Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-06-18
ANTI-MONOPOLY.
Speech Delivered by Prof. j. B.
Turner, at Galesburg, ILL.,,
June 5, 1874.

IAOai qucrtloHS Vi the uay. snail therefore
proceed without either apology or reserve to
comply with your wishes as trul- and honest
ly and unreservedly as / can Al the time al
lowed me.
never could be either a possimist or an
opitimist; while l do not believe in the at
tanned perfection of either men, parties. sect )
or il situations of any sort, / do not believe
that either the world, its men or it's institu-
tons are worse than in DAYS of old. or worse
than when was boy; on the contrary I
believe them IN many very important respects,
gloflously and triumphantly better than they
ever were before. But believe it to be our
highest and only duty to make them altogether
better and better STILL and in this respect We
have no less job on hand than had our
fathers before us for. thank God. our possi-
billties of improvements are, and ever will be,
INFINITE, at least TO our capacities When
therefore, denounce in strong terms exist
ing evils, having for the time being ONLY those
evils IN mind-it is not because am soured
with the world and hopeless of it's advance.
Tor Was neyer-eyen in nv teens-half a.
hopeful of it or half as well pleased with il
as whole as l am to-day. Still know. and
you know there are things in it. and ALWAYS
will be, that need lettering other things
that need total determination. OF. at least.
reformation and revolution.
Inc things we are just now throwing into
the furnace heat of American politics. with
the intent of reconstruction and repairs. are
our railroad and other corporations. and the
various special privileges and monopoles that
hang around and live upon our present sys-
TENS of party politics, banks. tariffs. finances
ETC.. and the doctrines of our courts and
teachings of our conservative doctrinaires
touching all these alike.
The office-holders and fuclemen Of tho
parties In power of course see all things as
lovely as leafy June, and are sure that ali who
do not sneeze when they take snuff nust he
totally depraved. But those who are COM
PEELED to furnish the means and foot the bills
do not always see 1t So These mere place
men caLlot conceive that any men who on
pose them can be actuated by any other mo-
tives than low ambition for place. pelf. and
power We cannot undeceive them and we
need not try. As it is now, so, in this re-
spect, 1t ever has been, and ever will be Still
think We can point out some reasons why we
now need new political organization and a
thorough reform In our politics While l ad-
init that each of the old parties. in their day
and generation. have DONE in some lines a
Sooa and great work, and that there are null
tltudes OF good and true men still in each of
them. only the same thing has in fact han
pened to them which some now allepe has
happened to me, namely, that have. as they
say, "outllved my usefulness" and very
all you need to do is to set us both aside
Were you crossing the Atlantic in a gallant
steamer that had breasted and outridden the
storms OF score of years: if. while all on
board was going merry as marriage bell {"
both crew and passengers should begin To
rush In mad confusion, one against another
aniid ioud CRIES OF alarm. you need not neces-
sariiv INFER That all have suddenly become in
sane or totally depraved-you might infer that
the good old vessel had at last sprung leak
ana that all alike felt they were in danger of
gong to the bottom together What then.
would you do? Why, if 1t was in YOUR powsr
to bring alongside wholly new craft. better
mide, peter manned. better fitted to the sea
tnan the old one ever was. or ever could be
II would be your plain duty to do so. and 90
ABOARD OF her, leaving others to tinker away
at the leaks IN the old hulk as pest they could
such new ship, with new timber. rigging and
SAIL, better made, better rugged. and better
manned at all points thoroughly armed and
equipped against all privateers and pirates of
all sorts, We now propose to throw alongside
OF the sinking hulls and despairing crews of
our old political parties. and to invite freely
ana frankly all on board who choose to come
and no others Is not this fair? Where is
the wrong IN 1t: L maintain that the time has
now come when such tightening of the load
OF the old party ship now in power is the only
thing that can save it. if it's salvation is possi
BILE, or if it can be made good for ANYTHING
after il ia saved
zine only way any political party on earth
was ever kept for any long time from total
corruption and destruction. was by having
right alongside of it, outside of power. a liyo
ing party, thoroughly organized on the real
ana nving issues OF the day, ready at any mo-
ment to take its place, should it stumble and
fall. L contend, therefore, that now every
motive, both of philosophy. of history. of wis
dom and OF true patriotism urges us at once
TO the formation of such q new party. Then
II the old parties can patch up the leaks in
their old hulks and outride the storm. all
right; but If they go to the bottom. we will
at least save the cargo and the crew. and that
Is something, though they may esteem it moth
ing. l do not as yet know that this new pro-
posed party can give us either a better plat
form or more Trustworthy nell than the old
parties will. If they cannot then shall not
go on boaru, and would advise you not to 90.
have no idea Of being dragooned into new
party merely because it is new, or going ont
OF an old one merely because it is old. | do
not now believe it possible for the leaders of
either Of the old parties to give us either
PLATFORM OF principles or propose to rs q
set OF men upon whom we can in fact
place the least reliance to properly guard, de-
fend and protect our present vital interests, as
the producers and laboring men of the coun-
try. And if they even pretend to do it. fear
1t will be cheat and sham for as all the
world now knows, they are either in one or
the other of their about equally divided fac-
tons. already distinctly pledged against the
reform indispensable to our political and finan-
cial salvation. Such party, if it comes at all,
must spring up from the heart of the peo-
pie, not only without the aid of but i'm spite
OF, the dogmas and aim and practices of our
present political leaders of whatever party.
For these leaders heartily and truly. to adopt
our indispensable principles, would not only
be disqualification, but political 81 felo de
Sc"
Whether we can ourselves agree to do bet
ter than they arc now doing, remains to be
seen. But if not, sincerely hope that no
mortal man who has our true interests at
heart will feel bound by our doing. For nv
self, have. however. full faith that we can
and ought to do better.
1t is now, and ever will be, for the interest
of their party-leaders and presses to keep us
for ever divided into two hostile factions. for
ever qusrreling with each other, on the
ground of old prejudices and old dead issues !:
while our only possible emancipation from
such absurd party serfdom is an immediate
and hearty union over the living issues that
hourly affect our own households and homes.
Is there airy real manhood left in us? or have
they already obliterated it all?
At the present moment l have no more
means than you have of ascertaining what
will be the platform OF that new party But it
may not be amiss for us to consider some Of
hn