The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-10-21
Garfield to Business Men.

CLEVELAND, OHTo, October Is, 1S80.-An
excursion party filling thirteen cars Went 30
Mentor to-day under the auspices OF the Cieyc-
land Republican Business Mems Cub to con-
graduate General Garfield on he result Of the
October e.,.et oi.s. George Fl. Ely, president Of
the club, made speech to which General Gar
field responded as follows:
Mr. Ely and gentlemen Of Cleveland THIS
is new situation, and new sensations and
suggestions arise with it. should altogether
be unworthy of this State and my native coull-
try if did not feel deep scnsibiity at this ex-
preston of your confidence in me, and at this
greater more significant expression of your
understanding of what the great contt st now
pending III our country means in relation to
our prosperity
Yoa s,c business men of Cleveland, and
that .,,ns great deal; you are citizens OF
Obi that means more; you are citizens OF the
Re,dlic, and that means great deal more,
and in your three-fod capacity greet you
and thank you tor this denomination OF your
confidence
Let me speak a moment about these three
thoughts: You as business Eien, suppose,
not this yar.lfi'll alone. ut all the business
men OF America were assembled together.
What would they do rather, what would they
not do if they got from the Eternal Powers an
insurance policy that four years to come there
that play upon the business prosperity of this
people? The power that could underwrite
such policy to you would call from you more
sacrafce in mere business sense than you ev-
er made under any circumstances. Now, no
such guaranty will be given you by the super
natural powers, but while frosts, pestilence.
tempests and all the great accidents that come
10 us without our power to prevent it, are be-
yond our reach vet there is great political
i'm ~, 10 hot
a policy, underwritten by its faith and its own
hand, against all the evils that can come to you
from bad legislation and the reckless wicked
ness of bad finance
For such a business insurance. the business
men of Cleveland and the business men of
America are maifestly willing to make some
effort and bear some sacrifice, and that, / take
it, is the business meaning OF this assemblage
here to-day
Now, the second thought had was: You
are citizens of Ohio and are living illustrations
OF the first children of the pioneers who plan
ted Ohio. When your fathers wire born Ohio
was unknown, except "a a trackless wilder
ness, and vet where the smoke from not doz-
Ell white mems cabins assembled to the sky in
all this territory, now three and a quarter mil
lions OF happy people, prosperous, honorable
and successful, are living and guiding the des
TIMES of a people as great in numbers and
wealth as all who inhabited the thirteen colo
MES when our fathers won their independence
What spectacle is that. And all this pros
perity WAS won by the simple, straightforward
process of downright hard work. That was
what did it. Labor first laid out on the raw
materials that God made and then capital,
which is only another name for IA
Dor saved UP, protected and saved by the
strong arm OF equal and just and honest laws.
Now, that is Ohio.
Well, now, there is a third and larger thought.
Proud as you are of what you have been and
what you have done for Cleveland for Ohio
yet your pride rises at little piece OF bunting,
a flag with stars and stripes upon it. That
speaks ola great continent with government
that covers it from sea to sea- from the Lakes
to the Gulf, and that you, as citizens of that
Republic have right to walk On every foot of
it as the equal of any man who lives anywhere.
and that the score of black men see here and
there have just as good right here as the
whitest of us all. Now, these are the thoughts
that come to me as l look upon these Cuyaho-
ga faces.
You are in the midst of great contest gen
tlemen. On that confession the struggle oft,
on the issue of it, on my relation to i'll say
nothing. For the time being l am out of poll
tics, but am with you; and now, gentlemen,
thank va for being here, / thank you for
these WISE and earnest words of encourage
ment your chairman has spoken, and thank
you for your purpose of standing by your faith
to the end, let 1t lead us wherever it will;
and finally, | hope to have the pleasure Of ia
king your hands.