Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-07-12
Grafton Delivered ay Gen. John b..
Calls at North Lancaster,
July 4th, 1870.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN A.:

again DcCOluo5 my piiEiAoBO w 80
dress you, at your request but be-
fore proceeding | feel it is but simple
justice to you and to myself to state
that, after hearing the remarks Of
my friend, Col. j. G. Clark, who has
so entirely covered the ground upon
which have based and prepared my
remarks, | feel somewhat diffident in
following the subject further. But
as | have given my word to speak, |
will IN my feeble way proceed and
will say that | beg close attention to
what | have to offer, as the crippled
condition of my right lung entirely
precludes the possibility of my speak
ing so as to be hoard above the roar
and buzz OF conversation, fro crack
ers and general noise usual in such
an out door audience as the present.
The day we celebrate, in reverence
and importance, the influences of its
results upon the past and future pros
perity, peace and happiness Of every
individual in all the land aud upon
the fate of free republican govern
ments all over the world, dwarfs into
utter insignificance all other national
days celebrated by the American
people.
The peace, happiness and prosper
ity enjoyed by us to-day should
cause every sound minded person to
bow in humble reverence and graft
tude to the Giver of all good and
pray God to continue His favors un-
TIL another twelve months shall have
passed and gone.
Until the heresy Of secession, con
ceived in and born of treason, nur-
tured and raised to q maturity of
monstrous power by the enemies of
republican institutions, became the
controlling element Of parties then in
the South and infused its copperhead
poison into its Northern organiza-
tons, until this fated era in the his
tory OF our country, all political par
ties were distinguished from each
other alone by the advocacy of OPP
posing principles of public policy,
neither ever forgetting the day on
which American independence was
declared. On this point all parties
met in harmony and reioiced in pay
ing fitting tribute of respect to this
day in memory of the heroes of the
Revolution, in memory of the Father
of his country. Tariff, banks, inter
nal improvements. &c, seemed to be
the ruling difference between and di-
viding the opposing political parties
OF the country, and no matter which
Of these parties succeeded in obtain
ing the control Of the Government,
the peace Of the nation was not vi
tally endangered nor was it's pro-
gressive prosperity materially check
ed. Like the pillows of stormy
sea, these parties followed each 9TH
er in fast and grand succession until
each, either by impressing its prin-
ciples upon the policy of the nation
or by being rejected by the people,
had reached the farthest shore of its
destination, there to subside in the
surf Of dissolution, and be speedily
followed by it's successor along the
same track TO the same ultimate end
And though sometimes the storm
ragged furiousl y and the lightning
flashed and these party pillows lash.
ed and darkened the heavens and
the heart of the patriot mariner
grew heavy with dread, as in the
notification of 1882, still the proud
old ship of State, without a torn sail
or shivered mast or starting tim
Der, sailed serenely on through and
over these seething pillows.
Such is an epitome of our history
up to the birth of the now dead Sc
cession monstrosity. In those days
all was calmness and confidence
peace and prosperity. No public
debt then pressed with paralyzing
weight upon the industrial energies
OF the people, no speck of war, for
eign or civil, darkened our horizon,
no nightmare dread sat brooding upon
the minds of the people, the followers
OF one political creed or leaders, qui.
city submitted to the election of the
dominant party and ceased their DO.
litical warfare.
1t is to be hoped those good old
times will return and sink beneath
the surface of the sea of public afFoi"e
the reC0IleCLlOu Vi Tue uUfrIu monster
dissension, and that no commotion OF
the serene waters of the public affairs
of the nation shall ever show the fact
that they have ever been rippled by
its disturbing presence.
In fact, my friends, we are, OF
should be, the happiest people on
earth to-day, possessing as we do all
the natural elements Of wealth, be-
ing IN our relations with all foreign
powers at peace, and it is to be
hoped that all the elements of dis
ruption, disunion and secession may
forever sleep where they have been
deposited by the results Of our late
sangulnary struggle with treason,
and, my friends, it will be so, unless
like the luckless fisherman, in the
arabian Nights" who dragged up
from the deep and opened the vessel
of copper stamped with the seal OF
Solomon and turned loose the "evil
genii',' therein confined, who had
sworn to destroy his deliverer, some
unfortunate and misguided fisherman
should, in fishing in the general pool
of public affairs, drag up the caskot
in which the foul genii has been con-
fined and again loose him TO carry
on his work Of ruin and destruction.
And, my friends, it is the high and
holy mission of every citizen of the
United States, whether by birth or
adoption, to act the part of the pat
riotic magician to exercise and con-
fine this evil genii of disunion, dis
cord, discomfort, disruption and de-
struction within the narrow walls of
his subterranean prison and stamp
the casket that holds him with a seal