St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-09-15
To be continurd.)
The Two Parties Contrasted.
Extract from Speech of Prof. j. >eelye before
Massachusetts Republican Conventions

The question at issue in the pending
election is not simply IL question of men
If it We're should have no question
about it. Quite irrespective of party
and iudging of liaNcS and Tildcn
Wheeler and Hendricks simply as men,
III the light of what they have respect
lively done and shown themselves To bc
| have II" hesitation in prcterring fol
the high offices of President and Vie,
| President of the United States, the Re
publican nominees. think they al.
/ better and moIe Trustworthy men than
Their Democratic opponents. But the
| question Is not mainly about men. and
! | shall therefore talk more about par-
| ties than about men. The party is he
| hind the men, and when Il party puts Il
man III power it is because the spirit
and doctrines of the party are repre-
scented in him. From these he is not
/ free, and cannot be free. This is no
| di>paragrmcnt to the man. for no man
can stand absolutely alone. which is
only saving that every man must he
/ long to Il party of some sort. In other
words, every man * penetrated and
/ possessed hN some sentiment or idea in
common with some other men 10y Wlicl.
81 long aS II POSSESSES him. he iS led.
and Il great man of strong will. instead
"t controlling his sentiments or ideas i
much more powerfully controlled bI
them than Il weak and Irrc>olutr man.
hc nominees of :; patty are taken be
cause the party seeks through them the
nominations of its principles. and I'M
less the man elected is both weak and
worthless. these principles will control
him. and the party will not find itself
mistaken. 1t is very easy to sa> that
u President should he the President of
the country and not of Il party. and of
course this is true. but the President
OF the country must have certain views
of public policy 10y which the whole.
administration must hc directed. and
il he is an honest man, and meets with
II" radical and surprising change of
sentiment and spirit after his election.
these views must coincide with those
of the party which elected him. (Ap-
plauSc.)
Now, if the Democratic party is iudr-
ed. aS ii should he. either III the his
toric spIit OF its actual tendencies. its
promises of reform are only IL hollow
mockery, which. whatever might he
the intention of those who make them.
are impossible of performance. Ii is
not possible for the Democratic party
To he the party of either reform or prog
rcSS. And when | say this | enter into
no question respecting the purpose or
the motives of its leaders. for. though |
have my doubts in some cases concern
ing these, though | do not see how any
man can compare the uttcrance and the
acts of some of the more noted leaders
of the Democratic party without some
doubt about their purposes. vet this is
not my reason for doubling the party
or for believing that its triumph would
he great national calamity. | diStrust
it because it has never shown itself
trustworthy, and in fact of its past per
formanceS | can no more believe its
present promises than can trust that
Il long time offender has repented and
reformed, till he has brought forth
fruits meet for repentance. (Applause.)
1t Is very serious matter, gentle
men, this proposal to hand over our
great government and all the precious
interests of the nation dependent on it.
to party which has not only brought
forth but has nurtured to maturity the
dlreSt foes which the government has
ever had to meet, and which sustained
by Its sympathy and encouraged by its
words and aided by its deeds these very
foes when they set themselves in dead
" Efforts to destroy the government
they had sworn to defend. | wish to
know why we should take the mainten-
ance OF our liberties and the defence of
our laws from the hands which have so
bravely upheld them. and transfer them
to hands still red with the blood of the
nations defender. |, for one. am not
ready to do this until see some signs
tllat the Democratic party has changed
ltS controlling spnit, and is at least no
longer hostile to the interests most dear
to freemen. Are there any such signs
II so, fail to see them. The first sign
OF genuine repentance is always con-
TRITON. a wrOngdOe who will never
acknowledge his wrong can never he
trusted to do right and a party, loaded
down with misdeeds, which it will not
own with shame, has not shaken off its
SINS. Now the Democratic party was
the upholder of slavery and the apollo
glst Tor secession, and the antagonist of
ooth the war for the maintenance of