The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-09-23
Aohfifal
SIlEECH OFA. c. RUELL.
(Conclu&0n.)

Halsted's goodness reminds me of the
religion of an old fellow who lived in
Tioga county, New York, many years
ago. The old fellows name was Squire
skinner He kept tavern. Once a
year q Methodist revivalist, old Elder
Ward White, used to hold camp meeting
in that vicinity, and the old Squire used
to get converted regularly at these meet
ings. Finally one day, the old fellow,
having been converted for about the
fifth time, had been baptized with sew
eral other converts, and, as he came out
Of the creek, an odd-looking, overgrown
boy, who was always hunting and fish
ing, stood there leaning on his rifle. The
boy, whose name was "Lle" Pickens,
called ont TO Elder White, II say, Elder,
hev you got a sure thing on old Squire
Skinner this timer
"What do you mean, ElijahW replied
the Eide, who knew the boy and his Pc
Culiarities.
Hey you got the old skunk converted;
hev you got him all ready for the King
dom of Heaven?"
II hope and pray that he is, Elijah" ;"
replied Elder White,
"Well, then" responded Lie, raising
his rife and thumbing the lock," )" you had
better let me shoot him now and send
him him right along for he'll baCk-slide
before the water dries off him efI don't"
The next time Halsted gets a fit of
goodness somebody ought to shoot him
on the spot, and send him where all good
Democrats 60, before he gets an opportu-
nifty to back-slde.
In conclusion, my friends, let me say
that Inever voted a Democratic ticket
in my life until last fall, and then did it
because | could not vote Republican
ticket without branding myself as the
accomplice of thieves. l was raised in
a Republican household, and my mother
used to spread the New York Tribune
over my cradle when | slept in baby
hood. My father taught me to hurrah
for Fremont and Dayton when | was
Httle lad, and | carried a torch as junior
Wide-Awake in the memorable campaign
of 1860. And SO on down to 1870 when
/ became Liberal in Missouri, and cast
vote for Gratz Brown and Equal Rights;
to 1872, when l voted for Horace Greeley
and Peace; to 1874, when l voted the
straight Democratic ticket without scratch
or blemish, from top to bottom, and from
bottom to top; and voted that straight
Democratic ticket, as our Uncle William
Allen said the other day in an interview
which | had the honor of reporting for
the st. Louis Republican "grimly and to
kill" And l propose to Keep right on
voting straight Democratic tickets so
ln,,c. a nc( 4 Nro
long as there is the faintest wriggle in the
tail ofthe Shiny Radical serpent that has
coiled its. strangling folds about our
throats; aIak until thisreign ofdebauchery
and crime is ended by the utter over
throw of the last of its authors. / shall
keep Oh voting the straight Democratic
ticket because l do not see any other
means OF !.lrling FROM power the men
who have made up the awful record that
have depicted to you. Then, when we
have put out the fire that is consuming
our house, we can reCtify the defects in
the hues. But until we have obliterated
Grantism, let us not be diverted from the
one grand object of its destruction. For
my part | cherish the hope that some
day or other the value of this twenty
dollar gold piece and this twenty dollar
greenback maybe equal. But, though l
hope for resumption of specie payments,
| do not believe i'll borrowing coin to re-
sumo with, according to the John Sher-
man plan. / am opposed to the theory
that the Government should pay ma
tional bankers six per cent interest in
gold for the privilege of permitting them
to use it's credit to bank on; and that is
the National Banking system in nut
shell. am in favor of the theory that
80 long as our currency is all based upon
the credit of the Government, the Gov
lernment should have all the benefit of
its issue. And that is all there is of the
greenbaCk theory, as | understand it.
But whatever am in favor of, or what
ever l oppose in theories of finance, the
whole subject is secondary in my estima-
lion, and cannot be made Of primary i'm
portanCe To me the eoverBhadowing and
all-eClipsing desideratum is the destruc-
tion of the monster whose recordI have
tried feebly to depict tonight. And
from this pursuit l am not diverted by
any cant, nor am to be turned aside by
any pretenses. Last fall we got this mon
ster down on his knees, half fstunned and
bleeding, He istrying to get up again in
Ohio this fall, He is begging to be let
up. | say keep him down, kill him, bury
him forever. i
Fellow-citizens of0hio, am Repub-
lican of the school of Abraham Lincoln,
Charles Sumner and Horace Greeley!
But | shall be a Democrat of the school
Of William Hon nr of opyy ofhar enhon1