The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-10-12


ueg your indulgence while read from a
speech of his delivered on the floor of the
senate February %, 1869 He said then:
"When the repeal Of the Missouri com
promise, contained in the Nebraska act,
was under discussion, the honorable sena-
tor from Texas (Mr. Houston) in the
speech which he made on that occasion,
said that the repeat of the Missouri com
promise was putting the knife to the
throat Of the Democratic party He told
the truth. 1t did cut the angular veins Of
that once hoEored and powerful party
From that moment all its best Democrat
ic blood has been flowing out; and all
that is Democratic in principle and noli-
cy has departed from il, all its best and
most earnest men, those who clench prin
ciplcs instead of following for official
plumber, have abandoned an organization
witch, though calling itself Democratic,
has cut loose from all the landmarks Of
the old Democratic party.
Sir, no party can abandon It's principles
and survive 4 = Where is he
Democratic party now? Look around
upon the parties upon this floor and tell
me which is the Democratic party9 If
old Rip Van Wrinkle had been put to
sleep in some of the purlieus OF the capt.
toll ten years ago, and had been awaken
ed suddenly. and were brought in on the
floor and asked to look around him upon
the parties here and the various senators
who represent them, which would be say
Was the Democratic party? Judging by
its principles he would not hesitate a
nom Mt. The true Republican party If
America never dies. Though its organi
zation and name and members may some
times change The party itself is as eter.
nal as truth and justice itself It's leaders
mag betray or desert ats principles, and for
time arrest its onward march; but it
reorganizes itself, casting the men and
cauCuses and conventions that would mis-
lead it, as the eagle changes its plum age
or the tree its useless foliage"
have thus read this lengthy extract
because it was all too good to have any
portion lost Mark the noble senti
ments
No party can abandon its principles
and 1--we Was there ever greater
trulsm than that? The party was dead
its iugular was cut, al its best blood had
run out, yet after being dead longer than
according to HamIet'8 grave digger was
required for sound body to decay, my
friend has raken upon himself the task
OF restoring it to life, task that is be.
You'd Almighty power to accomplish.
The blasted leaves of Autumn may be
restored with the returning Spring the
cerem ents of the grave shall burst and
The earth give up its dead, but political
degeneracy has no restoring power. Pc
litical death IS followed by no resurrec
ton.
Again he tells you that "the leaders
of party may betray or desert its prin-
ciplts." True as preaching
have not got time to dwell on these
noble sentiments, the truth which my
friend was destined to prove in his own
person. Men, like columns are only
strong when they are upright. / can
only compare my friend when he uttered
these sentiments with locomotive while
on the fight track. He went laundering
and dashing along, fearless, independent
and free, the admiration CT every be.
holder. How is it now? Yoa see the
same locomotive, dashing along, when
suddenlya drunken switch tender, whom
need not name, turns the switch the
wrong way add this machine, $50 noble
In reason, so infinite III faculties" is run
into ditch, and you behold it the most
helpless thing on earth, turned bottom
side up, "naked, but not ashamed"
There is one trait of the Democratic
partly that I should admire, if could
but know that it was genuine, and that is
its gentle and forgiving spirit. Though
reviled and spit upon, they take up and
fondIe, gently and lovingly, the man who
has reviled them, and give him the high
est seat in their synagogue. The Divine
attribute of forgiveness we cannot fail
to admire, and we admire it the more
when we find it where it is least expect.
ed
AS man having Il hundred sheep,
when one goes astray, will straightway
leave the ninety nine, and go in pursuit
of the fugitive, and when found will call
his neighbors together to rejoice with
him, SO it is not strange that there should
be rejoicing when poor wanderer re
turns to the Democratic fold, even though
some of the old bell wethers should en-
phasize their displeasure by shake of
head and stamp of foot.
Many of you would doubtless remem-
Der with what JUNCTION Judge Doolittle
was in the habit Of declaring when he
was speaking to Republican audiences
in the fall of 1855, that the Republican
party in capturing Lee had captured the
whole Democratic party, and the only
question with him was "what shall we
do with our prisoners ?" This reminds
me of a capture l heard of during the
war. A soldier called out to his captain
that he had taken prisoner. The cap
tain hailed him in return in words Of
praise, and told him to bring his prisoner