National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-06-23

| peIratoO upon the people. some faulL Is 1OunC
with the Republican party. There are great
many farmers here's great many have Joined
| what is called "the Independent Reform
They are going into that for the purpose Of
getting a. reform In this particular. Now lei
us see; the only reform farmers have ever OBJ
tanned on this subject has been through q
Republican Legislature. [Applause.l The
reform commences with the Republican party
in this State. I will go further. 80
THE ONLY REFORM MEASURES
presented in the Congress of the United States
on this subject have been presented in bills by
Republicans, [applsuse,1 reported by Repu5h-
cans, and let me call your attention to the fact
that when the question came ND on regulating
| transportation, Republicans were the only ones
In favor Of 1t. Applause. The votes Of the
| Democracy were found almost unanimous In
opposition, denying the power Of Congress to
interfere with that question IL any way what
ever. Then ask Of my farmer friends In the
State of Illinois, to whose arms are you going
for relief If you leave those men who alone
have extended you protection In this direction
They will fail to find 1t fear. The farmers,
| numerous as they are, are but o small class
when compared with all the other people of
the United States, and 1t Is not for any one
class TO run the machinery Of Government
like ours in one interest. It must be COM
| bination Of more elements than one-more
classes Of business than one, more classes of
people than one-and the only result is, there
fore, these men will either have to stay In the
| Republican party or 70 over body and boots to
the Democratic party. Applause. And now
l ask them simply 70 read the pages of history
| for the last few years to find what consolation
they are to get In the Democratic party. No,
| sir; ~.
THE THEORY OF TUE REPUBLICAN PARTY
Is to give all men equal rights, equal protec-
/ An u. IL u -
rights 90 guaranteed 70 communities and fndi-
viduals shall not be invaded without the pro-
vislon Of remedial statute for the reforma-
ton Of abuse That 10 the theory upon which
We 90. OuI Jeople are progressivej they are
developing new interests every day, and when
| men tell me that government stands still,
tell them, n II does, tt q Q government con-
trolled by fossils, and not BY men Of energy,
| vgor and intellect. As the Government grows,
our ideas expand as we advance; we learn that
rights Of men are sometimes trampled upon,
| and we learn to shape our movements to the
redress of evils and to the defence of the rights
of the people. CApplause.] ANY person who
denies the progress Of Government denies q
patent fact. Applause, In reference to this
transportation question, knew there would be
| difficulty. Whenever 1t was brought up in
the Senate It would be fought there by the
Democracy, who hold the old iron-shackled
| theory of States rights-that nothing can be
done by Congress on the subject, but that It
must all be done by the States. They will put
| it on that ground, and you have q few Repub-
licsns who will 60 with them; but the ma
jority ofRepublicsns In Congress are the other
way, and when the question can be got at
Congress regulating the subject of Transports
ton among the States. Applause.
The next proposition is the Recommendation
that the
PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT SHALL BE
ELECTED BY DIRECT VOTE
of the people, without the Intervention Of the
Electoral College. This resolution cannot fail
to meet with favorable support from great
majority Of the people. The manner of elect
ing at present in instances heretofore has some
times thwarted the will Of the majority and q
minority President elected, which Is contrary
to the genius of republican institutions. Ths
Committee on Privileges and Elections in the
Senate have had this question under consider
alton for nearly one year, and are now ready
with q unanimous report IN favor Of an amend
ment to the Constitution for the election of the
Chief Magistrate and Vice President on this
basis, With the details Of which will not now
detain you. but am very glad that you have
taken the subject into consideration.
The next proposition is in reference to the
habits and tastes Of Our citizens. This resolu-
ton, almost word for word, will be found In
the Republican platform enacted ct Philadel-
phia In 1872. We stood on Il then and can do
90 again, without interfering with the views Of
any reasonable person. The balance Of the
resolutions are the same in substance as the
one on transportation that have already COM
mented upon, and will, therefore, not discuss
that question further.
And now. fsllow-citizsns, have heard the
question asked here,
WILL WE SUCCEED AGAIN THIS FILLi
and suggestions that this or that NAV be OBJ
tectionable. will tell you how we can and
will succeed. Always resolve that whatever
the Republican party does Is better than what
the other party would do. lApplause.l You
will not always get things just .ss you want
them yourselves; don't slways-I an very
frequently disappointed. ! have no quarrels
on that question, however, bees6se II 30 Over
to the enemy l must be still more seriously
disappointed than II / stayl We can carry
this State; we can carry 1t by hsrmonIzing, BY
healing Up wounds and sores among ourselves
and by being independent American citizens
and doing the right. The Republican party
was not born to be tied down and hampered by
issues contrary to the instinct and interest of
the people. [Applause.l The Republican
kght for the right without getting somebody
else TO do It. Applause. The best way to
right wrongsts to right them at home. The
very minute you 60 outside your grisfs will
grow upon you. A great many people get
angry at one another, and they say Of this one,
"Oh, he's going to leave the party" want
TO give you notice now that, as far as am
concerned, you win be bothered with me as
long as you will with any one, Laughter
and applause.1 I will not simply agree with
you upon one Isolated question, but II there be
Q question upon which I can't convince nv
friends and they can't convince me viii quit
talking about that and agree on something
else. (Applsuse. We can all do that and
60 on, and there will be no trouble as far as
the future is concerned.
There are some things don't like the ten
dency Of. / don't like the tendency In this
land to-day Of the vast power which wealth
Yields among US. [Applause.1 I don't like
the tendency Of the moneyed power of the
country to grasp and control everything. But
while don't like It, have no disposition to
make bad matter worse or help dissolve the
party which has been and still Is the hope of
the country. 1t Is the tendencies In this direc-
ton that l deplore, which do not belong to |
men in the Republican party alone. Money !
always seeks protection. It always asks to |
have great Difference paid to IL. II has vast |
power and Yields It, whether silently or other |
wise. Ny theory 10 that the poor people who |
have TO work for their living are the class, |
above all others, who need protection and |
uperdl laws. lAppiause. Inere 10 nothing /
90 conservative and cowsrdly as capital, or, as |
9 gentleman of Rhode Island said, there is
nothing on earth % cowsrdly a. million dol |
lars, except two millions. Lsughter.l And
50 II Is. Capital is always seeking legislation;
always seeking power; always seeking to
Irvine itself around the sinews of the people,
and WELD its influence in its own favor and
against the interest Of the great mass of the
people, who are the safeguards of Republican
ism and against sristocracy.
ONE OF THE DANGERS
existing in the United States Of America TO-DAY
Is that which results from the mighty money
power in this land being concentrated in but
few places in the nation. [Applsuse.] Each
man IL entitled to his own, but I advocate the
idea that the people should be wstchful of
their rights and demand legislation for their
the same as capital looks to its well
fare. These remarks make in Justification of
my course as Senator, in opposition to the
mighty influence tina: il thus bearing down
upon the people of our section who are the
producers Of this country, and say this only
to assure the people that they owe IL to them
selves to take an interest in the political affairs
Of the country, and to see to 1t that the right
principle that should govern in all human
affairs shall prevail. [Applause.] And now,
my countrymen, is the Republican party worth
savingi / think It is, most decidedly. read
n q speech delivered at Snrinpfield the other