Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-09-08
Speech Of Hon. Robert G. IngeruOll, Of
Illinois.

curiosity 10 hear the latter gentleman,
and his appearance was greeted with loud
applause, He kept the audience in q
perpetual roar of laughter for nearly
two hours. The main portions of his
speech are given below, taken from full
report in the Lewiston Journal:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN-I belong to
the Republican party, and l am glad of
IT, and will give you few reasons why
am glad of it. The Republican party is the
conscience of the nineteenth century.
What was the condition of the country
when the Republican party came into
power know there are those with en-
venomed tongue who denounco this party,
men who, If they had their own way,
would not have allowed us to have
country TO. day. The Democratic party
made it the duty of citizens 10 hunt
fugitives seeking liberty No man
ever voted for such law who was
not rascal intend to tell the truth,
if am strong enough, and tell you l
have an excellent constitution. This
crime crept up into the Supreme Court.
That court was farce. Iknow all about
it In 1861, if negro had planted corn
and the crop was ready to harves., and
the Supreme Court would have decided,
with their spectacles pushed back on
their bald patcs, that the corn belonged
10 the Democrat. This was the spirit of
the good old party of reform. Imagine
the condition we were in when the Re
publlcans came into power. Justice and
mercy were vagrants AT the North the
Democrats were ready to give anything
for an office. The Southern States took
up arms-took up arms for what? Why,
for the right to steal from four millions
of people of different color. | believe
am superior to the black man-and so
superior that can get my living without
robbIng him. The Democratic party
commenced the war against the Union.
The question was: Are you for or against
the Union? The Republican party Of
fered all it could-it almost got into the
dirt, but the South rushed to war. The
great Republican party and every Union.
loving Democrat in the North struck
hands to fight for the Union. Are you
sorry the great Lincoln was elected Pres
ident? He was almost the only man
who, having absolute power, never abused
it except on the side of mercy.
Then there's Buchanan, an old bach
elor, and, for Gods sake, never trust
another. / wouldn't trust a man who
don't love wife better than politics.
Buchanan said: 81 can't do anything"
He fell back on State rights. Now, l
claim nobody ever urged that doctrine
who didn't want to steal something from
somebody. 1t was called up when the
South wanted to secede. Buckle up your
coat when they talk State rights-your
pocket-book is in danger. They believe
the United States is simple partnership,
and when any member of the firm wants
to set up on his own account he may go
out. Now, what has the Democratic
party been doing all these years? The
Republican party has its book open.
The Democratic party says: {" For Gods
sake, let our pedigree alone" l say let's
examine the pedigree. The Democratic
party was opposed to the war; that ought
to curse them eternally q would be will
ing to let them end little short. but po-
litically mean eternally) The Demo
cratic party opposed the means to put
the war down; they swore the debt never
ought to be paid. They tried to impair
the national credit. The Democratic
party said: "Don't buy bond; the
South will succeed" If the Democratic
party had had its way, the soldiers in the
field would not have been paid. They
ought politically eternally to be cursed
for that. How many Democrats were
delighted every time the Union army
were defeated Voice: That's so."l
That's a fact. l don't tell it as news,
but simply to refresh your memories.
What Y,,nrap Tho 1Nortu
tried to get up fire in the rear in Cana
da. Jake Thompson had 800, 900 from
the Confederacy to operate in Canada in
conjunction with Northern Democrats
The Knights of the Golden Circle in In
diana and Illinois received money from
Jake Thompson. He hired men to fire
New York and Cincinnati. He furnished
pistols to those men in boxes marked
Sunday school books" have right here
copy of Jake Thompson's letter, in
which ne speaks of the danger of his
letters falling into loyal hands; for, he
says, they will implicate leading men in
the North. What kind of leading men?
Northern emocrats-friends of honesty
and reform, gentlemen.
was at Peoria, ILL.,, when the Demo
Gratis held their convention. Broth
ers," they said, "let us put down that
tyrant Lincoln" They were for peace,
they said, and all the time they had
Jake Thompson's pistols in their pockets
That was the first meeting held in the inter
est of an uprising to aid the South. But
Vallandingham told them: "We1l elect
Mcclellan, and that'll accomplish at the
ballot what is proposed to do by force"
lab kn g.. of
his attempt to burn New York with
Greek fire. That's what the Democrats
were doing in 1864 Recollect when
speak of the Democratic party mean
the men who did these things. l am
sorry to see men, good and true and
loyal, who are with the Democrats still,
and who are trying to make them re-
spectacle. My voice has no word
against those men, do whatever they do,
who faced shot and shell for the Union.
Idonot stigmatize them. / do not al
lude to true and loyal Democrats, but to
those Democrats who are Democrats
from mere cussedness. How came it to
this? Is man to be ashamed for hav-
ing fought the Democratic party with
shot and shell? Will the time ever come
when these scars worn by Gov. Connor
shall be disgrace to himS Shall the
time come when we shall not mention
the struggles of our boys and defend
their scars? 1t never can come But /
say if the Democratic party gets the
power, the Union soldier will have to
hide his scars, If Samuel j. Tilden is
elected President, he will be the tool
and instrument of the Southern Democ-
racy. Did the Southern Democracy ever
allow the Northern Democracy to man
age2 They never did, and they never
will After the. war was over the Re
publicans told the negro he was free,
and that he must be citizen and have
the ballot. The Democratic party voted
against all these measures. Mr.. Hen.
bricks spoke in the United States Senate
and said there was no power in the peo-
pie to change the Constitution and make
the slave free. He believes to-day these
people were unlawfully depriyed of their