The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-10-26
MIR. BLAINE'S SPEECH AT ST. LOUIS,
October II.

MIR. BLAINE'S SPEECH AT ST. LOUIS,
; October IL.
The Speaker made one of his telling
speeches at st. Louis on the 18th, in the
presence of an immense audience. W.
copy a few paragraphs that occur where
he is discussing the duty of the Govern
lnent to protect the rights of its citizens al
home as we'll as abroad. He said:
We are, as a people, all agreed on thi.
question. There is practically no dissent
We want to place our Government-as high
as the highest, and if there be any partic.
ular thing that stands out prominently il
the national policy Of England to challenge
Standardization 1 never had any
great Anglo mania-but if there be any.
thing that challenges admiration it is the
care with which England guards, and
guards jealousy, the rights of the individ-
ual subject. Why, you remember this
case. Four adventurous merchants, ira
ders in pursuit of lawful gain, who asso-
ciated together, had penetrated into the
heart Of Abyssinia, and were there engaged
i'll lawful trade. They were seized by
order of the semi-barbarous king, their
goods were cenfiscated, and their persons
held in prison. England demonstrated,
sent agents, tried diplomacy, resorted 20
threats; but the diplomacy was scorned,
and the threats laughed at; and SO the men
were stripped of their property, and
held in durance defantly by King Theo-
dorus. And rather than let these four men
suffer, England sent great army up the
Mediterranean, down the Red Sea, across
the burning and blazing desert, and over
the conflagration and destruction of that
city, and over the corpse of this semi bar
barous king, these four British merchants,
at cost of over sixty millions of dollars to
the English treasury, were brought back
in triumph. [Applanse.]
That is what we would do, Democrats
and Republicans, all of us, throw up orr
hats at that. But while we are thus agreed,
gentlemen, l don't underestimate can't
comprehend how it is, that while our Gov
eminent has got an arm long enough and
strong enough to reach to the eastern end
of the Mediterranean sea, and clutch out of
the hands of Austrian power man who
has got the shadow of American citizen
ship in him; or, on the other hand an arm
long enough and strong enough to reach
across the Atlantic and over the Pyrenees
and take another man from Spanish pow
er, shall be told that if it attempts to vim
dictate the rights of man on the soil of
South Carolina, if he were outraged, that
we must not do that, because that is inter-
fering with the great Democratic doctrine
of local self government. [Great and pro-
longed applause.l
And that, gentlemen, is just the position
of the Democratic party to day. If you
want the full protection of the United
States extended to you, you must go out
of your own country to get it. Go either
to England France, Austria, Germany,
Prussia, Russia, any of them, and let them
lay finger upon you in a hostile manner.
and we will vindicate you, to the cost of
life and treasure; but if you happen to get
a kukluk band after you down in Alabama,
''for Gods sake don't say anything about
it, because if you do you will override the
doctrine of self-goverment and centralize
everything in one power" Laughter and
applause. So you arc to be told this, in
the language of Mr. Horace Greeley, which
l am coming to directly. Laughter
Now, have not gone on with this mere
abstract discussion, gentlemen, for the
mere pleasure of hearing my own voice,
but have been preparing a coat which
propose to fit very closely upon the Shout
ders of Mr.. Horace Greeley. Laughter
and applause I assure you that Mr..
Greeley has taken that position, and that
Mr.. Greeley deliberately engaged, when
nominated at Observation-Disclosures en-
gaged-and measure my words-deliber-
ately covenanted that if they would give
him the Democratic support for the Pres
idency, he would agree to betray the four
teenth amendment, [applause:l and make
the charge that everywhere every kuklux
paper in the South, as soon as that letter
was written, nailed that third paragraph
to its mast head as the reason for the faith
that was in their supporting Mr.. Greeley.
But lest they should not understand it,
Mr.. Greeley says further:
THAT there shall be no federal subver-
sion of the internal policy of the several
States municipalities, but each shall be
left free to enforce all rights and promote
the welfare of its inhabitants by such means
as the judgment of its own people shall
prescribe"
There you are, Horace. lGreat Laugh
ter. That is ifs Kuklux band gets after
you, and mauls you, and mains you, and
gives you thirty-nine lashes on your bare
back, and burns the house that shelters
you and your children, and serves you a
notice that you have to leave within thirty
hours or else be hung to the nearest tree,
why, you must not think of destroying
local self-government by appealing to Fed
eral authority, but you must appeal to
those scoundrels themselves, and take such
justice as they shall prescribe. That is
what Mr.. Greeley declares, and it reminds
me of case in Arkansas, where man was
arraigned for stealing a hog. The proof
was positive and clear; there was no testi-
money in rebuttal, and the judge charged
directly in accordance with the law and
fact, and yet, in two minutes AFTER the
jury brought in verdict, you remember,
of mot guilty" and a bystander who
heard the charge said, GLOW, in the name
of Heaven, Judge, can this bel don't
understand it," ''Why,' says the Judge,
sit is perfectly plain to me; every one OF
those cussed scoundrels had share Of the
pork" [Great laughter
Now that is the kind of trial Mr.. Greeley
proposes to offer us; no matter what kind
II