The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-11-02
Monday Evening, November 4th'
AT O'CLOCK.
A BAND OF MUSIC
VIII Enlivcn the Occasion.
COLFAX.

Vice President Colfax made speech at
Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Wednesday
Last, in which he said:
When you ask for specifications some
will answer, "We don't like Grant, and
when you inquire why, they reply that he
has committed this, that, or the other mis-
take. Well, admit that he has. There
never was President, nor Senator, nor
Representative, who, if he told the truth,
would not acknowledge that he has fire.
quently committed mistakes. l know l
have. and canvass after canvass I used to
tell the constituents who for a lifetime have
been such faithful supporters and friends,
that every public man, with his multitu-
dinous responsibilities and constant cares,
must necessarily commit mistakes. You
know that President can only see the
forty millions Of people of the Republic
through the eyes of others, and must
often make mistakes in selecting office
holders, even more than 4 Representative,
who knows his constituents quite well,
and yet quite often commits mistakes in
his selections. A President is burdened
with many cares. All our intercourse with
foreign nations is through him. He has to
examine the thousands of sections in the
IL
for his signature, and finally to be carried
out and administered by him. He has to
supervise and be responsible for all the
executive departments, and to give au-
dience to scores of foreign ministers, to
hundreds of congressman, and to tens of
thousands of the rest of mankind. 1t is
impossible that he should not make mis-
takes.
But let me try this evidence by a less
severe test Here are farmers and me-
chanics, bankers and merchants, lawyers
and laborers. You have none of those
grave and engrossing cares that a President
has. Did you never make mistake IN
your home life here? Have you not done
things one year that the next year you were
convinced might be better done some other
way? Whoever here has never committed
a mistake, let him hold up his right hand.
Is there not one? Then let him that is
without fault cast the first stone.
l will not attempt to answer these per-
sonal charges. You will all look back at
them, after the excitement of the election
is over, with wonder and regret that they
could have formed so large part of the
issues of this campaign.
As to myself my rule in sixteen years of
Congressional canvassing was to let per-
sonal charges pass unanswered, only ask
ing my constituents to inquire, after the
election, of my calmuniators if they really
believe them themselves, and they tell me
they never found one that would acknowl-
edge then that he did. But, in regard to
the Administration, instead of replying to
these personal assaults, | would ask you to
rise to higher plane. Suppose, in 1868,
| had pledged to you, if you had elected
General Grant, that before the next Presi-
dental election his Administration would
have paid off over three hundred and fifty
millions of the national debt, would have
reduced your annual interest account,
which you are taxed to pay, over twenty
millions, would have made the greenbacks
in your pocket worth more than twenty
per cent, in gold, would have reduced one
hundred and seventy millions of your gen.
eral taxation, would have received from
Great Britain the public expression of her
regret for her course towards us during the
rebel lion, and over fifteen millions in gold
to pay the Alabama claims, would not such
prediction then have been declared i'm
possible of realization, and as rather the
dream of political enthusiast than the
pretiouring of what could possibly occur
Yet all this has been realized, and it will
be but a few years till nearly the whole
American people will speak of the grand
results of the Administration of General
Grant with the same pride with which
they now speak of the Administration of
the once cruelty criticised Abraham Lin
coin. | was reading but a few days ago a
letter of the Presidents, in which he wrote:
EVERY act of my Administration has been
tortured, and the grossest and most insidi-
GUS Misrepresentation of them made in
such exaggerated and indecent terms as
could scarcely be applied TO Nero, no.
torious defaulter, or even common pick
pocket" Thus did the President write of
the unjust and bitter attacks to which he
had been subject; but it was not President
Grant, but President Washington. When
the pure and patriotic Administration of
the Father of his country could be so at
tackled as to cause him to thus write in
1896 of the calumnies that so wounded him,
no Administration in these days can expect
exemption from similar treatment.
But we are told by those opposing us
that "the country wants change" No,
gentlemen, no. The great interests of the
country do not want change, and the
election will prove that they do not intend
there shall he a change.
Men of property and business, do you
want a change? Now you have some sta
| bility and the prosperity that follows sta
bility--no experimenting. no testing of new
theories, no agitation of disturbing expert
men:s. Tranquility gives security. Do
you want charge. or do you not prefer to
let we'll enough aloneo
Laboring men, do you want a change !?
With slavery abolished, and labor thus
made more honorable; with wages higher
than are found elsewhere throughout the
world; with larger share of the product
of toll going to the laborer than in any
other nation with larger deposits of the
savings of industry in the saving banks
than ever known before, do you want a
change?