The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-07-29
General Garfield Describes
the Position of the DEM
ocratic Party.
A Specimen Of Hancock's
craftsmanship.
A Telling Communication from the
Poet Laureate.

! The following is an extract from u
speech delivered by General Garfield,
August 4th, 1876, in the national house
! Of representatives:
MI. Chairman, it is now time to in
luirc as to the fitness of the democrat
ic party to take control of our great ma
ton and its vast and important interests
Of the next four years. Iput the oues
ton to the gentleman from Mississippi,
Mr.. Lamar, what has the democratic
party done to merit that great trust i?
He tries to show in what respects it
would not be dangerous 1 ask him to
show in what it would be safe. affirm
and believe | do not misreprescnt the
great democratic party, that in the last
sixteen years they have not advanced
one great national idea that is not to-
day exploded and as dead as julius
Caesar. And if any democrat here will
rise and name great national doctrine
his party has advanced, within that
time, that is now alive and believed in,
| will yield to him. [Applause.] In
default Of an answer [ will attempt to
prove my negative.
What were the great central doctrines
of the democratic party in the presi-
dental struggle of 1860? The follwcrs
of Breckenridge said slavery had a
right to go where the constitution goes.
Do you believe that to-day? And is
there a man Oh this continent that holds
that to-day? Not one. The doctrine is
dead and buried. The other wing Of the
democracy held that slavery mi ght be
established in the territories if the pco-
pie wanted it. Does anybody hold that
opctrine to-day? Dead absolutely dead!
Come down to 1864. Your party, un-
der the lead Of Tilden and Vallandig-
ham, declared the experiment of war
to save the union was a failure. Do
you believe that doctrine to-day? That
doctrine was shot to death by the guns
of Faragut at Mobile, and driven in a
tempest Of fire from the valley of the
Shenandoah by Sheridan less than a
month after its birth at Chicago
Come down to 1873. You declared
the constitutional amendments rcvolu-
tionary and void. Does any man on
this floor say SO to-day? If so, let him
rise and declare.
Do you believe in the doctrine of the
BrOadhead letter Of 1868 that the So
called constitutional amendments
should be disregarded? No; the gentle
man from Mississippi accepts the re-
suits Of the war; The democratic doe
trine of1S6S is dead!
walk across the democratic cam
paign ground as in q graveyard. Under
my feet resound the hollow echoes of
the dead. Their lies slavery, black
marble column at the head of its grave
on which I read: Died in the flames
of the civil war; loved in its life; lamen-
ted in it's death; followed to its bier by
its only mourner, the democratic party!
And here is Il double grave: Sacred
to the memory Of squater sovereignty.
Died in the campaign Of 1860. On the
reverse side: Sacred to the memory of
bred Scott and the breckenridge doc
trinc. Both deaths at the hands of
Abraham Lincoln! And here a monu-
ment of birthstone: Sacred to the mem-
Dry of the rebellion; the war against it
is failure; IShden ct VuNondiqhnn,
teceruM A. D. 1864 Died on the field
of battle; shot to death by the million
guns Of the republic. The doctrine of
secession, Of state sovereignty, dead.
Expired in the flames of civil war, amid
the blazing rafters of the confederacy,
except that the modern 4Eneas, fleeing
out of the flames of that ruin, bears on
his back another Anchises of state SOW
ereignty, and brings it here in the per-
son of the honorable gentleman from
the Appomattox district of Virginia
(Mr: Tuckerl. Laughter. Al! else is
dead.
Now, gentleman, are you sad: are
you sorry for these deaths? Are you
not glad that secession is dead? that
slavery is dead? that squatter sover-
eighty is dead ? that the doctrine Of the
failure Of the war is dead? Then you
are glad that you were outvoted in 1860,
in 1864, in 1868 and in 1872. Ifyou
have tears to shed over these losses
shed them in the grave yard, but not in
this house Of living men. [ know that
many southern man rejoiees that
these issues are dead. The gentleman
from Mississippi (Nr. Lamar)has cloth
ed his joy with eloquence.
| Now, gentlemen, if you yourselves
are glad that you have suffered defeat
during the past sixteen Years, will you
not be equally glad when you suffer de-
feat next November Laughter. But
pardon that remark; I regret it; I
should use no bravado.
Now, gentlemen, come with me for a
moment into the camp Of the republi-
can party and review it's career. Our
central doctrine in 1860 was that
slavery should never extend itself over
another foot of American soil. Is that
doctrine dead? It is folded away like
a victorious banner, its truth is alive
forevermore on this continent. In 1864
we declared that we would put dow the
the rebellion and secession. And that
doctrine lives and will live