Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-11-02

founders Of our government, he said, had wisely
provided that the people shall frequently elect
public officers; experience has shown the pro-
vision TO be wise, for it keeps the officer remind
ed Of the source from whence his power is de-
rived, and stimulates every citizen to keep him
self well informed in regard to public men and
public measures. The people had met on
this occasion, he sad to fit themselves
for the duties of citizenship, and eminent
statesmen were present to speak upon the poll
tics of the day, therefore he would only ask
indulgence while he treated briefly of Il single
topic: He had observed that there is tendency
in the public mini which leads people to think
that ours is a government Of men and not Of
laws, and Of this grave misapprehenson he
wished TO speak He believed there were some
people in the state who regarded the governor
of the state as sort of head constable, whose
duty it was to arrest offenders, bring them TO
trial and execution; and such people hold the
governor responsible for everything done
in the state. To them he wished to
say that there were three distinct de-
partmcnts in our stale goyernment-the
executive, legislative and iudciaI and for any
action in the legislative or judicial the governor
cannot Justly be held responsible. He illustrate
cd his meaning fully by explaining the powers of
judges and jurors, and after further deploring
the tendency to blame the governor for every
thing done wrong in the state, said that he had
heard the present excellent chief magistrate
blamed for not performing acts which if he had
it would have been direct usurpatiOn of power.
He alluded TO the earnest manner in which
the United States officers are enforcing the laws
against poygamy in Utah, and furnishing the
murderOus kukluX criminals in the south. We
of Massachusetts have nominated n most
excellent man for governor he said,
and no one doubts that he will
be elected. He is a citizen of upright character
and one who has most faithfully served the
state ten years in congress; we must therefore
support him most cordially at the polls; and,
more than that, after he is elected we must not
undertake to hold him responsible for the dis
charge of duties devolying upon other depart
ments of the state government; we must hearth
ly sustain him. AT the close of his remarks
Mr.. Adrich introduced the Hon. Henry Wilson,
who was received with applause.
HON. HENRY WILSON'S SPEECH.
He began by saying that he came to fulfill an
engagement made but few days ago to make
few suggestions touching our political stua-
ton. We of Massachusetts this year passed
through the most exciting canvass that ever
agitated the commonwealth; but since the most
satisfactory result Of that canvass, all has been
exceedingly quiet and we look for an exceed
ngy quiet election; but at the same time APP
prehend that it will be none the less decisive in
results; and Massachusetts will continue to
be as She has been, one Of the foremost
and strongest states in the Union. That
VIM B. WaShburn will be elected, no one
doubts. He wished, also, that there should be
no mistake about the sentiment of Massachu-
sets concerning the administration of Pres-
dent Grant. He next turned his attention to
the work accomplished by the republican party,
saying that he had been republican before
there was any republican party-a republican
by principle as well as by association-a repub
lican because he was opposed to slavery in all
forms. Twenty-three years ago his ant-slavery
principles had made it necessary for him
to go out of convention in company with
the late Judge Allen Of Worcester, to maintain
order. The party went into power ten
years ago with 100000 votes, and
now has strength of 100000. 1t has
gone further than any of the promises ever
made by it; it stands to-day with no promise
unfulflled. 1t was in the line of its principles
and policy to do more than it promised, if there
was any more to be done for the good Of the
country; its principles were to do its full duty
tn ;tc un hnr without
claiming perfection for it, that it is the best adj
ministration we have seen since the time Of
John Quincy Adams. In 1868 Massachusetts
| gave Grant IS 900 majority, and fully endorsed
| the platform upon which he was electcd-every
pledge in that platform has been redeemed.
| But, said he, we are not here to nominate
| Grant for president; it is clear that the
| popular sentiment will nominate either him or
| some other good and true man in the party
and of such there are plenty-and the election
of the man nominated by the republicans would
be carried as it has been carried in former years
| We hear il said that the party having redeemed
its promises of '64 and '6S, should die, and that
either another party should be raised up or con-
| troll given to the democrats. He believed the re-
publican party should keep in power at least
thirty years longer. It has stood by the country
on all occasions, and is the party pledged to
| human rights, it has incorporated that
| sublime creed into the laws of the
land; it has been true to us,
and we want to see it in power until
its principles are fixed in the hearts of the peo-
| pie north and south; we feel that it is due to
| the loval and the enfranchised. He alluded to
the attempt made by Andrew johnson and Il
| few followers in power to bring about the death
| of the pariy after il had saved the country and
| give it over into the hands of its destroyerS,
| held up the example of Iammany rule, as what
| might be expected in such an event, and en-
| dorsed the remarks of Mr. Aldrich, in praise of
| the efforts to enforce the laws against polygamy,
| and to punish the kukuX criminals The
democratic party, he said, had the copperhead
| element still, and also a patriotic element
| which latter is well enough but if it should come
into power the rebel and copperhead elements
will CONTROL The democrats are making great
| professions of devotion to the rights of laborng
| men. During the last thirty-five years he had
| looked upon the democratic party as the natural
| enemy of the laboring men of the United States
as shown by its course in regard to slavery. He
| did not believe in the word elaSses-it grated
| harShly on his ear for he held to absolute equal.
| ty before the law. He saw men travelling up
| and down the country telling how the condition
| of the men who work is bad and getting worSe
| but he saw no shade of the shadow Of truth in
heFtOptrine, During the last ten years the labor
ing people have been better off than in any prev
ious age, he claimed, AID proceeded to illustrate
| by giving few facts in his own history, lie
was born, he said, In farming district of New
| Hampshire, where he had seen the best man that
ever swung a scythe work from sun to sun in
| midsummer for half dollar day; and for
| 800 year. with a large family to support; to-
| day, in ten hours, men earn more than double
what he could whel he worked fifteen hours
| He worked as an apprentice eleven years, aud at
the end of that time he received yoke of oxen
and six sheep, which brought him ip the sum
SS4; and for the first year after he was twenty
one he chopped in the forest and
| bauled logs TO mill, working from day
| light until nine and Een at night, for the
enormous sum Of So per month. In that
| New Hampshire town, fOrty years ago, there
was hardly a carpet, and not single piano, hut
now there was a carpet in every house, and
more pianos in the town than there were peo-
pie who could play on them. When he came
to this state he worked 10 and II hours per day
| for $40 per month; now men in the same trade
can earn from 81 to 81 IN ten hours, dress in
broadcloth, pay high price for board, and then
| lay up more each year than lie could earn in
| those old times. And now, too access Is fee 10
| ,.. md ,Yh of nnprn