Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-05-03
Senator Wilson's Speech at the Meet
ing in New York.

Sixteen years ago the Republican party
was brought into being. religiously be-
lieve that it came into being by the prayers,
labors and noble aspirations of the best por
tion of our country. [Applause.l | believe
ii was brought into being to meet the needs
of an endangered country, and to carry out
in America the providence of Almighty God
Applause, and cries of good, and so belicv
ing from the time it was created to this hour,
have never consciously uttered word or
performed an act to drive a man out of its
ranks and here, tonight, whoever may leave
us, he will leave us against my wishes and
my protestations, and | would, on my very
knees, if | could do it, ask him to pause,
come back and stand with us, fight the bat
tie of this year, and on with us in the tri-
umph of the future. Applause. / am not
here to tell you that the Republican party is
a perfect organization. 1t has in its ranks
three and half millions of men. 1t has the
great masses of the noblest, purest and best
portion of our countrymen. 1t has some
men, of course, who are not all they should
be, and we know it /; but, gentlemen, would
not disrupt it because it is not perfect. |
would fight on, toll on, pray on, and make
it better If l could, and make it worthy its
great history, and what | think is its great
destination in years to come; lapplausel;
ana, gnntiA,nen ] would as soon go home
and disband the little church in the town
where ! live, of which my wife was a mem
Der and an unworthy one, because some
or some poor mortal did not live up to the
professions he had made. Gentlemen, speak
to you tonight. | ask you, who have stood
with the Republican party; you who votedfor
the greatest character of our century, A. Lin
coin lgreat applausel; you who held up
his hands, stood by him, waded through
blood for four years to maintain your coun-
try, and emancipate race you who repudi-
ated Andrew johnson and his treason, and
could not be bought by the patronage of
Government. [Applause.l l asked you who
reelected Abraham Lincoln in 1864, when
wise men wrote letters up as late as the I'd
day of September of that year wishing to
get him out and have a new candidate be-
cause he could not be elected. Who stood
by him? | ask you who voted for the great
soldier in 1868? [Applause.l ask you who
carried your country's cause of liberty, JUS
tice, humanity, Christian salvation in your
hearts? / ask you, one and all, to stand to-
gether you who have started for the New
Departure come back, come back. Our
ranks shall be open to you we will bid you
work we will win another great victory,
and we will rejoice together in the triumphs
of our cause. Applause Gentlemen,
there was meeting here the other night.
do not propose to say anything unkind of
the men engaged in it. do not come here
to initiate their example, to utter reproach-
full words of old comrades, and utter words
of condemnation of party with which l
have voted, and whose measures | have sus-
tanned but, gentlemen, | want to notice
kindly few of those remarks. We were
told as the reason why that Convention is
called at Cincinnati that the Republican
party is under the control of Otlice-holders.
Great God, gentlemen, party of three and
one-half millions of men, strong men, indie
pendent men, controlled by few thousand
| beggarly office-holders. Why, gentlemen, to
be an Office holder is to be n beggar. The
offices of this country hardly pay a decent
| and respectable living to nineteen-twentieths
of men holding office. Now look at the great
| professions. Look at the lawyers and re-
member the enormous fees they receive
| Look at the great merchants. Look at the
men who built your railroads and telegraphs,
and men engaged in all other great business
| nowadays, by which talent and character
can find their true action. 1t is these men
these merchants, these mechanics, these
builders of railroads and telegraphs and
planters of the great industries of our time
| 1t is these men and great lawyers who buiC
great houses, have fine pictures and ricf
| libraries, if they ever read them laughterl
| Are not these the men who have all the com
forts and luXuries of lifeY And now what
| about these office-holders? Thirty-one thou
sand of them out Of 6OOOO are poor, petty
| Postmasters 1000 Postmaster's clerks, auC
1900 of these receive 500 year salary
[Laughterl Why, gentlemen, they tall
about this Convention in Philadelphia as
convention of otiice-holders. Well, suppose
we say the Cincinnati Convention is to be al
officeseeking convention laughterl; but
will not say it. Laughter and cheers. How
ever, you may think what you like about it
Laughter, But this much l do say, tina
the National Convention that will meet thi
year at Philadelphia will have fewer Office
holders and fewer members OF Congress
than any that has met for thirty years, Of tn,
party in power [Great applause. And nov
| fol ia hnnNn IN In
section of our country where there is littl
in the shape of Government patronage, ant
you find the Republican party unltet
and supporting the measures of the Ad
ministration, and almost unanimous 70
President Grant. Go to other sections. Lool
at New York, where you have great patron
age, and you have dissentions and divisions
tell you it is ofiiceholding, oillce-seeking
petty ambitions, that are disturbing the uni
ty of the Republican party, and that threat
ems disaster [Applause.] But, gentlemen
the great ideas, the policy and principles o
the party are stronger than the party itseli
Applause You know it, and ] know il
We were told another thing at the meetin
of which have spoken. j was sorry tina
Mr.. Trumbull made such declaration. MI
Trumbull Is an old friend of nine | hav
honored and respected him, and | do nc
want to say one unkind word of him; bu
must say that he made a speech here whic
every man in the country who read it, an
is fair-minded man, instantly pronounced
disingenuous speech. Applause Let U
look at it for moment. He tells us that W
have kept disabilities on men of the Soutl
Well, gentlemen, l stood up alone in til
Senate Republican caucus, and voted againi
putting those provisions In the FOurteent
Amendment. tApplause,l did not belleN
1t was policy to do it, and / have been fC
years in favor of letting every body oil, an
any man who behaves himself as a patriC
, and respectable man, and asks to have h
J disabilities removed, | viii vote for remoyin