Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-09-15
Extracts from SsnntOr George a.
Wrtgh's Grcas speech ut atti's-
bOrO, sent. tth, 1915.

|
Wrtghts Greas speech ut attis-
b0ro, sent. 4th, 1915.
Among the very highest duties Gevo!v
iug upon the citizens ,f free goccrnncnI
is to vote, A still higher duty is to vote
right In view Of his nllga,inis 10 The
government. the part taken by him 10y his
vote, ia the administration of its affairs, nc
man, in this matter can Il .ra or dare to
mistake. For repeat, that the highest and
most sacred daiy ever imposei npnn anv
people aud especially ft.r pop.c is the
true. honest, intelligent exrrci.cof Il e cleo
tive franchise. right now secured thank s
10 the wis,lnn and courage oi the Republic
can party, 10 this country, by Federal and
Stare Constitutions to all, without iis,inc-
tion OF race, color or previous condition OF
servilude. five had this feeling. may
remark in passing, fully and well impressed
OH our minds, we would all avn to so vote
as to secure good government---that good
government which we all 70 much dt sire.
Yes, my friends what we want is good
| government. il ia a matter vastly more
| important that we should all art IN puii;i-
cal matters with due aud hon,st regard to
the welfare Of the repuhlic than that any
man or party sh"u a b. voted ni or dawn.
Parties, politics, i.,el aud tickets should be
used or regarded rs means or agencies to
secure or pro,iuce this Welfare this good
government, aud those should be selected
or esponsed which we, as conscientious cti-
zens,-looking the whole ground over
| what has been done and what has been
pledged-honestly believe are most likely
to secure to us this government. and pro-
mote the highest welfare OF the republic.
Whenever we select cnr servants from other
motives, or in so far rs we act with parties
| for other or less elevated purposes, we are
untrue to our mission as citizens Of land
so favored, and unfaithful TO duties so broad
and far.reaching
THE GROWTH OF IOWA UNDER REpuBLI-
CANIsM
But it may be that it is due to you and
especially those who differ with the party
which l here humbly represent, that
should 60 back somewhat, and not assume
without proof, this prosperity in State and
nation TO which so generally referred, for
possibly, in this assumption it may be said,
beg the whole question, or,in other words,
that, AZ take for granted the main and
principal premise, my argument or deduc-
tion ought OF curse to be easy enough.
The point would seem to be we'll taken, or
| at least plausible, and therefore I meet it..
know that Mr.. Lefflet, the distinguish
ed gentleman who heads the opposition
ticket, said among other things IN his speech
accepting the nomination, that "The Re-
publican party has been cloud in this
State for fifteen years, and it is time the
shadow was cleared off, and yet | assume
that it will scarcely be required by an Iowa
audience that shon,d demonstrates propo-
sition so nearly self-evident as that the
State has had prosperity throughout all her
borders for the last twenty Yeas You see
tin your almost four thousand miles Of
railway ian Increase of 377 per cent. in the
last decade)-i your near million and a
half Of people (almost doubling in ten
years)-in the 1855 600, 600, as assessed, OF
taxable property rs compared with less than
one-third that amount twenty years since
in the acres Of enclosed land, not far
from IL ,O00, 900, double that OF lsG5-in
10 | 900, 600 bushels Of wheat and corn,
compaied with G3,000, 900 at the close of
the vain the increase Of our manufacture
| ed products from three and u hall million
IN Seso u fa"rtceN ~S'Eioa iu tSGU, to
forly-.ix and hA,f million in 1870, and
now estimated AT sixty niillion, in The uunl- :
Der of dwellings,. running up from .i:i 900
1850 to 100, 900 in 1870, now estimated at
100000 in the success If cur schools, the
statistics showing an Attendance in 1850 OF
a5 900 AMI EN- oiled for 1874 Roc, 900, in 5
i"2 Schools in 1865, And !, ,2G' in lsTl; in
our benevolent institutions, Comparing well
with any State; in our higher institutions
nt learning; III our comparative freedom
from Il bt as State; in oiir credit AT home
and abroal la the excellence of unr geGer-
al legi>lati N; in the general intelligence
and thrift of our people; in "nr chnches
and Libraries in our cities and towns; farms
aud associations, agriculture, mechanical aud
| other wise, iur the improvement If society
| aud the elevation Of the masses in all pur-
| suits, IN our improved aud constantly i'm
proving moral and public sentiment. 1 say
| in all these and number less other things
We have the demonstration, all that any fair
| mind would or can ask, that Iowa has had
prosperity, and that in so far AS the policies
Of party or administration oi State has or
may influence these results, to the Republic
can party We are indebted for this growth
and advancement.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE NATION
"A of the State, so Of the Nation. In
1860 our total population was 81, ass ,32l;
| 10 1870, rs, ,55S,37l, now estimated At AZ.
600 900, or an Increase in fifteen years of
ten and halt million. The statistics show
estimating to this time upon the returns
OF 1870 that there has be an increase in
the assessed valuation Of the real property
| of the nation to the amount of four billion,
| while the Increase OF the total wealth for
ten years was near fourteen billion, and
from 1860 to this time approximating
twenty billion. Our manufactured pro-
ducts advanced from 81, ,S76, ,O0O, 900 to S4,-
20S, ,000, 900 in 1870, now probably not less
than IS. SOC, ,000,00 In 1860 our farm
lands were valued at S6,665, 600 600; 10
1870 at 30, 262, 600, ,000, and that the increase
in the number Of farms for the same period
was 6l5,90S. And what is Of far greater
value, as showing the true wealth and
greatness OF the nation, we find that We had
ll5. 900 schools in 1860, as compared with
l41, 900 in 1870; that the Increase 10 school
attendance was about one million, that our
libraries increased from "a 900 in 1860,
containing $4,000, 900 volumes, to l6 ), 600
in 1870. with 100000 volumes. That
We had 5.S7l newspapers and periodicals
ia 1870, as compared with 4,05l in 1850,
and 5000 churches at the one period val
ued at 1854 4,0O0. 900, compared with 54.-
900 at the other, valued At SIT, 200, 10000.
And during the time covered by these
statistics, We must remember that the ma
ton was drained and decimated by the raw
ages Of war, telling disss,rously upon its
wealth and upon all its resources as never
before in its history. And yet no one can
look At these hastily gathered facts without
saying truly has the nation prospered, nor
without being le,i to rejoice that ne lives in
a nation aud an ago when results so great
have been accomplished under cirru,nstau-
ces, in many respects so we'll calcnsted to
dcpress our energies, and which would have
discouraged people less enterprising and
active. and bailled the skin, tact and capac-
ity Of anybody. Of men less devoted TO duty,
less alive 10 the great work before them,
than those controlling our national affairs
for the last fifteen years,
| THE TWO PARTIES.
Turn we. however. 10 the very locicaI in