Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-01-04
Lecture by Gen. Hall.

shall the harvest be?" tracing the mistakes
made by the nation and the evils which re-
suit from wrong action. The lecture is one
of the best efforts of this popular speaker.
full of research, warning, admonition, illus
tration and eloquent passages. TWAS com
piment to the General that so many came
out to hear him on such tempestuous even
ing We are glad to he able to give our
readers abstract of the lecture:
He said that reaping what they have sown has
been the common lot Of mankind in all occupations,
employments and professions The Bible decara-
ton, "whatsoever man soweth that he shall reap,
has always been verified. What has been true of
indy duals, has also been realized by governments.
This Republic is striking illustration of the fact.
The harvest of civil war in ls6l was the result of
sowing in l7s7 and prior to that time. The noxious
plant Slavery, that had found its way to American
soil, was not rooted out. but allowed 10 remain to
disturb the growth Of our better principles and the
terrible harvest of sorrow and war came Slavery In
this country under declaration of principles, and
boastings of liberty and freedom, was about con
sstent as II would be for an Orthor'tox church to
allow gambler to occupy one end of the auditorium
on SUNDAY. for the purpose of running faro bank,
while the pastor AT the other end, from the pulpit,
was delivering his sermon. of course trouble came
the harvest was sure and certain and nobody should
have been surprised. The civil war affords but little
consolation hut little glory for of us. Its re-
suits claim our attention. They were first, emancpa
zion, for which we have reason to thank God, and
not man, for we endeavored to fight the rebellion
with the sword in hand. while we held the key to
the bondsmans chains In the other refusing to I'M
snake tneln, out no victories unttl JtnONah
decreed the four million of slaves should go free
then we succeeded. Then the ballot conferred
upon them but no guarantee that they should be al
Many, TODAY, doubt the success of universal suf.
frage in this land, and well they may; but you must
not charge the failure upon the poor negro for he is
capable Of using the ballot much better than he is
allowed to do Iquestion very much if there can be
found an equal number of voters anywhere who any
better appreciate what the requirements OF voting
are than the colored men of this country show.
There are three classes of voters one feeling
themselves too gOod, and too pure, to mingle with
the masses who to the polls the second class are
those who know nothing of our institutions care
nothing for them further than they themselves can
turn them to their personal pecnniary beneh. and
hence vote somebody tells them, hires them to
vote. These two classes are about equal so far a.
their worth to good government goes. The third
class is composed of the great masses who vote with
out bribery hut Of those who have need 10 complain
Tor their not each being more active Al all elections
from the caucus to the highest balloting for the
highest Office. the caucus packers those who stay
away and permit the few who do go to control mat
tiers. The stayaw are the men at fault, the eau
Gus Is necessary since there must be political parties
in a republic, and there can be no discipline save
all agree that majority shall rule. The difficulty is,
the masses are too indifferent TO act they absent
themselves from the caucus thereby allow ing the
few to decide for them who their candidate shall be;
then they grOwl and find fault.
To all such say, gentlemen, look into the mirror
to find the party at fault Suffrage in this country
will never be full success until every citizen hav-
ing the right to vote, shall be allowed to exercise that
right, unmoested.
thrown around the ballot, l would make a radical
change IN the mode of voting. Let each State enact
that at all elections, county State Congressional and
Presidential that the ballot shall be sealed up all
envelope these envelopes to be furnished by the
state, all of the same size and the color. No
vote to be accepted not offered in this and then
have these envelopes opened and the ballots counted
in the presence of Supervisors one or more from
each party, and when two ballots are found
In the same envelope for the officer of them
to be counted.
For all purposes for which suffrage was intended
N fpr cfip IN nor
son and property for the support of the poor and
education Of the young, am not In favor of proper
~ or tax qualifications; neither do believe, do
ciamor for educational qualifications bev ond the abi
ity 10 read and write; for in my experience have
founh that good common sense and an appreciation of
good would dictate 10 a voter what to do
quite As well as book know ledge. Thus have
been sowing the seed since the war closed; have
not corrected the errors made, and were too enien
towards those guilty Of the crime of treason.
The subject Of finance next claimed attention
common sense in this matter should have fair plav
The talk about imitation making better times is idle
for every time we have had panic has been when
had the largest amount of currency in circulation
Compare 1895 With 1887 1850 with is55 $50 with
1873 The history of France, Venice, Russia and
England. is all against the idea Of unredeemable
Education is Indispensable and is the great hope of
our people Minds untutored, unframed with the
readily moved deeds resulting from baser passions
The history of the world shows conciusivey that the
brigands, the hghwaymen, the freebooters, only
be found in those countries where education is
known.
There should be no antagonist between capital
and labor. The laborer of to-day may be the CAPT.
taist Of twenty years hence, while the rich of
to day NAV be the laborer ten wears from this time
The war on both sides took one.third of the males
employed In all occupations to the field leaving the
other two-thirds most prosperous opportunity,
while the war expenses were three millions and often
four millions per day II created false idea of EN-
ployment; the young men focked to the towns and
cities, until there vast surplus of laborers
,h .n ae SoSe %, nt war then tine army dsoanded
sity stopped; but we kept right producing until
the collapse came. A lesson for young to learn
is found In the fact, that of each hundred rich
men in mercantile and speculative pursuits ninety
nine fail while of the same number who engage in
agriculture, ninety nine succeed.
Another seed we have been sowing extensively is
Intemperance aud the harvest has been and will be
abundant. And then about the meanest weed that
ever cursed any people Is Caste. Ii is sickness of
wealth, produced by the masma of position birth
showing itself in schools, empioyments. and even in
than YOU gather or reap. II seldom ever trans
mits itself out of the family of the present for the
first frost of change or adversely nps IL out and the
posterity Of the family that has this disease hard, is
never troubled much with it, There are no kings
among men save God, no real arisocracy, that
of Nature.
Thus have we been sowing. But the past is gone,
and the future with its possibilities is before He
drew a vivid picture of the future of our country
Never shall we be able to rightly sing "My country
Ills of thee" till the rights of man are respected
throughout the country. Until that time comes the
respect from ANYBODY, for II stands like pasied old
man distracted by an unruy family of children who
nave NOT >uIHcieu respect parenfage to behave
themselves, while the father has sufficient vitality
10 enforce obedience.
When this government shall rise to the dignity of
doing what II vet has done-that is the protec
ton of every man, every woman and every child in
all their rights before the aw-then will II be pros
porous in the highest degree.
If we sow frmness, justice and equality before the
law, we shall reap good government: If we SOW pro-
lection to every man, shall reap peace and pros
perity; If we sow temperance, we shall reap sobretv
II plant the school house, shall harvest nell
gence and manhood; if we plant the church, we
shall gather morality, without which nation ever
prospered; II we sow the correct training for the
Young, shall reap good citizenship when they
grow to and women or, SOW the opposite of all
these. and harvest will not fail YOU and the OPP
poste shall be reaped
Contrasted with any other government this Of ours
out ahead in all natural resources and adv an
tages and rests with us of this dav this generation
to what the future harvest shall be. For II all
people will but forget selfshness and go
upon the grand idea of the true brotherhood Of man
saw, that in order succeed well themselves
they will not crush beneath their feet some one who
happens TO he little weaker than hevcasting aside
poor, miserable, delnded chickering's about forms and
ceremonies and II our people will all become students
Of what republic means, and will then all act nc
cordngy. teaching the rising generation early In life
the nature and theory Of the government under
which they to live, shall stand and firmly too
nd he gba n nyar tha Ia,