Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-03-28
goHhd.s
SPEECH

FHr 4
81. +, I.r.a &c. OoF' 'ss t. s'ulsIdn'l5e-
] HON HENRY WILSON,
of Massachusetts, al Great Falls
j Z New Hampshire. FeBru-
90 Zea airy a4th, 1872. r. $40 !.
lE- Chairman, Ladies' and Gentlemen
4. Duringthe year on which we have
entered the people Of the United States
will be summoned to elect a CHIEF Mag.
istrate. Il There are seven million per.
SONS in the country entitled to the right
of suffrage. They are now ranged into
two great political parties. One calls
itself the Democratic party; the other
takes the name of the. Republican par.
ty. Each of those political iorganiza-
tions has history, a platform of prin-
eiples, ard programme Of policy. 70
! one or 1.-The other of these parties the
people of the United States will conn
NIT, for four years, the precious inter
ests of thei Republic. 1t devolves upon
the citizens of New Hampshire to give
the first vote of the campaign upon
which. We are entering. Whatever may
be the result, it viii be deemed and
taken throughout the country as an in
dication of public sentiment, and the
victory, to whichever party it may
come, will give to that party in the
nation more numbers than it has voters
in the State Of New, Hampshire. l'.'1
1 come here tonight in behalf OF the
RepublicaR party of the United States,
three and half million strong, to speak
to the Republicans OF New Hampshire;
| to ask them to call the battle roll
anew, IA and to redeem their State,
and place her where she has
80 long been, and where she
ought to- be again, at the head OF
the Republican column. I am not here
to belittle the Democratic party. Il
knew it has power, / know It has eie-
ments of strength, ] know it will fight
great battle this year for the control
of the Government l pity the weak
ness or SdesEiise thes folly that under
rates the power of the Democratic
party. 1t has vast elements of strength |;
| it has wealth, prejudice, passion and
pride Of race. I know it has able men
| in its ranks, and / have. no sympathy
with that disposition which prompts us
always to beIittle whatever we oppose.
i do not come here to apologize for
| the Republican party. 81 would as soon
apologize for the spots on the sun that
| has bathed the world to-day in light
and beauty The Republican, party
needs no apology and no II defense.
There is no body of men in America to-
day who from their past history or pres
ent position have alright to arraign it
before the nation, before the nations, or
before God. ss1Hls CIV bns .iiu
There vas a struggle, y beginning IN
1882, and continuing until the spring of
f86I-the period of one generation-be-
tween these aHtage genisticI forees;. but it
was struggle of thought, of voice, of
the press, a struggle of votes Liberty
at last triumphed.ls Then the slaYe-
masters raised the banners of rebellion,
hurled their section into q wicked and
brutal, ,barbarous and bloody civil WaE.,
fThese are historic facts. Fhey will go
into the history ofHour country; and
when we who are here tonight, when
tthe smens of this generationg shall all
have pissed away, in other days, with
clearer lights than those of the present,
the human family viii recognize these
Rtets, and historians will record them
for the study and admiration oricon-.
demnation ofafter generations.
We have had a serious contest, a
bloody one in which some ofthe ybravest
and noblest have gone down and sleep
in soldiers graves. In this struggle,
where stood the5 two greats parties
that divide the nation to-day? Where
stood the Democratic party .21DWhere
stood the Republican, party ?LI Here tor
night assert it, and there is nota man
on Gods earth canc0ntradiet it, for the
record is against him, ,tathat from the
year 1882, when William Lloyd GarYi-
son and eleven other faithful and fear
less men signed their names ITO the
declaration that black men had right
| to liberty, and that they would do what
they could sanctioned by law, human
ity, and religion, to emancipate the
bondman, and to lift up the poor
and loWly in the land, from that day to
this hour, every moment of the time,
and on every distinct issue, the Demo-
cratic party has been on the side of pfiv-
ilegeI the. side rof caste, the side iGfi Ia
brutal, ignorant degraded barbarisnh.
Measured by the standards of the phil
osophers and statesmen of the ages
measured by the law of the living God,
| there has not been moment when it
was not clearly, plainly; distinctly, un-
qualifiedly wrong u It has been wrong,
and it is wrong now, and / fear it will
continue to be wrong. 9q iif mon h
The Repnblica1 party made up as it
has been of men who came out of other
| organizations, because they were con-
vihced that the party of freedom and
humanity was theparty OF the country,
has at all times, in every struggle, iin
peace and In war, been on the side of
| the country, the side offiberty, the side
of Justice, the side of Humanity, the
side of "a progressive Christian civiliza-
ton. There has not been a moment
during these forty. years, whether Gar
rison Slavery men, Liberty Party
men, Ffee-Soilers, ! or Republicans,
starting from only a dozen men and
growing up to the three and a half mil
/ lions who will vote in November next
i say that there has not been a., mo-
ment in all those years when the cham
llpioriS5df human rights have not 0ccu-
piedaa position that the Christian men
and Women who belong to it or sympa-
thize with it could not take it into their
I closets, and, on their bended knees, in.
woke the blessing of God upon It, Il do
not know that thereiare not some men
| so forgetfuI Of the position of the Dem
oeratie party that they ornight ask the
blessing upon it of that Being who
bids us remember those in bonds. But
cannot imagine how man who has
spoken for, apologlzed for, voted for; Oh
fought for slavery, privilege, and caste,
the. side the Democratic party has
taken-I do not see how such a man
/ would dare ask the blessing of God
upon the violation of the doctrines oI
the New Testament, that teach US tf
lo5e our neighbor. ~ =; ;s,.,,i3 ~ -
1 have briefly referred to this history
to show where the Democratic party