Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1875-10-14
Was it Timely?
From the Boston Advertiser. !

Was 1t Timely?
From the Boston Advertiser.I
That the President made speech at Des
Moines the other day. and very good one,
seems to trouble certain class of people
almost as much as his long course of re-
framing from speech-making did Some
thing new to quibole about Is to them of
the nature of "A yod-send. and they show
their gratitude BY their diligence in fault
finding. Possibly the speech WAS unneces-
sary : but IL we have to core TO the time
that we are to have only necessary
speeches In this country. either from the
President or less important folk. there Is
crisis at hand for which not sufficient pre-
paratlon has been made. The Presidents
speech was quite as necessary as any other
that was made there. and much more In
teresting than some of them. 10 the face
| of notorious facts of significant import,
that have lately been forced upon public
attention, II was proper enough for the
| President, or for any one else called upon
! TO make talk at the reunion Of the Army of
| the Tennessee, TO consider whethsr the
Republic was likely to be distracted by a
great conflict concerning the fund amentAi
principles of its Constitution aud To warn
/ the citizens who heard him to take thought
| beforehand for its prevention. This Il
what the President did, and the disap-
/ pointment because he talked sensibly and
( earnestly upon 4 matter OF national con-
Germ is provoking almost as much fine sar-
castle writing as If he had actually seized
the occasion TO eulogize litter of bull
pups.
Mr. Gladstone In England has thought
1t worth while again and again 10 raise a
warning voice there against the encroach-
ments of a power that threatens English
liberty. We believe the liberal and indie
pendent journals of the Kingdom have no:
thought 1t becoming to sheer at him for
showing so much regard for the future Of
his country The President, in few but
well-chosen and weighty words. has
/ spoken out what he thinks with regard to
! the future security of our institutions. III
we are TO have. he says,-mark the U-f
we are to have another contest In the near
future, it will not be a sectional one, but
! one in which the dividing line will be be-
tween patriotism and Intelligence on the
one side and superstition, ambition and
1 ignorance on the other. There are two
things about this declaration that ought
to afford the Democratic and Independent
press much satisfaction. The President
makes il very clear that he AT least doesn't
! lie awake nights through fear OF the new
war which some OF our slow-moving
statesmen suspect the South is determined
upon. He shows also that he substantially
I agrees with DIR. Woolsey. Mr.. Adams and
manv other wise and sagacious citizens. as
/ TO what is the present most threatening
peril of the republic. Why it should be
/ proper for them to set forth their views in
4 long orations and written articles, and i'm
prpoer for him to 10 il in 4 iive-nlnutes
speech. is only less Ineligible than why
Il. - "A ,a-l ,t..-
very praiseworthy in these gentlemen and
very absurd in the President.
The Pre-. ident believes that this Centen-
NAL year of the establishment OF the Re
public j. a good time 10 set about the work
of strengthening It's foundations. Is he
not right: Aud if he Is right. is II not EN-
lnently proper that he should utter the
sentiment: Nor does lie leave us a. 4 loss
a. to what he means by these words Let
Us all labor TO add all peediu guarantees
for the greater security of free thought.
free speech, a free press, pure morals. I'M
feuered religious sentiments and equal
rights. Let us encourage tree schools,
and keep them free from pagan, atheistical
or sectarian control. Let u gua:d against
the union OF church aud state. with
these safeguards the battles which created
the army OF the Tennessee will not have
been fought in Vain" That is to say. the
Republic preserved by the Union armies
Will continue IN integrity, honor and use
tu!ness. IL seems 10 w. that this j. very
/ proper appeal for the Chief Magistrate TO
I make. and that il is likely to do a great
! deal Of good.
There are those who effect to think the
/ danger of such conflict as he iorebodes
! is not imminent. The truth j.. IL is now
/ upon Us. and it is high lime We were aware
it. In some States they are now In the
/ thickest OF the fight. What is the contest
/ in Ohio but o.e between intelligence and
/ patriotism on one side, and ambition and
/ ignorance on the other! The same con-
test is waging in other States, not always
about the same expressed issue, but be-
tween the same classes OF people. The
/ lines are not closely and exclusively
drawn, for they never are In snch a con
flct; but as between the controlling inter-
ests in the several camps the character
! ization Will hold now. and 1t will be more
conspicuous as the fight goes on. Here in
New England, TO be sure, the forces are
more mingled than Ia the West Or the
South; but we cannot escape being sum
} moned TO range ourselves with one or the
other party, unless fortunately the issues
now becoming promlnent get settled night
in the localities where they have arisen
before We become involved IN them.
The President has thrown his great in
/ fuence at good time. but not al all too
soon, into the right scale. and his speech
/ should be hailed with satisfaction, not
with carping; and SO il will be by those
whose predjudices dc not make them
blind to his virtues and to the signs OF the
times.