Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-08-30
SPEECH 8
GEN. JAMES A. GARFIELD,
MassillOn, o.. Saturday, Aug. "a, 1878.
DELIVERED AT

At Republican mass meeting held in MassiIlon,
on Saturday evening, Aug. "A, Gen. Garfield spoke
as fellows:
Mr. CHAIRMAN AND FELLOW CITIZENS: do not
wonder that some good people grow weary Of the
perpetual Wrange of political parties-the ceaseess
struggle, the charge and countercharge accusation
and denial that constantly appear in party war
fare. Doubtless much of the aerimony on
both sides is unnecessary and unjust; but
we may console ourselves with the fact that all free
governments must of necessity be party govern
ments and it is only in the conflict Of opinions that
truth finally makes its way to triumph. The people
OF Ohio are now entering upon another OF these con-
hies 1t is the same old cOntest-the struggle on the
one hand to maintain and defend the logic OF our
history and the necessary OF events; on the
other to aSsail what has been done. 70 attack
the established order of things to charge upon the
Republican party ali the evils that aiict the
ty ana 70 oher the Democratic party as the deiiV-
erer OF the nation.
we were entering upon a State canvass alone,
the issues would be very simplei but the manage-
ment of our national government is involved in the
coming election.
For the forty-sxth time since the establishment of
the Federal Constitution. the American people are
about to elect their representatives 10 the national
Congress, and thus register their will in regard to
the manner in which the general government shall
be conducted.
The two great parties that now solicit the conf
dence and support of the people must stand upon
the records they have made and the doctrines they
profess From fair exposition of these the people
will judge and determine.
The recent platform of the Ohio Democracy affords
another striking illustration Of the ease with which
that party adopts opinions which it has long re-
sisted and denounced. For example, in their Gin
cnnad platform of June last they declare their de-
vo1On to the recent constitutional amendments ana
to the equality OF all citizens before the law, ap-
parenty forgetting the fierce struggle they made to
prevent 1000 900 of people from enjoying equality
before the law and ignoring the fact that long after
the amendments to the Constitution were adopted
they denounced them as revolutionary and void, !"
and fought Presidential battle ON that denuncia-
ton. Now they declare that these principles which
they resisted 50 long are Essential to the preserva-
AN NhaarT nHnfwn
They congratulate the country on the adoption of
"the pacific policy OF local self government in the
States OF the Sonth so long advocated By the Demo-
cratic party" Yes, they did advocate the doctrine
of local selfgovernment in the South, when local
selfgoYernment meant secession and rebellion. We
adopt the policy of paeifcatiOn when It means ooe
dienee to the Constitution and the free enjoyment
by every citizen of all his legal and political rights
The Republican party holds ont the hand of peace
of brotherhood and welcome TO all Americans
who acknowledge the rightfuIness of our cause In
the war for the Union: but to those who deny that
our cause was just we offer no terms Of compromise
OF Cancellation. The war and Its victory declared
this Union indestruetibe and we will stand by that
declaration. The Constitution of the restored Union
gave political equality to all our citizens OF what
ever color and to that equality we are pledged for
ever. We will defend it everywhere until 1t is as
safe and honorable for citizen of South Carolina to
Be Republican as It is for citizen of Ohio to be
Democrat Assure us this in every part Of the
Union, and pacihcatlon will be complete.
THE REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT OF THE DEMOCRACY.
This talk of paeification comes with an I'll grace
from party which has just attempted policy of
the most dangerous and revolutionary character.
Under the guise of investigating alleged frauds in
the late Presidential election the present House of
Representatives sought TO nvalidate the title of the
Chief Magistrate of the nation and plunge the
war. They were dissuaded from that attempt
only by the popular indignation that met
them everywhere. Their effort 10 Mexicanize
the country has subsded at last into an expensive
and pnoftless investigation, made in defiance of
what that party has always called the sacred right OF
sovereign States to conduct their elections accord
ing TO their own laws. The Ohio Democracy de-
nounce the Electoral Commission for not going be-
hind the returns of Florida and Louisiana. Have
they forgotten that the 26th day Of January 1877
Dill providing that the Commission shall have au-
thority to go behind the finding and determination
Of the canyassing or returning officers twenty three
Democratic Senators, our own Thurman among
them, voted against it; while no Republican and
only one Democratic Senator voted for it? The Ohio
democracy denounce the Electoral Commission for
not usurping an authority which Congress refused
to grant, and which the Constitution does not con-
ler and strangely enough, Senator Thurman, in his
recent speech joins in this denunciation.
