Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-03
THEISSUES OF 1880.
OPENING TIE CAMPAIGN IN THE
FIRST DISTRICT.

OPENING TIE CAMPAIGN IN THE
FIRST DISTRICT.
Great Speech of Hon. M. j. seversncs, oil
Maplxato, In Review OF the Two Parties
and Their Candidates-Au Eloquent and
Forcible Presentation of the Issues Upon
Which the Bat le of 1880 Is Being
Fought.
Below we present the admirable address
in full of the Hon. M. J. Severance, of Man
kato, delivered at the meeting held at Owa-
tonna, Wednesday evening, the LIST inst, to
ratify the nomination of Hon. Fl. r. Wells
for Congress.
Ladies and Gentlemen: 1t would hardly be
expected that the current of my remarks to.
night would come up to the high sounding praise
of the lofty panegyric pronounced by my
friend Mr.. Coggswell. It ia seldom within my
recollection when have been assigned to pei
form duty with another. that either Divine
Providence or some other providence did not
intervene so that in the end the whole devolved
upon me. was sorry that my friend Col.
George, who preceded me, could not have ad
dressed you at length, SO that you might have
heard the clarion notes of true Dem ocracy
from one who has been long faithful in its
fold.
Ladies and gentleman, am a Democrat, but
am not politician. never asked anything
of any party, never wanted anything of any
,orfrr ond hall A.
long as things are SO am always in the belief
that may speak indifferently of matters and
things that go to the veal and safety of the re-
public. Under government constituted like
our Own-a peculiar government of the people
and for the people "a duty rests upon every
citizen of the country. A duty he must dis
charge or withhold something of aid from the
republic that it has right to demand at his
hands. Our institutions are grounded upon
the free acquiesence of the people, in the re-
straints of salutary law, law conceived by the
people and enacted by them. Among these,
and paramount to all, is the sacred constitu-
tional compact of our country. This is an
agreement between ourselves; it defines the
national power; it establishes the relation of
man to man, and his great duty to his country.
As long as this constitutional compact announces
the true doctrine IF the equality of man, and
points out the best and the surest method to
the accomplishment of the highest happiness
and prosperity consistent with human infirmi-
ties it is certainly worthy of our alteration
and support. In every political act that we
are called upon to perform we should see to it
that that act tallies precisely with the text of
this constitution, its letter and its spirit, for
by agreement, it is our sermon on the mount.
1t is true that this constitutional compact and
the constitutions OF all our States contain
technical rules to guide in the exercise of po-
litical power; but these are nothing but the by
laws that enable US to distribute the benefits
of this great compact compact conceived on
| the Mayaower and hardened into solid oak at
Bunker Hill and Yorktown. (Applause.) But
let us remember one thing, and let us ever re-
member it, for it will stifle in the womb much
of arrogance much of false assumption, and
much of bigotry, and that is, we must take
things in this world as they are, we must deal
with facts as we find them, and we must aban-
don the impious effort to reconstruct human
nature and reforge what has been forged in
the skies. (Applause.)
In order to discharge this trust that has de-
veloped upon us there must be an unending
war with private sel6shness and political am
bition. What we want is to preserve this repub-
lie as an Inheritance of happiness and pros.
perity to all coming generations. We do not
wish to behold the spectacle of the republic
without the cohesion of harmony, rent asunder
by that discord which is the result of subli-
people to whip the other ioto the stately deco
rum of angels. (Applauss) These principles
that lie at the very basis Of our government are
nothing but the murmur of ages that by
brave alliance have been crystalized into actual
| active life. But the great principle of the con-
stitution-after we pass its technical rules
after the application of political power to the
| necessity of the people-after we pass the
declaration of the equality of man. which is
one of the fundamental principles in all Re-
publican life--we find that other and higher
nobler concomitant sentiment on all pervading
humanity, running through it from beginning
to end and this, gentlemen, is g sentiment
born at the same time and at the same place
with the newChristian philosophy that trembled
on Ju1ea's tempted mountain side, ieapipg
over the Tiber and the Nile, repeating the whole
law OF retaliation. No party in this country,
if we'll we would discharge the trust that de.
wolves upon US, should ride into power that
sounds the tocsn of retaliation or revenge; no
party should rule over the destinies of this
great people that, for the purpose of augment
ing its power or perpetuating It's existence,
appeals only to Infamous sectional hate. Such
q principle as that dries up every running
spring that waters the life of this republic. In
understanding and considering the principles
which / conceive are SO clearly established and
laid down in our constitutional compact, and
which are the very groundwork of this great
government of ours, we must apply to them
the test of passing events; and in order that
we may apply them safely, truly and properly.
we must learn where our duty is and then we
must go and perform it.
THE TWO PARTIES.
Fellow citizens, the Democratic and Re-
publican parties of this country have each pre-
sented their candidates for the highest aud for
the chief executive Office of this nation. These
men are both men of lofty name and fame:
they are known and for years have been
known throughout this whole land. The prin.
ciples of this Republican govern
ment, which is a government of the greatest
dignity, and the principles and personal char
acteristics of these men, are worthy of care
full and candid consideration at the hands of
the American people. wish had it in my
power to lift up the literature of politics from
the sewer in which it has lain for years, and to
place it upon lofty plane suitable to the dig
nifty Of the principles under which we live,
(applause,) for then when the parties of this
country nominated men for Office, it would not,
by the very fire of debate be inferrentially, at
least, asserted that we had nominated the two
most prominent cut-throats in all America
but still if we heed the debates, if we heed
the literature of politics as we find it all over
the country, we should be put all upon our de-
Tense in the very outset; for say that it does
inferrentially assert in every political debate,
that instead of selecting men who are worthy
to represent the principles of a party, we have
selected those who are only fit to be incarcera-
ted within the walls of dungeon. Now if
this literature falls any deeper into the gutter,
l assure. you ladies and gentlemen, it will not
be thrown there by any act of mine. will not
ask you to vote for Gen. Hancock in prefer
ence to Gen. Garfield, tapplause,) until can
state some reason why you should do it, and
unless I can state it in candor, and at least
with truth, would not expect you to follow
the wish of the Democratic party in this re-
spect, simply because it was wish.
Now, the Republican party may be deemed
almost as an existing and an established insti-
tuition of this country. am now speaking in
the praise of the party. Being such an insti-
tuition the duty of course devolves upon the
party not in power seeking to tear down this
institution to show some reason why 1t should
he uproofed and whv IL should