The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-08-15
Kew York.

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=. New York.
SPEECH or SENATOR CoNKLING AT UTICA.
NEW YORK, August l4.-The following
ia Senator ConkIing's speech delivered at
Utica tonight, after. his introduction in
friendly and fattering terms by Senator
III an ~ man could fifty acknowledge
and respond to all this am not he. Such
a welcome, such magnificent manifesto
ton of goodness, OF generosity, would be
memorable in a life OF usefulness and
worth to which I can lay no claim. } Its
most agreeable feature is the absence OF
party lines Among those from whom
il comes are many who have diff
fered with me in the sharp political
collisions Of the past for more than twenty
years. We have engaged in contests often
enraged with q heat and ardor which has
not always stopped, fear. with mere differ
ence OF political opinion. Tonight the
bugles OF party sound truce, and You come
as neighbors and friends to greet neighbor
and n friend. Twenty years is great while
since It began. Time, with his frosty fin
GERS, has cooled and silvercd many brow;
and I can say truly that no word harsh or
singing toward a political opponent ever
passed my lips which I would not to-
night gladly recall. Speaking to Demo-
Gratis not less than to Republicans; speaking
to the organizations and to the individuals
who have bestowed al! the honor which
this demonstration attests; speaking to my
honest colleague in the Senate who has
come here to say eloquent and undersigned
words; speaking to all my voice can reach,
I render you the acknowledgment OF a.
grateful, heart and return in mea-
sure every sentiment OF friendship you
can feel for me and mine, disclaiming
the credit generally ascribed to me
by Senator Herman. I am glad OF
a public occasion to refer to one Of the most
pleasing incidents Of my public service.
During the brief time that we have been col
leagues in the Senate we have been called to
act on questions OF deep concern to the State
OF New York-to every State in the Union.
In one memorable instance the country was
in more imminent peril than you at home
could fully realize-in danger OF being dis
graced before the world and involved in con-
ditions and consequences which no citi-
zens possessed OF property, saying nothing
OF the patriotism or pride OF country, could
ever had ceased to deplore. On this occa-
sion, and on all occasions when the inter-
eSts OF our country or State were involved,
no political antagoniSm kept us apart. He
will confirm me in saying that there has
never been an hour when we could not con-
fer as freely upon public measures as il we
had been members OF the same political
party. II either OF us had entered the Senate
believing that men cannot be ardent party
men and at the same time be patriots, our
associates would have undeceived Us il we
had not undeceived ourselves. He Is a
pretty staunch Democrat, but he never
seemed to be Democrat enough to believe
it would hurt his party to do right. / trust
I have never been Republican enough to
believe it part OF the Republican creed to
do wrong.
"You may expect me to say some
thing of my journey abroad. The
truth is, I was home-sick-downright
home-sick. The farther l went the more it
seemed there was no country like America,
no State like New York. No American can
realize the progress America has made till
he goes and compares it with other lands.
Without seeing other countries it's hard to
realize how bounteous Nature and Provi-
dence have been to us. We suffer Just
now from hard times and depressed
industries. You see all this and more
abroad. We think England rich in
the ocean carryIng-trade. So she is, but
lines in some instances alternate with each
other, running only half OF the time. Man.
ufactureS are depressed everywhere. Work
ingmen here are dissatisfied with wages.
Unwise and lamcntable counselS have re-
Gently led to lawless acts, from which
in the end no one will suffer so much as
their authors and abettors' and those
they assume to represent. wish they could
all 60 to France and England and see what
the woikmen and women do there, and hear
of the wages they receive. England, eX-
Guiding the twelve counties OF Wales. is not
larger than the State OF New York 1t con-
tains 81 900, 900 people. One or two hun
dred men own half Of England. Their es-
tates are princcly reservations for game,
aud pleasure, and opulence. One man
may ride thirteen miles in one direction
and nearly as far in the other on his own
estate, and when he dies his eldest son takes
it all. The State Of New Y ork has less than
5000, 900 people. Suppose there were i've
times as many, and then that one half OF the
State was given up to the monopoly and
pleasure of one hundred and fifty noble.
men: suppose, in addition, men and womeni
lahored in the fields and mines, and that the
wages were only those paid in England;
suppose only one man in three had vote
or voice in public affairs or in making laws,
and that the great body of Workingnen were
wholly excluded from all part in choosing
the members of the only House OF Parlla-
ment in the seats that. are not hereditary;
then suppose taxation to maintain a.stand,
Ing army, in which commissions are sold
for money, or given to sons and relatives,
and tthes taken TO maintain AN estabhshed
Church in which Iiveries are sold to tue
highest bidder, or bestowed as patronage,
what would the workingmen OF Pennsyl-
yania and Ohio think OF such conditions!
We are all workingmen in America. NO
class has monopoly OF the rightto call itself
the working-cass here. L have always
worked and always been compelled to work,
and nv sympathies are all with honest
labor. I believe in its dignity and IN
all its rights, but when tidings Of the
strike reached me in Paris, under my
eyes was a spectacle which seemed to
heighten the madness OF what men IN
America were doing. The Government OF
France was borrowing money, and on the
curbstone OF the street SAT men all night to
get each his turn in the morning to invest
Lin the loan. They were workmen who,
living IS workmen do not and need not live
here, and working for wages which Amerl-
can workmen would scorn, had by hook or
by crook saved fifty francs. Each fifty francs
make ten American dollars; and these all
night watchers were there to buy ten-dok