REVOLUTION IN THE NATIONAL FINANCES
The Ohio Democrats have gone q hundred bow
shots beyond their Eastern associates in carrying
the spirit of revolution into their financial policy.
They throw their whole weight against the resump-
ton of specie payment; demand that the national
banks be abolished; that 1922 100000 addi-
tional greenbacks be issued. and that pro-
lection to American industry be overthrown
policy of the government are proposed to the people
OF Ohio in utter disregard both OF the ancient policy
and recent declarations of the national Democracy
Have the Democrats of Ohio completely abandoned
their traditional doctrines OF hard money? Have
they forgotten that in the Presidential contest of
lSI2 they declared, in both their Cincinnati and
Baltimore conventions, that speedy return to
specie payments is demanded alike by the highest
considerations Of commercial morality and honest
goyernmentP' Have they forgotten that
only two years ago. in the national convention at
St Louis, they denounced the Republican party for
make good The promise OF the legal tender notes
which are q changing standard OF value in the
hands OF the people, and the non-payment of which
is disregard of the oghted faith of the nRtion9"
Were those declarations at Cincinnati aud Balti-
more and st. Louis true false? Did the national
Democracy, OF which the OHIO Democrats
when they uttered them2 If they did, what
revolution has since then occurred in the immuta-
BILE laws OF yalue7 By some strange act OF oblivion.
or some still stranger act of apOsssy, they have re-
pudiated all these utteranees and east loose from
every recognized principle of the old Democratic
party. There can be but one explanation of this
strange and startling apOstasy The new and evil
doctrines OF absolute money which have captiyated
so many shallow thinkers and have risen TO
a sudden but transient popularity, are de-
luding the Ohio Democracy by the vain
hope that this wave of unreasoning tumult
is a permanent force which will carry him into
power.
The present attitude of our senior Ohio Senator on
this question has filed with surprise and regret
am not so much OF partisan as to be unable to
ranks of the opposite party; and nave felt much
pride in contemplating the large culture and sturdy
force with which that distinguished gentleman has
hitherto resisted the evil tendency OF fragment OF
his party to abandon the old paths of Demo
cratic finance. II is true that he and most
of his party associates in the Senate voted
against the bill for the resumption Of specie pay
ments Their reasons for that vote are on record.
Senator Bayard denounced the bill because 1t did
not provide for the cancellation and destruction, as
well as the redemption of the greenbacks, and
because, in his opinion, it would not bring the
resumption Of specie payments. In the
course of the same debate, in critcising the bill,
Senator Thurman said that If the retired greenbacks
were again to be issued, 1t would be a measure Of
nfaton but he did not believe that under its pro-
visions more than IS 900 would be retired in
four years and then asked, what kind Of eff
cheney would that have in preparing the
country for the resumption of specie pay
mentsf'' The criticism OF leading Democratic Sena-
tors indicated that their opposition to the bill
based upon the fact that it would not bring about
Subsequent declaration at st. Louis when they de-
nouuced the Republican party for not having re-
deemed the greenbacks according to the promise of
the law. But we now find that Senator Thurman in
his late speech at Hamilton, gives his unqualified
Endorsement to the Ohio platform which demands
the absolute repeal Of the resumption act and that
too, when resumption is almost accomplished.
The only pretext Offered by the Ohio Democracy
for demanding its repeal, is the charge that
the business distress of the country has been caused
by the operations Of the resumption law and by
what they cal "the merciless policy of contracting
the currency, boarding gold and increasing the
value of money" This charge is both reckless and
unjust. ask every mau who believes in this alie-
CATION to wrtstle with the following fncts: In 1860