Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-07-16

JlOu Oh our pOllUlcdl cOuSclenceS. III d
man steal horse we call him a thief ::
but if man steal from the public we
call it by some fine name, and don't pay
too much attention to it. In our own
conscience We need treatment. A
man, if he steals from the public
purse, is said simply to lapse from
virtue, and his offense is not to be
treated as crime. say, select honest
men.
What next Then go to the polls,
being honest, pure and earnest your
selves. Have we not for years past,
and are we not to-day, accepting plat
forms and candidates which have been
passed over to us labeled, folded and
ready for use? 1t is true that,
to preserve show of independence,
we may look at the label outside and
see if it be Democratic or Republican.
but that is all we have done. We
have said we are independent men,
and will vote for whom we please but
we don't scratch the ticket. We vote
for the ticket, although we say. "Well,
about Smith, candidate for Governor or
Congress, ain not sure. And how is
Jones running for the Legislature 1
don't think he is quite the man we
ought to send )" but we drop the ballot
into the box. We compromise by
speaking Independently, but we have
gone to the polls and voted like slaves.
That has been the history of all of us,
and, gentlemen of the convention, L
trust that you, when you leave here to-
day, having made your nominations, it
will not be to ask any man to vote for
them if they are bad, simply because
YOU have nominated them in the con-
ventiOn. Your province is to nominate
men, but not dictate to any man. The
great mission of the party you are or
ganizing is to break down the nomina-
ton of the caucuses and rings, and if
you do that you will accomplish much
for your country.
There are, gentlemen, a variety of
questions ON which you have all to look
with great frmness. We are in the
habit of talking about monopolies, and
no doubt there is great deal of talk
ing which has no great meaning Let
me tell you that the great mission of
the Farmers party, in addition to those
l have already stated, is that they shall
recover the liberties of the people them
selves. Let us see what that means.
You are looking to Congress to relieve
you from this thing, and to the Legis-
lature to remove that evil. Let me tell
you, my friends, that the philosophy of
the American Government is to keep
the power in the hands of the people
and as near home as possible. APP
plause. Your policy is to keep it in
your township, in your county, In your
State. Do you expect relief from Con-
gress? How much do you know about
the way things are run in Washington ?
The telegraph tells you somewhat, the
members of Congress, who always tell
the truth, and those newspaper men,
who are more truthful than George
Washington and Ben Butler-laughter
we depend on them for the little
slip of news that we get of what was
done on the previous day at Wash
ington. We know nothing about it.
They go to Washington and sell us
out. We are made to believe
they are eminently patriotic. /
know members of Congress who have.
session after session, labored to obtain
appropriations from the public treasury
for themselves, and all the while they
claim that the State is being benefited
alone. Look to your own State Legis-
lature. Here we have the greatest light
through the press, and if any of our
legislators make fools of themselves
one day the whole people of the State
know of it the next morning. But
Washington is 1000 miles away, and
you know little of the way things are
run there. / tell you, at Washington
to-day is being formed a government
founded on the systems of the aristoc-
racies of Europe.
They live upon your labor, and they
despise you; they treat you as if you
were hewers of wood and drawers of
water they build houses and speculate
in property there, and then expend the
public money to improve their own
property.
1 have been, will say, sometimes
regarded as a little insane on this
question of State rights. About six
years ago warned the people of this
State that the time was not far distant
when railroads would try to boost them
selves by an appeal to the Federal
courts. They told me then that l was
Insane on the subject; but what do we
see to-day? We are very much like the
champion liar that went from Alabama
to California. When he came back he
was observed to pay great regard for
the truth. When questioned, he re-
piled that in California he found the
truth so much more extravagant than
any lies he could tell that he quit In
sheer despair. These attempts of rail.
road companies to escape from the
juries and Judges of Illinois, these at
tempts at invoking the Federal power
to protect them, are far more than
feared before-far more than the things
1 feared to see. But we must demand
that these companies, created by our
laws, be tried by our judges and juries.
[Applaus .. When you speak on that
point, beg of you to speak in no un.
certain way. I trust this convention
will have the courage to speak clearly
on that point.
Now, gentlemen, I have reached that
point in my speech where must either
close or go on indefinitely. [Cries OF
"Go on Well, gentlemen, think