fusion, consolidation,
despotism will be our portion if the mad
career if the Radical party is not arrested.
1t may then be said of US as was said of
one of old when other devils took posses
sion of him, after having been once cleans
ed, "his last state was worse than the
first"
Under the Fifteenth Amendment the
States can not determine the qualifications
of electors in their own local governments.
The Federal Government claims the rights
to grant characters for railroads in and
| through States without their consent, Gre
ate insurance companies with branches in
| the States, to interfere with the State
elections by military power, in short, to dc
any thing and every thing which any des-
potlc Government on earth may or dare
do.
The lovers of free government must ar.
rest this tendency to despotism at once
| or another bloody civil war may be neees.
sary to recover our lost liberties.
Another calamity which can only bt
averted by immediate and united action il
the reckless, wantOn and corrupt squander.
ing of the
PUBLIC LANDS,
the common inheritance of the race. Lib
| erty, civilization and progress depend upon
a wide distribution of lands among thu
people. In Great Britain, of thirty mill
ions of people there are only thirty thou
sand landowners, and one hundred anC
fifty of these own one-half of the who'll
Kingdom. The great curse of Ireland, tn,
loveliest spot of earth, is that her people
do not own the soil, but are the mer,
tenants at will of non residents, landed
aristocracy. The Gladstones, the Bright
and other lovers of free government ar
taxing their powers to devise a plan o
delverance from the very evils into which
the Radical party is now dragging US
The creation of land monopolies is one o
the chosen schemes of that party. Il
proof of this accusation we would simply
mention the fact without amplifying tn,
details that during its brief existence i
has squandered upon railroads and othe
monopolies a tract of land nearly tel
times the size of Ohio, and schemes O
plunder multiply at each successive ses
sion of Congress. The workingmen of thi
country are in earnest when the demand &
cessation of hostihties upon their rights
and claim that the public lands should no
be given to. corporations or sold to specu
lators, but reserved for homesteads of &C
tual settlers, whether native or foreign
born. Alarmed at the dissatisfaction o
the workingmen in their party on acsoun