Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-08-23

at Danville, Hendricks county. The
meeting was an immense gathering,
and was characterized by the greatest
enthusiasm. Gen. Harrison spoke for
three hours, making most convinc-
ing and eloquent speech. Speeches
were also made by the Hon. Will
Cumback and the Hon. Newton
Booth, Senator from California. SEN
ator Booth is in Indiana visiting
friends. 1t is his native State, and he
is to make some half dozen speeches
there before returning home to enter
upon the canvass in his adopted State.
His speech at Danville was brief. A
synopsis of it we find in the
Chicago Tribune, and, as it is excel
lent, giving the real marrow of the
issue joined in this canvass, we give
what we find in the Tribune:
When Gen. Harrison had conclud-
ed, Senator Booth, of California, who
| is visiting relatives in this State, was
seen by somebody to be in the Court
room, and a cry was raised for him.
He refused for some moments to say
anything, but being finally forced
forward by the continued demand, he
said: 1t would hardly be worth
while to come SO far to say so little,
but this call of yours thrills my heart
as it has not been thrilled for years,
for to-day 1 stand for the first time in
my native State to speak to my fell
| low-citiZens on a political question. /
can only congratulate you on this
auspicious occasion. / can only con-
graduate the Republicans of Indiana
that they have a leader in this canvass
who bears a historic name, to which
he adds the lustre of his own abilities
and patriotism. / can only rejoice
with you that the first Governor of
the Territory of Indiana will give us
q Governor in the Centennial year. /
do not deny that, so far as ! am per-
sonally concerned, recognize that
there are great political questions
4 bearing npOn us in the near future
that are not touched upon by the
divisions between the Republican and
Democratic parties-great questions
of finance, great questions of fiscal
1 policy, methods of reform and ad-
ministration,-but when ! find the
Democratic party, as a compacted
mass, cherishing its old traditions,
animated by its old idea, all other
Il questions in my mind are subordina-
ted to its defeat and destruction. ]
know not what others may think, but
as for me can see no road to pro-
gress that does not lead over its ruin.
4 For fifteen years it has stood in the
pathway of our advance; for fifteen
years it has resisted every great polit-
ical idea for fifteen years it has en-
deavored to suppress every grand
political utterance, and the time has
{ come, yea, the fullncss of time, when
it should cumber the ground no long.
er. do not deny that the Republi.
can party has made mistakes. L do
not deny that it has had corrupt men
, sometimes, for its agents; but look al
4 the past behind us; think of the great
questions it has confronted; think Of
the hundreds of thousands and hun
dreds of thousands on that, that it has
! employed; think of the difficulties il
I has passed through, the work it has
accomplished, and it seems to mt
+ miraculous that its mistakes have
been but the bends of the river tha
, do not affect its channels as it rushei
to the sea. And there is this to b.
E said of ii, that it made the country
extremity its divine opportunity
l that when the catastrophe came ovel
: us that good men all over the worli
D supposed would destroy us, j
snatched the victory even from TIL
A jaws of that, and made the event tina
s was to blot us out from among tn
> nations the opportunity to fix upol
our policy the seal of universal free
Y dom, and make it the guaranty of in
t Idissoluble union. iA