The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-11-04
SPEECH OF
w. w. HOPKINS. ESQ.,.

Before the Hayes and Wheeler Club of
Port Deposit, on the Evening of 18th ult.
FELLOW CITIZENs:-W are very small
fractional part of the great body polite,
which from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
from the lakes to the Gulf Of Mexico is
now SO buSily engaged in this Presidential
contest, which is TO determine, not who
shall be our rulers, but who of two men
will. as our Chief Magistrate, most faith
fully obey the voice of the people. And if
we reflect upon the intensity of the inter
est taken, the number of speeches made
and the magnitude of the work being done,
we are lost in admiration of the fact, that
here alone, upon all the earth, can free
people be thus engaged. And with it all
comes our Centennial Exhibition, to which
as their Mecca, can all Americans journey,
to renew their vows of allegiance, and to
quicken their inspirations for freedom and
hberty-and there by the evidences of the
heroic valor and forttude of our Revolu-
tionary fathers, of the progress of the ma
ton in the arts and sciences and mechanics,
of our country. eradicate from our minds
all sectional enmity, and show how futile
have been the attempts of the Democratic
party by secret, unnecessary and partisan
Investigations to drag down our Govern
ment from the high position she holds
among the nations of the world and smirch
the characters of all its official representa-
tives. For the partisan malice and vindic
tiveneSs exhibited in these Investigations is
without parallel in any political contest
in this country. We are not a warlike peo-
pie, but there is a national pride in our mill
tary resources and renown, which makes
us turn as people with Scorn and con-
tempt upon any party which has ever OPP
posed any war in which we have been en-
gagged. And it is au historical fact that no
political pant has ever survived its oppos-
ton to any of our wars. Washington was
not saved from calumny, charges of cor
rupton and want of patriotism when he
advised against joining our former ally
France il her war against Great Britain.
The FedCralist party was dissolved by its
opposition to the war of 1912. The Wing
party never recovered from its opposition
to the Mexican war. And the Democratic
party was ruined by its opposition to war
of its own creation. And now it attempts
to obtain the supremacy in the Govern
ment by using a united South as a step
ping stone.
On the 4th of March. 1861, the Demo
cratic party stepped down and out, leaving
as a legacy to the incoming Republican ad
ministration a war, the inception of which
was bred in the greatest infamy that the
country ever saw: that had for its object
the overthrow of a Government, the best
the human intellect had ever devised; that
was marked by the most brutal atrocities
on the part Of those beginning it, that ever
diSgraced human conduct; aud in its Sacri-
fees and sutferingS was unsurpassed 10y any
wars of the Old World. But the Republic
can party had been reared in an adversely
which gave it strength for the occasion
and then brought the country successfully
through it. Since that, for nearly sixteen
years, the Democratic party has been out of
power and the most natural question which
would occur to any one is, Why has this
been? Now | claim that it has not been
from any resentment or malice on the part
Of the Republican party towards the South
ern people or Democratic party. The terms
of capitulation prescribed by our generals
to the last armies of the Confederacy were
such honorable ones, AS brave generals only
offer and gallant foe can always accept
And when those terms had been accepted
the great Union army gathered together
at the seat of Government. not to dictate
new terms or overthrow the Government in
the interest of any man, but to lay down
their arms and return to the peaceful ova
cations OF life. Although they had left
thousands of their comrades buried in the
hills and valleys of the South; although
they had brought home thousands of them
i
taken care of: although the lamentations of
widows and the cry of orphans were to be
heard throughout the land; although the
horrors of Andersonville and Libby were
yet fresh in their memories, still the whole
policy of the Republican party towards the
South has been such was never extended
by cOnuuerorS or shown to a rebellious
people. With Christian charity and fra
ternal feeling unequaled in all the annals
of history-following the spirit shown by
the army,-it has removed from the South
ern people their political disabilities and
restored to them all their franchises until
emily few hundred are disqualified from
holding office. While many of those who
were in arms against the Government are
now to be found in our national halls OF
legislation, the Republican party has i'm
posed no taxes upon them they have not
helped to share the burden OF, prescribed
no restrictions they have not required from
themselves. But while this clemency has
been thus manifested by the Republican
party, the Democratic party, by a system
attic course OF ingratitude, misrepresenta-
tion and abuse, have pursued such policy
as to keep themselves ont of power and the
people afraid to confer it upon them. In
all these sixteen years they have never
advanced a single idea or offered single
measure to strengthen the bonds of union
between the States, to solve the great ques
tion of reconstruction, to amelorate the
condition of the Southern people or to
uphold the credit of the Government.
Their conduct during the war was one of
constant embarrassment to the Govern
ment, and eliminated in 1864, by their
National Convention declaring the war 4