The Portland daily press., 1880-10-01
Secretary Evarts on the Issues.

In the course of his speech at Cooper Insti-
tute Wednesday night Secretary Evarts said
Twenty-four years ago the people placed the
country in the hands Of Pennsylvania Demo
crat, James Buchanan, and gave him the man
agement of its affairs. To-day it is proposed to
place the country again in the hands of the
party led by another Pennsylvania Democrat.
Twenty years ago the people trusted the coun-
try to a Republican born of patriotism and de-
voted to liberty. Twenty years ago they thus
entrusted it to an Illinois Republican, Abra-
ham Lincoln [cheersl, and substantially the
people of the country are to answer TO their
consciences whether they repent taking the
power from Buchanan and giving it to Lincoln.
Loud applause.l Private fault finders in these
twenty years have aired private grievances,
but as the great God-fearing people OF these
States read it, if Pennsylvania Democrat is
restored to power, it is verdict that the peo-
pie are tired of patriotism and weary of liberty.
In these twenty years this Democratic party
has five times asked for power, and the people
have as many times answered, mo, never.
prolonged applause.] They tried 1t in war,
when the country was in the throes OF despera-
tion, and when every coward was Democrat,
and every poltroon was enlisted in the army OF
non-fghting traitors. The people said, 1t Is
sad that our boys must go and our brave fel-
lows die and the last dollar called for maybe,
but we know what made our population and
our wealth, and we will maintain the Union
and liberty though the last man fall and the
last dollar be spent in the fight. They asked
again after the war, and when their re-
sistance gainst the loyal government
had given way to talk about reconstruc-
ton, but the people said, mo, the par
ty who carried the country through
the war when you said it was failure shall
take care of it now, and, so that you may know
that we mean it, we will put over you the cap
tain who received your surrender Alter Tour
years more the Democrats said: "We want
change" but we said "No; you wanted
change in 1860, and you enforced your argu,,
ment with the aid Of powder and shot ana
shell. No, we want no change. Ana now
they talk of long peace andplenty, as tnough
it were reason for a change. Why do they
think we are pack of redskins, that season
of peace has become irksome? So we said;
"We will elect volunteer soldier and we
did. Then they said: "These are perverse
people. We have offered them a change four
times, but they will not have it. They must
be people of independent ideas; they must
be people of fixed principles, with ideas that
they can manage the country for; what can
save this people from the 'yss OF their militia
ry despotism?' But when he war was over
we thought we had come out of that, and We
have. Applause) Then they said: See
what we will offer you now;a great Union
General General McClellan-and united
South'' And then this dessicated Democrat
ic party of the North cried out: "W-lat, not
take Union General when by so doing the
have found what they want" But we sad:
''No; your General was unready, and your par
ty untrue;" then we added: "The man who
unshackled the slave and freed millions is
good enough for u.s. In 1868 they said: ''We
give you candidate better THAN our party"
Heavensl What a reason Tor pressing
candidate-that his party was not as
good as hel And we said to him, ''The man
who addressed the rioters in New York as my
friends is not the one we want to command
the army and navy of the United States" In
1872 they said; 1--WE have before presented
only the moth -eaten patch on the garment of
rebellion" and they not only put up the patch
but stole another mans garment, so we took
Grant. Well, in 1876 they said, "We will
now present man alter our own heart, man
who is not better than his party" and so they
put up my friend and classmate Samuel j.
Tilden and they exclaimed, There! Did you
ever see garment fit a patch so well as the
Democratic party fits Samuel j. Tilden?"
But we said, history is repeating itself, for
Buchanan and Tilden are as like as two peas
Now we come down and find that in all the
past the Democracy has been made oil solid
South and this dessicated Democracy OF the
North, and now they come again with a can
ddate better than his party. They say his op-
ponent, General Garfield, is no better than his
party. We thought so, for the Republican
party is as good as it can be. They know that
there is q beam in their own eyes, full we'll {,
and that there is not even mote i'll the eye OF
the Republican party; but they are trying to
balance their own beam with an imaginary
Black we'll knew that he was thrusting spear
into the only opening in the armor OF our can
didate when he said that he would never hope
to be better than his party. Since the time OF
Henry Clay, General Garfield is the cleanest
and best candidate. [Great applause1