The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-16
RECORD.

Tho first time met John SHERMAN was
in1s42, when I was a boy. We were both
old wings. He was a younger man than
Twas. He came down from Richland
County, then intensely Democratic, in
which no Wing had any expectation o.
preference whatever. But he chung with
devotion to the principles Of that party
He believed that they wereright, and he
allied himself with them, and stood BY
them in summers sunshine and in win
ter's storm. He was a brave man. He
worked along faithfully. HeYRas' poor
but at last John Sherman got into the
American Congress, and he has never
deyiated from the straight line Of what he
considered his duty from that day to this
[Great applause. There is no spot OF
blemish on John sherman's flag. ZAP.
plause.l It has always been held up by
him, as q politician and statesman, truly
and we'll He carried it as bravely as his
brother bore the American flag from the
Mississippi to the sea. tGreat applause.
Take him wherever you find him, scru-
tinize him, analyze him, and by heavens
he is every inch q man. [Great laughter
and ~applause,l I don't know whether
that arose from his early associations with
me or not [roars Of laughterl or whether
he was instinctiyely right.
Now, l, have been O very consistent
politician. Idon't believe there has. been
q party In existance since my sending my
self forth as O kind OF a%volunteer on the
political stage, with which / have not been
associated. [Great laughter. That Is
what made me SO much smarter and better
than you dirty ducks that have belonged
to one party. Renewed laughter.l When
the blind bride was put on me, and the
political harness, and ! was hitched to q
loaded wagon Of manure, would not
pull till l could look back and see what
kind Of a load was in there, and knew
where / was to draw II TO, and 1t was hard
10 tell whether / was going TO lean against
the collar or the breeching. [Great laugh
teri Every man that wants to go for one
who has had alfew failings as any polii-
clan in Ohio or in the United States,
should support John Sherman. Has he
ever in any manner, at anytime, primary
form, proved recreantt to the Republican
party9 Has he not been faithful from
beginning to end? Has he not stood by
the administrations Of Lincoln, OF Grant,
OF Hayes, straight along?
He has done for the country what but
few men could have accomplished, and,
without meaning any disrespect to the
other candidates that are named inNcom-
petition with him, / would like to know
the man that in the performance OF civil
service rendered more for the Govern
ment than John Sherman. Applause.
Asyour Governor has said here tonight,
he took your finances ina distressed and
disturbed condition, and placed them
where we are standing now. Who lives
here that has ever seen the prosperity
the fidelity and substantialness Of our
finances? You have four kinds OF cur
rency now-greenbacks, national banks,
silver and gold-and II there Is atgentle:
nan In this assembly who is not satisfied
with either OF them, and prefers the old
Democratic doctrine Of individual re.
sponsibility, he can Just bring either Of
them to me and ! will give him my note
for them Cgreat laughterl; and / think
that very probably after he dies his adj
ministrator will have the note to collect,
Renewed laughter.
Now, can any man point to any dis
honesty that has ever been connected
Sherman's name? He has been before
the people q long time, and has been the
mark Of antagonism, vituperation and
violence. Yet he stands iaultless SO far
as his individual integrity Is concerned,
and the man that 10 honest personally to
fellows never will be false to his country.
(Applause.l
i say without fear OF correct ~contradic-
ton that you may take the entire annals
Of every nation or government from the
beginning Of civilization until now, and /
say, as q tinancier, John Sherman stands
without q peer. tApplause.1 Any man
posted in politics understands that what
we are now most interested in above all
other questions Is u finances, and when
there Is no other man Of that sort offers
for the Presidency, why, In the name Of
ommon sense, should we not stand by
and vindicate him? [Great applause