Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-09-16

Oonstitu,ion. He has had nothing to
hide There was no thought in his heart
that would not bear Go1's sunlight, aud
yet, when he made speech the other day
in Virginia and WAS talking with those
people whom he had fought for and whom
he loved he advised them to stand upon
their public faith and not to tamper with
their public reputation, aud he said that if
Lee and jackson were here would you not
do as they would do in such case as this 7
And what did these partisan spirits do
with his speech They declared that the
man whose honor is as unsullied as the
sun intended to reinvoke the spirit of mill
tary resistance to the Government, and
they knew that was lie.
One other thing and | am done. When
this Government was founded we were a
poor, hardy, industrious people. We had
stripped for hard fght-l mean our fore
fathers had-and they came out of the
struggle with their self.respect and inde-
pendence, and very little else. They
formed this Government and they avoided
kingly rule They determined to distribute
the power in small parcels and for short
terms. Their whole object was that a small
amount OF power should be placed in the
hands of plain, simple men. Scholars
and philosophers and men trained in state
craft were few. They consigned the Gov
ernment to plain people, and they gave to
each man only IL limited amount of power,
and they placed the powers of the Gov
srnment in different departments, and
only gave it to men for limited terms.
The object of that was this 1t was, in
my Judgment, the satety-valve by which
they could hope to make the Government
a success. The people in choosing their
rulers would inevitably make mistakes.
The people in following certain policies of
government would necessarily find them
selves in error. But in the
election, which they left open,
was the path by which their errors could
be rectihed. We were to be enabled to
change our rulers when we found that
they had violated our confidence, and to
change our policies when they were found
to be unwise. But in order to do that the
elections must bs free, and to-day one of
the dangers that confront us is the decla-
ration of the leaders of the Republican
party that the safety and welfare OF the
people require the power to be kept in the
hands of that party, aud to serve the
country under that pretext they have re-
sorted to official interference with elections
that threatens to make elections no longer
free. We must check that now. There
are 100000 names of officials on the blue
books of this country. Each one of these
men is armed with SO much power and
authority and has SO much of the public
money. What was it given them for To
serve the public. Was it given them to
keep them in their places to resist popular
choice, or to give them the power to pre-
vent the public from changing their rulers?
If so, then the whole object and intent of
elections have been destroyed. The
safety-valve of American government is
free elections, because the people are
given the chance of retrieving their mis-
takes, and men are not apt to make the
same mistake twice. The Republicans
say: "You people of the United
States may think change desirable,
but we think it better to remain in
power, and therefore we will use all the
official power given to us, and more than
ever was intended to be given to us, to
retain ourselves in power beyond the term
for which we were elected" Tilden
received 251, 900 more votes than Hayes,
and yeI he was cheated out of the election
These l05 900 officials were told to bring
in SO many voters each, and 10 give their
money and their public time in aid of the
campaign. They bring man from
Austria who is paid 1000 a month to
represent this people in Austria. He is
earning his money now by stumping
Iowa for his party. They are calling upon
the clerks to pay part of their money.
They are to pay per cent this month.
What does this amount to You will
take into consideration the enormous
mass of officials, and consider that if even
each of these men only controls five votes
you have an enormous number of votes
cast, not in the interest of free elections,
but to keep men in power who ought not
to be in power. This IS one of the evils
and one of the dangers to which | call
your attention, because now is the time
for you to make the struggle. These
evils will intensity themselves. Every
success of the Republican party drives the
ship of the constitutional party far out to
sea, and makes it more difficult than be-
fore to return to the rock of the Constitu-
ton.
l would not like TO close this visit of
mine to your people here in Columbiq-
right here in the heart of South Carolina
without congratulating you from the bot
tom OF my heart upon the kind of man
you have chosen for your leader in the
contest. Cheers 1 tell you, gentlemen,
it is as fine thing for you Southern men
to vote for Winfield Scott Hancock as it is
for him to receive your votes. There il
something in this very choice, this splendid
! figure in American history, this fine,
straightforward gentleman who never did
an unsoldierly thing in his life, fair,
square specimen of American manhood.
} 1t is a fine thing to see you men of the
: South standing by him for the sake of
your united country. 1t cannot but make
! you feel the grandeur of the American
sentiment, 1t cannot but make you feel
the dignity and privilege of American cit
izsnship, and feel scorn for the bad and
small sectional feelings with which the
Republican party emblazon their banners
and expect to call forth the prejudices OF
their people. These thoughts and aspira.
tious must rasie you in the stature OF
American manhood. 1t was a wise thing
to nominate him, and il will be wise and
a blessed thing to elect him. 1t may be
that on this seone my eyes may never rest
again Those who hear me now may
never hear me again, and beg you young
? men, yon upon whom the active work OF
this life and this canvass depends, to de.
; pend upon it that in all this line OF
American history, from the battle of Cam
den to this day, there never was time ir
which it was more necessary for you to
give steady, upright and had almost
: said religious, devotion to tue task that
shall secure to your country peace, and tC
yourselves ard your posterity happiness
, and prosperity. Loud aud long continued