Ottumwa weekly courier., 1878-07-17

COL. CLARK T.. CARR, OF Gales
burg, ILL.,, delivered Fourth of July
Grafton at Crystal Springs, in that
State, on our last natal day, and he
took occasion to refer, in sensible
words, to the broad, open field in this
republic for every man to make HIM
self a man of wealth, of intelligence,
of usefulness. We cannot refrain
from quoting from it briefly. Hav-
ing spoken at length of the early life
of the leading men of Galesburg, he
continues:
"Of the wealthy farmers whose
broad acres skirt the city limits, near
ly every one started poor. In Knox
Vile, and in the other towns of the
county, also, nearly every one of the
men of means and property started
penniless. In the professions nearly
every man started poor. One of the
best lawyers in the city, perhaps the
most trusted lawyer, not only sup
ported himself by hard manual labor,
but earned the bread for INDECENT re-
lations. But it is needless to multiply
instances. Go through the country
among the farmers and it is the same.
How many Irishmen, Swedes and
other naturalized citizens, now own
ing fine farms in the country, or good
houses in the city, who twenty years
ago were working by the month.
"What record! Of the bankers,
merchants, professional men, farmers,
all those who own considerable prop
erty and hold high position, every
man almost started in life poor. Nc
inheritance, no influential or promi.
nent friends, and still, by industry
economy and prudence, they are well
off. l knew many of them when
they were needy, have watched theil
struggles out of poverty and want, to
comfort and aff1uence. have seer
their children grow up, and with
what pride they have given them ad.
vantages which they themselves could
not enjoy; and as l have seen the
prosperity of these men, the comforts
with which they are surrounded, my
heart has swelled with gratitude thai
it was my privilege to live in a city
and county where there were sucf
possibilities. What / have said o
Galesburg and Knox county is true o
this country. Go into any communi
ty and you will find that industry ant
economy have brought their reward
Presidents and senators, governor:
and judges, scholars and capitalists
have come from the ranks.
"In the light of all this, how absurt
to assume that the poor man has M
chance. The fact is the poor man i
the only one who is successful. l be
lieve that, as a rule, the men who ar
born to an inheritance become profit
gate and dissipated and die in power
ty.
Zone of the greatest injuries, tn
monster wrong, inflicted upon the la
boring man of to-day, is brought up
on him BY the shiftless vagabonds de
signated under the general title o
tramps-the very offscourings of thi
and every other country; lazy an,
lousy, and redolent of filth. Will
we have work which ought to be don
at once, and for which we are Willing
to pay, they come to our doors ant
beg bread and meat, and when the,
get it they will, as they craunch it be
tween their teeth, tell our hired me.
who honestly earn their monthly wa
ges, and are getting ahead some ever.
month, that the poor man has n
, show in this country. They know
/ when they utter the libel that, laz
/ and shiftless as they themselves are
they are fed every day from the table
of men who, by hard work and sell
denial, have given the lie to the sen
timent. These vagabonds have tn
same spirit and the same malignan
object which animated the prince an
ancestor Of all tramps, the devil, whe
he approached our first parents in tn
Garden of Eden. They want to brin
the honest men and women down
their own level. The scoundrel, Franz
Rande, whose life was saved by MOI
, bid sentimentality in yonder cour
house, prated about the wrongs Of tn
laboring man, and sought to bring tn
, honest, industrious men of Kno
|. county to his level by claiming to b
one of them. He a laboring mar
He entered the house of WOodfor
Pierce, one of the best men in thi
. county, who had laid by a little 70
! his family, and stole sum of money
and because Mr.. Pierce'sss ssneighbol
Belden, a hard-working carpenter
tried to make him give up the money
he shot him down like dog"