Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-08-11
MS REASONS.
Gen. Tuttie's Telling speech-Why ne
LEFT the Democratic Parsy-A ScOrch-
ing Review Of Facts.

Tuttle, at Des Moines, Iowa, in which he
gives his reasons for abandoning the DEM
ocratlc party and uniting with the Repub-
lcans:
Mr.: Chairman, and Gentlemen Of the Hsyes and
Wheeler Club.
When I concluded 20 change my party 1
thought might be allowed to do II quietly.
II was private act, and required no public
announcement, as there was no one TO whom
Twas obligated TO account for such an ac-
ton. But as my course has been called so
severely to account, 1 may as well embrace
this opportunity TO tell both my democratic
and my Republican friends why have left
the old Democracy and why | am here
tonight The act OF change was a private
one, but my reasons for so doing were pub
lie ones, and they may be told and shall be.
tCheers.l l am no speaker, and make no
pretensiOns of being. But can talk 10 you
rs neighbors. have been considered
doubtful by many Democrats for nearly two
years. Laughterl Indeed, ] never had
been Democrat II the issues on which they
are fighting this year are the principles Of
the party lGreat applausc.l But nearly
two years ago the course OF my duty was do
veloped much more plainly than II ever had
been before. What had seen before that
that was wrong, had continued TO hope
would be found to be mistakes, and would
be mended.
Nearly two years ago was in st. Louis.
Now thoreis nothing peculiar In simply hav-
ing been In st. Louis. But was there also
in 1861. [Uheersl That was lust after the
first battle of Bull Run, and st. Louis was
thoroughly, wildly, insanely rebel 1t was
worth mans life then, almost to be seen
In the Union uniform. A Union officer
about the hotels, where congregated the
noislest secession elements, was hooted at
and derided and told with sneers Yes,
you'll go South, and you will come back, as
the Union soldiers have just come back from
Bull Run, with your tails tucked" But as l
remember 1t, none Of our troops from Iowa
ever came back in that shape Laughter
and applause.l That was the feeling in St.
Louis in 1861, and this feeling found there
again, In the same spirit and in the same
places, re-expressed BY the very same men, |
when I was there in 1874. 1t was then 1 |
learned tile news that the Democrats had |
and these same fellows who swarmed |
about the hotels talking treason |
and deridng Union soldiers in 1861 |
were exultant and delirious with
Joy this last time i remarked to a gentle
man who had been a comrade with me in
the war, This looks like the same set of
fellows who were spouting treason here at
the beginning of the war. What is 1t that Is
exciting them so, and what ails them2" We
asked squad Of them what 1t was that made
" them feel so goodW | heard one of them
say 1--WE have got them this time. We
can beat them this time" We asked
who who they ,.yvIIG meant nt by them" They re-
and then we've got them. Then wen get
pay for all our property destroyed in the
war, and then well get pay for our lost
slaves. We have the House overwhelmingly
now, and in 1875, the Centennial year, we
can get the Senate and a Democratic Presi-
dent. Then we can appoint our committees
tn suit ourselves, and choose our own South
ern Claims Committee and Southern Claims
Court, and make gosd our losses by the
war" They meant that they would get pay
for all the property destroyed by the Union
army, and pay for all their emancipated
slaves.
Said one: "Give us possession of the Gov
ernment, and the North will be the rebels
next time" This was the talk and the talk
In earnest-as was the talk Of the same men
in 1861. They meant it, They talked 1t over
coolly and seriously. Said they had already
a United South, which would be nearly
enough, and that their Democratic allies in
the North dare not deny them the little |
more, the few more votes that they would
need. That is their idea to.day-to gain by !
legislation, by means OF diplomacy and
trickery, what they failed to gain by means
of force. believe it; know it. All their
expressions suggest it, and all their actions
prove IL. What else do they meany Why 10
II that the State of Missouri has issued to /
every former owner of slaves In that State O
certificate for 81 600 for every slave, payable )
when the General Government will pay it? !
