The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-06-01

PSItSttS
In the U. S. Senate, Oh Friday
night last, pending the consideration
of the Northern Reconstruction bill
John Sherman, u. S. Senator from
Ohio, made a speech in which he
charged that 1.-THE strength of the
Democratic party for years, during
the war and since, has been in the
pest houses of the cities where vice
breeds" Having so delivered him
self, Sherman retired from the Sen
ate chamber with the atrocious lie up
on his conscience. Judge Thurman
as soon as he could obtain the floor,
administered the rebu%e which fol-
I)ws. We recommend it to the care
full perusal of our readers;
Mr.. Thurman. Mr.. President. l
regret that my colleague has left the
Senate to night. 1 wish to say n few
words on a text of his; l wished t.
say them in his presence; but [ can
not be deferred from noting what he
said by his voluntary absence and al
though [ shall refrain from s1ying al
that L would say were he pres INT, yet
L am not to be prevented from no
ticing what he did say merely because
he sees fit to absent himself. The
senator from California noticed the
singular declaration he made, that if
the last Presidential election hal de
pended 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 rev.
oIution, for that was the substance,
the meaning of the remark. / let
that pass with the remarks that have
been made upon it by TIE 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 al and
since has been in the pest-houses OF
the cities where vice breeds"
That is the language that a senator
of the United States use of $780,
900 voters of the United States. AT
the last presidential election there
were cast, exclusive of the state o:
Nevada, $50, 1853 popular votes. OF
those General Grant received 2,918,-
Sal, and Mr.. Seymour 2,643,3i2.-
The vote of the State of Nevada, as l
am informed by her Senator, was
about 1900; and General Grant
$4,000. Making that addition, the
entire vote for General Grant was
1885, S02, and for Mr.. Seymour q
640,3 1862, and General Grants major
ity was only about $4,000. And
now, sir, in respect to substantially
one entire half of the American %
tiers, in respect to that party which
held the reigns of government for
seventy years, and under
which this government grew up from
a poor feeble body of thirteen states
along the Atlantic coast one of the
greatest empires on the face of the
earth in territory, in population, in
.telligence, and in wealth my colleague
says the strength ofthat party Lies in
the pest-houses of the cities, where
vice Breeds"
Sir, [ should scorn myselfifI were
to 60 into any refutation of such a
charge as that. L have heard the
party denounced again
and again. 1t is too common to do
it. Il is too common to forget-sen-
too often forget-that when they
denounced the Democratic party in
this way they are denouncing one
half Of their countrymen. When
they denounce the Democratic party
as traitors, as sympathizers with trea-
son, as, disloyal men, they say to the
world shat one. half OF the American
are enemies of their own Gov
crnment. When a senator gets up
here and says that the strength of the
party, the strength of one
half of the people, of the United States
lies IN the pest-houses OF the cities
where vice breeds" he holds up a
TO the world which should APP
pail mankind and repel every man
our shores. Sir, it will not do.
If it is a mere figure of speech, it is a
figure OF speech n nan should be
ashamed to utter. fit was intended
seriousness, then there is no condem
nation too strong Tor the utterance of
such a sentiment.
Why, sir, my colleague lives In a
that gives a good solid Demo-
,ratic majority (; a county in which
here is 10 great city; a comfy of
armers, of men with moderate farms,
beyond eighty acres, very few,
indeed ; a county which will under
axe to say has not its superior in
he whole United States for the vir-
of its inhabitants and for their re-
probability, To the east of that is