Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-09-11


lican citizens of the towns of West
field and Ashfield, Mass, oil the po
litical issues of the day. From tn
Springfield Republican we quote tn
following nearly full report of tn
eloquent and convincing speech de
livered by him on these occasions:
Mr.. PRESIDENT AND FELLOW CITI
ZENS Amid all the music and shout
ing, the bitter Misrepresentation, the
fervid eloquence, the rhetoric, the ar
gument and SANDER of the hour, we
must not forget that we are engaged
in our most serious political duty
We are providing for our sovernment
for the next four years {; and the pre-
else situation which now presents
itself this generation las not seen. In
1920, at the second election of james
Monroe to the presidency, the FEEDER
al party disbanded, disorganized, pre-
sented no candidate, and disappeared.
Mr.. Monroe received every electoral
vote but one. The passage, in the
next year, of the Missouri cOmprO-
mise opened the slavery debate, which
gradually absorbed every other issue,
and d'became the dominant interest OF
our politics, until, forty years after
ward, in 1860. the question was this
only: Shall slavery absolutely con-
| troll the government of the United
STATES? There were two parties
The Democratic party cried yes"
the Republican party said mo. u
| Abraham Lincoln was elected. and
slavery in the New World was stayed
| forever. In 1864 the issue was again
simple. 1t was whether the Union
should be saved to liberty, or whether
| the government should surrender to
| slavery in arms. The Republican
party pronounced for Union and lib
erty; the Democratic party cried for
surrender. The result was Abraham
Lincoln was reelected, and, amid the
| heavenly music of four millions of
breaking chains, Gen. Lee surrender
ed the broken sword of slavery to
Gen. Grant. In 1868 the issue was
again simple. 1t was whether the
Union saved by the war should be re-
constructed upon the principles of
liberty and justice that had prevailed
in the war. The Democratic party,
led by the rebel element within its
ranks, said, mo-" the Republican
party said yes" The result was
tnat Gen. Grant entered the White
House saying, LET us have peace"
THE SITUATION TO-DAY.
In 1872 the spectacle is extraordi-
nary. The Republican party, reaf1ir-
ming its principles, declaring for that
progress and reform which are i'm
piled in those principles, which lOgi-
cally belong to the constitution of
that party, renominates the Presi-
dent, as it before renominated Lin
coin. The Democratic party sudden
ly turns its back upon its rt cord, de-
claring that what in 1865 it avowed to
be unconstitutional and revolutionary
will be now accepted. The Demo
cratic party, not disbanded, not dis
organized like the Federal party in
1920, but full of enthusiasm, full OF
hope, in convention adopts a ReDub-
lican platform. takes a conspicuous
Republican for its banner-beareT, and
appeals for your votes on the ground
that it will be more Republican in
the administration of this govern
ment than the Republicans them
selves. But, fellow. citizens, this is
precisely the moment in which, each
party making the same professions
for there is no difference between the
platforms-that is the moment in
which every honest citizen will ask
himself the question, which of the
two parties is the more likely to keep
its word? / think, therefore, the du-
ty which all of US owe ourselves and
the country, is first to ascertain what
is the paramount necessity of the
country at this moment, and then
decide which of the two parties is best
entitled to our suffrages. In my
judgment, the great Overpowering
aud absolute need of the country at
this time, including in the details of
administration all possible reform and
progress, is that the government of
the new Union which sprang from
the war shall now and forever be ad-
ministered in the full, living faith Of
the principles that prevailed in the
war and that amended the COnstitu-
ton. The people of this country
have declared that every citizen of
the United States, white or black born
where he may be, being what he may
u
shall have equal protection under the
law. We demand that, wherever the
sun shines upon our dominion, citi-
zens shall be absolutely secure in the
everglades of Florida as well as among
the hills of Massachusetts. We de-
mand further that this shall be placed
beyond all doubt. If any man, or
any combination of men lay the
slightest finger of injury upon the
poorest and humblest of our citizens
he shall instantly, either in State or
national law, find the majesty of the
people saying unto him: "As ye DO
10 the least of these my little ones,
We do unto me.n This is the issue of
the campaign-the equality and pro-
lection of citizens. 1t taxes prece-
dence over all other issues, because,
without it, there is no reconcilia-
tion; because, without it, there is no
reform; because without it, there is
no progress. We are ending the first
century of our national independence
in vain, il we have not learned that,
without this certainty of absolute
equality of citizenship, there can be
no peace, no reconciliation. Twelve
years ago, fifteen years ago, how proud
we werel No nation in the world
could dare to rank with US. How
splendid our statisticsl What man,
itwas asked, in this country ever felt
the weight of taxation of the govern
ment? Our orators were never tired
of celebrating the glories of our coun-
try. They defied the future. Who
shall modest US or make us afraid p
In an instant we were plunged in the
fiery abyss of civil war, and after four
years we came to the shore, burdened
with debts as if we had been a nation
of ten centuries. The equality of
rights gained at such a tremendous |
price is not to be secured by any for |
NAL acquiescence. 1t is not made |
sure by the letter of the law. The |
new provisions of the Constitution |
will not of themselves help liberty at |
the the South, until the South can |
respect liberty as it does not respect |
it to-day
BUT TWO PARTIES STILL.
We all remem ber the teachings of
history. This is a campaign in which /
we are told TO forget history, to re-
member nothing; or, in the slang of
the day, the American citizen is told |
to shut his eyes and "go it blind."-I
am here to speak for the dead in
their graves, who cannot speak for
themselves. If by their death some
thing has been gained, something
must be secured. Now, which of the
tUc nortips hoth of which DrOfess to