Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-06-24
COL. JOHN REID.

EDITORS lNTELLIGENCER: inclination urged
this humble tribute long sgo, but the fear OF
being unworthy of your columns, together with
q desire to shun all public demonstration, sup
pressed it. But the time las come when the
very air IS freighted with Political corruption,
when our country must eittrr burst the chains
that fetter her beautiful phions to thraldom
and misrule, and rise to thai majestic cminence
bequeathed her by the patri,ts of seventy-six,
or thus Misguided, droop beeath the combind
powers OF oppression and leIe to her children
q bloody heritage; far
."better be
Where tn distinguished Sparans still are free,
In the charnal OF ThermopyiaH
The time IS at hand when wecan no longer sit
supinely and bemoan our sad condition. Every
man should stand to his duty, whether he be
friend or foe, saint or sinner, lermit or cosmop-
ollie; there is u work assigned him to perform,
q love to cherish not prOscribh by the limit OF
his own Threshold. but wide as the area OF our
country, and deep as the smohered wall that is
wrung from her now. She stands as it were,
with pale hands uplited, pleading to her free
born sons for succor. while tn. whitening breath
OF anarchy sweeps over her.
Unskilled IN political economy. 1 could not
dictate where TO begin. butit.seems that COM
mon sense would teach the first great duty is to
purge our offices of their cr.ven occupants, and
pla ce instead, men who's, purity of purpose
would spurn to do q sulliedact. Men not wild
with party prejudice. nor yet cringing enough
to be swayed by popularity; men bold and
hrm. seeking not their own aggrandizement so
much rs the welfare of THEN suffering country,
and like the lamented A. J. johnson, rather
than expose her trembling weakness, hushed it
within his own breast an, proudly laid him
down upon the field to die. We are about To be
plunged int, that great political vortex again,
where Hlen Of granite nerve can scarcely hold
their footing. The alConventIon is nigh
ut hand, and while l would speak all praise of
our present incumbent. andof the competitors
already cha1ngto hear the. sap of the drum for
the gubernatorisl race, | can safely say, that
should my fellow cOuntrymm, Col. John Reid
be the champion, he will "iill the Office with
honor and pride To his Constituents. .and bring
iaureis TO bis noble state thai will blossom when
he ID gone. Having lived in obscurity in the
nome oil my adoption, II has never been my
good fortune tn become personally acquainted
with either oil the gentlemen alluded TO. but
Col. Reid have known from my earliest child
hood, played upon the Same bluegrass swards
OF Old Macon, amid her lovely flowers and be-
neath her glorious sunshine, and Graded to
sleep at night in the grand old homes OF our
revolutionary fathers. while the smoke from the
almost Contiguous chimneys clrcled into the
same cloud Though differing widely III poll
tlcal sentiment there, (he being born and reared
a democrat. l, aye, proud am | to declare it, an
Old line ~hig). l W uld speak OF him as an up.
right boy. q faithful true neighbor and friend
later In lille an honest politician, devoted to the
interests OF his party and his country, willing
L" sacrifice any thing ior the PRONUNCIATION Of
what he Conceived IL he right. | would plead
fer such men 10 be placed i'll Office, whether they
be my partisans or not. For the pride OF my
state l would beg every man to lay aside preju-
dice and work for his country's veal. The
same God dictates our destinies, the same nag
waves over us, and on the bosom of this lovely
and once happy land, We have the same right to
repose and call her mother.
Dover, Missouri, June goth, 1876.