The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-06-24
SPEECH OF SENATOR BOOTH.

Sen ator Booth recently visited San
Francisco, and If response to a call on
him made stirring address, from which
we make the following extracts:-
When parties represent honest differences of
opinion upon living political questions they
are just and proper. When the questions be-
tween them are obsolete they are useless; when
they serve to prevent the consideration OF pre-
sent issues, they are obstacles; when they per
petuate hatred and sectional strife, they are
evils cloud cheering); when their machinery
falls into the hands of the few to be employed
for selfish purposes and to defeat the popular
will, they are corrupt and oppressive when
the machinery Of both or either can be indif
terently manipulated by the same men in the
interest of private gain and corporate greed,
they are rotten and ought 70 be destroyed.
(Applause.1 believe the last condition has
been reached in this State, and shall cheer
iully, earnestly and actively give my support
and advocacy to the Peoples Independent
influence felt. Prolonged cheers.] Whoever
may regret it or deplore it, the existence OF
that party here is very potential fact. There
are no bridges behind it tor retreat, and it
wishes none. 1t desires no compromise. 1t
invites the cooperation of all who believe in
its necessity; it seeks the alliance Of none Tor
the sake OF success. 1t proposes as its motto
that no individual is so weak as to be beneath
the law. no man, no corporation SO powerful as
to be above it. Great applause.l In this sign
it will conquer or fall. Its defeat by either of
the other parties will be hailed as triumph
by every man who seeks to enrich himself
through legislation; by every one who consid
ers it respectable to bride an assessor and gloss
the bride with perjury; by every seeker OF q
monopoly, by every corporation which abuses
its privileges, by every power which would
suppress tree speech, by the brute tyranny Of
money, and by every ring which plumbers
that il may govern, and governs that it may
plunder. (Renewed cheering.1 But it will
not tail. Its necessity is its justification, its
spontaneous organization is the guarantee OF
its vitality, abuse from its en- mics the evil
dence OF its strensth-
Let me say to you, this contest has nation
al significance. Its principles-no taxation
direct or indirect, except for the necessary pur-
poses of government; no creature of the law
can be above the law-are broad enough for .
national party. The day for subserviency to
party names is last passing away. After pass
ing from one end OF this continent to the other,
mingling with all classes OF peopl-, it is my
deliberate opinion that, outside Of the men
who hold or seek ofiee, there are not in the
United States Is many partisans as there are
inmates in the insane asylums, and the opin-
ions Of one class are as consistent - those OF
the other. daughter and applause-) When
see people trying at the word Of command to
dress up into line and make faces
at each other, over questions that are settled
for all time, and in which they have ceased TO
feel living interest, lam reminded of An an
ecdota. Two gentlemen had been embroiled
in difficulty By hot headed friends, which led
to duel On the field one Of the principals said
to the other: EDO You know what this Is
aboutv 81 do NOT was the reply; lido
you r. Don't know anything except that
we are to shoot each other for the amusement
OF our seconds. Now, if You win shoot your
second, Ill shoot mine, and We can settle our
misunderstanding in two minutes daughter
and cheers-)
In the two political parties which stand fac
ing each other believe there Is general dis
position Ito shoot the seconds" and to bury
the past quarrel, with its dead memories, out
OF sight forever lApplause-) It is dead-H
cumbers the ground and pollutes the air In
dependent thought, sentiment, opinions are
everywhere feared and respected = moral in
nuence- They are strong enough TO lind their
own organization. Political revolutions a.
ways come from the people, and force their
way upward ProDhen ny Il on not Be, and