Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-10-22
Ihe Presidents Speech at Minneapolis.
Inc President delivered the following
speech afr MinnaanoJis.

Ihe President delivered the following
speech atMinneapolis
MY FRIENDS: Mr.. Lincoln on some
occasions, when he was required, or
when 1t was proper he should address
an audience, largely of ladies, spoke of
lis embarrassment in undertaking to
40 IL. l have never been skilled in the
language of compliment to ladies, and
feel somewhat as he must have felt. I
am not skilled. I have not studied the
| language of mere acknowledgment and
thanks upon occasions like this. 1t
occurred to me, coming as was, to the
Northwest to attend agricultural and
mecnanlcal fairs, to meet the people
VINO We're mainly engaged in consider
ing their material interests that might,
perhaps, say word or two that would
De interesting, and accordingly / gath
cred a few facts and few figures which
L intended to use and repeat at each of
the places in which l was called upon
10 address an assembly, leaving to
the moment to say such other things
as might seem proper to say when called
upon on occasions like this. And here
let me say this: That really and heart
lly thank the Governor of Minnesota
ana the Mayor of the city of Minneap-
Oils and the president and officers of
this ASSOCIATION for the very friendly
way IN which they have greeted me-
And thank this whole audience for the
heartiness with which they have seceiv-
ed sentiments, some 81 which doubtless
they do aat altogether agree with. 1t
is one of the fortunate things in Ameri-
can public. life that whatever may he
said currently in angry discussion of
nolst:@ai sttife, after all the American
people OF all parties seem to have sagac-
lty IN discovering vt last what manner
OF man It is knat they are talking about
ana thinking about, and though he may
make ever so many mistakes, if upon
the whole they believe that he is honest
and patriotic and means well, they will
tIeat nm as you treat ine. loud ap
plaHse.I Of course all knoW-~every-
body in the United States that knows
anything knows-a good deal that is
good and pleasant about the city of Min
heapolis. Applause. We know of
your energy, your rapid growth, your
prospects, what YOU are doing to day
Passing around your city, viewing your
beautiful homes, viewing also its won
def1ul manufacturing establishments, so
extensive; &c well fitted to take hold of
Inc raw material which we have seen
growing in the colossal wheat fields Of
the N,orthwest-passing through these
l realized how i is tnat one column of
| Egaies tnst | have repeated land ] pro-
pose to repeat until / get back to Wash
llngton), how it is that that column of
figures stands so favorably to the Uni
TED States as it does. [Applause.] I
refer, as you will naturally conjecture,
to the comparison between what we
send abroad and what we receive from
abroad, and that column of figures tells
us that last year we sent to Europe of
agricultural products, breadstufts, pro-
visions. largely more than ever before.
And the opposite fact is equally eneour-
aging, and that is that my wife and
your wife and your bcya have been
seized with (. it of economy and are
buying less Of nonsense. They take
more abroad than ever before fapplause],
and SO the result Is that in this period OF
hard times, when we need encourage
ment, we are having trade more hon
orable than ever known.