This very thing, the total amount of the
value of their emancipated slaves is now esti- s
mated as part of the State debt of Mis- |
souril used to think that this was a Re- !
publican falsehood, the certificate matter.
But 1t is an actual fact, and these certih- '
Gates, and all certificates or showings Of
losses sustained throughout the State are
f9 h9e a6ssm6Srass ana the rebel
elemen ruling it, in the National Govern
ment, shall have attained to power. IL Mis- ,
sour Will do this thing and hold out this
promise to pay for all emancipated slaves,
why will not all the Southerners, all worse {
rebel States, do it, and will not they do it? l
When these things came to my knowledge I
could not do less than halt for further de- J
yelopment, watching suspiciously every Q
movement made thereafter which | could l
see had tendency to draw the Democracy .
North and south nearer together, union |
which could see would inevitably put the o
old rebel element at the head of and yir. 1
tually In control Of the party Events have
eliminated rapidly since then, and / had a
not long TO wait to see the whole pro- a
gramme. The Democratic House soon gave q
me light enough. [Cheers.l Il
For some time | have been ready to an II
swer the question: Have you left the a
Democratic partly" l have. GGreat an. Il
plause. And l am often asked now: "fs 81
II SOY VIII you vote for Hayes and Wheel o
cry" 1t is so, and | will work for them as u
well as vote for them. [Renewed applause.l 4
MY Democratic friends ask me for my rea. W
sons. There are plenty of them, and all of
them cannot be told in these few remarks. p
ana IL ls not necessary to tell all. First, let u
was not caused, as has been charged by the Il
press OF that party, because of the currency L
or tariff questions. ! have no objection to =
those planks in the st. Louis platform. But o.
my reasons are as have already indicated, N
and will now state further. c'
The Democrats who press me for my rea- cC
sons may know them. On the road the ri
other day met an old Democratic friend O.!
one OF the Van Buren, County Democrats, hi
whom Dave Steward, in his screed in the e
paper the other day, said never had any pt
faith In my Democracy after l went to di
The h war. lAPplausel Quite excited nc
hS wanted to know II it was N
left the Democratic party. answered, sit WI
IS fact" He asked the reasons for II. / la
-old him they were quite plenty and suni- tn
,ient, and as we had plenty Of time l would pc
'ell him some OF Them. Something of what go
have already stated here was first said, an
md then said the first thing didn't like tai
n the Democratic House was the appoint wa
nent of Fitzhugh, the Sergeant-at-arms Of ge
he Confederate Congress, as the Door OF
ieeper OF the House, and the displacement fu
II Union soldiers-many Of them crippled els
n the WARMTH the ex-membeTs OF the reb-
i army lGreat applause.l He wanted to So
Know II they didn't have a right to do this. ore
answered that they had, but that also VIC
lad the right to disapprove their doing it, thu
md denounee the deed. Applause. col
Another thing didn't like was Ben Hills He
ebel speech and its bold utterances of trea- rel
on and didn't like the rebel yell In re- wo
ponse to 1t, all over the South, for 1 had sci
leard that yell before, and knew what it COZ
meant. [Great cheers.l They tell me-the a b
l am "seared of Ben Hill" reI
don't think / am; l don't think ] was try
scared OF" any Of the Hills when 1 met in
hem In the South; don't remember that loa
vas [Great cheeringl Then | told my Yel
riend, how, worse than all Of the many bad tina
nd unblushing acts OF the Democratic ed
louise, / esteemed as Infamous the act of ing
Ppointing TO the clerkship Of the leading d
Ommlttee OF the House the man Hamble- we
on, who named his son John Wilkes Booth, rch
fter the assassin Of President Lincoln. Him. COZ
lense cheering. This outrageous act, in [Cl
ruckling TO the rebel element, the Northern sto
dare not dlsown, and for all for
now, this man is still the clerk of that Blu
ommittee. The little child, so dishonored of
y Its name, and the Significance Of 1t, had ond