Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-08-21

| c0uiQ n0Iu up government on this c0nti-
nent; that all parties that opposed them
were etfeminate and temporary, to pass
away; but we date back to party older
than modern democracy, hi CHER in its
aim, nobler in its purposes, truer in its
spirit, worthier of the high honor of the
public. (Applause.) The work did not
spring up in 1854. Here and there the
spirit of revived republican liberty lived,
as you heard from my worthy fl lend who
read us the beautiful sketch of the origin
of the abolition party. 1t lived when
THE YOUNGER ADAMS STOOD
up in the house of representatives and
defended the right of petition and the
right of slaves, even, TO petition for liber-
ty. 1tlived wherever a free man raised
his voice; lived in the person of that no.
| bic old predecessor of mine, J. r. Gid
dings, who represented the district |
now have the honor to represent; who
stood in his place for twenty long, tur-
bulent years, against the bludgeons of
assassins, against the post of the duelists,
| against the bowie-knife of the cut-throat
that carried about him his best argument
against truth-stood there until his white
hair, like the plume of Henry of Navar.
re, showed when the battle of freedom
fell thickest and fiercest. (Applause)
Stood there l say, until, from minority
o! two, Adams and himself, he hal the
proud satisfaction of leading to the chair
and swearing into office a republican
| speaker of the house. Stood there until
he saw, in his old age, as the mantle had
fallen from his shoulders, the delight of
his heart and the hopes of his youth re-
allied in the destruction of human sla
very and the restoration of the national
ity to this country. (Applause) And
| so, fellow citizens, from these thousand
| beginnings, from these thousand rills
that leaped from your springs, bounded
from your hills, began at last the united
stream of 1854, which made the republi
can party what you know it to be.
The republican party has been charged
all over the land with bringing a bur-
den of debt upon the people. Fellow
citizens, let us tie honest about that
business Who made that great debt!
1t is yet enormous. 1t was twelve years
ago still more enormous burden; but
who made it? | bring the vast burden
of that public debt and lay it at the door
of the democratic party, for they made it
all. Applause. No republican ever
lifted his hand to smite the Union. The
men that sought its life in the war were
democrats all, and if the democratic
party of the north had stood like one
man against the rebellion there never
could have been a war. 1t was because
the south believed they would have the
help of the northern democracy, or be-
lieved they would not have their opposi-
ton; and for that reason the enormous
burden of debt was piled up on the
shoulders of this country. When the
war was over and we stepped forward to
the front, we saw this load of debt, so
great that timid men said, "you can
never pay it." and wicked men, dishonest
men said, "you ought not to try-re-
pudiate it," but the republican party,
looking up to God who had blessed
them with victory, and back to the
people who had trusted them, said, "this
debt is the price of blood, the price of
liberty" and bowing the shoulders of
the nation to it they
CARRIED THE MIGHTY LOAD
in honor And what has happened what
has happened? Thirteen years have
not passed, and eight hundred millions
of that mighty load are gone-paid in
honor and cancelled, and the burden of
interest that you carried, one hundred
and fifty millions annually, is now re-
duced to eighty-seven millions, by the
effort and force of their manly honesty
in keeping the promises you had made.
TApplause You did that, in spite of
all the opposition that the democratic
party have given you at every step. Ap-
plause.l There has been no chance to
sneak out.of the obligations, although
they have been suggesting it like evil
counselors. There has been no
chance to weaken the public faith
that they have not limited at, and
against their hints, against their
opposition, the credit and honor of this
Union has risen higher and yet higher,
until in the last six months you have
seen eight hundred millions of dollars of
your debt refunded at lower rate of in
terest; and now the government has
gradually been getting out of the way of
the citizen. Before this the government
was competing for loans and paying
high rate of interest. Now, these loans
are down to per cent, and you can Dor
row it with ease and at last through the
darkness of this terrible panic that struck
US in 1878 we have held our own way,
keeping the faith, abiding our time meet
ing our just obligations, exhorting our
people to hold and be true and be hon
est, and at last the fruition of your suf-
ferings has come and the business of the
country is reviving. Applause. We
have honest money, the honest redemp-
ton of the public promise, and now let
no man say that he wants the laboring
men of this country to take poorer dol
lar than the one we now have; and let
him comply with that demand if he dare.
We have stood by that honor when it
cost some nerve to stand by it, and now
we turn against the democrat, against the
coward and the fool who prates about rag
money that is not worth its face; if it has
been important that the republican
party should be organized to restore the
government even still more is it import
ant that the republican party should
maintain its vigor aud life to save what
we have gained. No sooner did they
get back into congress than you have
seen how reactionary and revolutionary
their action has been. | need not re-
hearse what has happened in the last few
weeks in congress. You have seen their
threat TO starve the government to death,
and they lacked nothing to do it but the
courage. [Applause.l twas
ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO KILL,
but, without the courage TO kill, when
they were ready to strike the blow they
held back their coward hands, fearing to
give the blow. Applause. They
showed their wicked will, although their
cowardce checked them from executing
it, in the very last days of the session.
You have seen them parade their doc
trines of state sovereignty, more extreme
than they ever were before, except in the
days just preceding the war. Think of