Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-10-15


ty, ILL.,, and adjacent counties, were
recently treated to brilliant speech by
Colonel Robert G. Ingcrsoll, upon the
issues of the pending campaign, Of
which the following IS q full synopsis:
Mr. Ingersol said: In the first place wish
to admit that Democrats and Republicans
have an equal interest in this country adj
nit that most of them are honest Ia their CON
VictOns, aud do not wish to address myself
to n Democrat who In not honestly one. There
Ia no need Of wasting reason upon man who
Is dishonest, not the slightest. Neither do |
believe that It Is possible to make vote In
my civilized country by misreprcscntinR the
facts, or to influence solitary man who
has got any, sense, by, slnndcr or vitn-
poraton. ! do not intend to-day TO express
a solitary sentiment thnt every Democrat will
not give three cheers for In his heart. We all
want good Government. We all want TO live
in land where the law Is supreme. We de
sire to live beneath u flag that will protect ev-
cry citizen beneath its fold. Most of us are
convinced that our Government is the best
upon this earth. II is the only Government
whore manhood, and manhood alone, is made
not simply a condition of citizenship, but
where manhood; and manhood alone, permits
its possessor to have his equal share in control
of the Government. 1t is the only Govern
ment In the world whore poverty is upon an
exact equality with wealth, so far as cOntToll-
ing the destinies of the Republic is concerned
For that reason cVery poor man should stand
by that Government, and every poor man who
does not Is traitor TO the best interest of his
children; and the only way 10 make this Gov
ernment a complete and perfect success Is for
the poorest man to think Hs much of his man
hood as the millionaire does OF his wealth. A
man does not vote in this country simply be-
cause he is rich; he docs not vote In this coun-
try simply because he has an education; h o
does not vote simply because he has
talent or genius; we say that he votes
because he is man, and that he has his man
hood to support; and we admit in this coun-
try that nothing can be moro valuable to any
human being than his manhood and for that
reason we put poverty on equaliy y with wealth.
We say IN this country manhood is worth more
than gold. We sny in this country that with
out liberty the Nation is not worth preserving.
Now, then, in every country, no matter how
good it is, and no matter how bad it is-in cv-
cry country there is something worth prcseTv-
ing. and there is something that oughtto be
destroyed. Now reeollect that every voter Is
in his own right kings and every voter, poor
and rich, wears the purple of authority alike.
The man that will sell his vote Is the man that
abdicates the American throne. More than
that, the man that will sell his vote for preju-
dice or for hatred the man that will be lied out
of his vote, that will be sandered out of his
vote, that will be fooled out of his vote, is not
worthy to be an American citizen.
Two great parties are asking for the control
of this country and it is your business and
mine to inquire into the history of these par
ties. we want to know their character; and,
you cannot make reputation by passing a
resolution. The question is What have these
parties been doingT not, What do they say
now2 That may help to make them a charac-
ter twenty years hence; but what have they
been doing for the last twotny yenrs2
In 1860 the Democratic party had power. In
1850 and 1861 a few of the Southern States said:
I'VE will no longer remain in this Union"
What did the Democratic party do2 James
Buchanan, with Judge Black for his legal ad-
wiser, solemnly declared not only that the
United States could not coorce State, but
solemnly decided that the Federal Govern
ment could not even protect its own property.
That was the decision of tho highest officer In
that Administration In other words, that
Democratic Administration said the United
States of America are dissolved, the great Fed
eral Government is dead forever. This is
what that party said then; does anybody wish
that that party had remained in power? Does
anybody to-day wish that the advice of James
Buchanan had been followed? A war COM
menced. The Republican party said: "The
Union must and shall be maintained" Hun
dreds and thousands of Democrats also said
the same thing. l honor them for 1t, and l
never, while live, will say word against any
man who fought for our flag in the sky, never.
admit to-day, and l cheerfully admit,
that hundreds of thousands of Democrats
were n thousand times better than the party
TO which they belonged. | admit that the salt
of the party left it. And am willing to admit
to-day that, had It not been for these Demo-
Gratis, the probability is we never could have
put down the rebellion. ! want to be honest
about this thing. What, though, did the Dem
ocratic party do after the decent men had left
it? What did the Democrats do in 1894? This
Democratic party, just before the dawn Of
universal victory, met in National Convention
and announced that war for the restoration of
the Union was failure. What did they do in
lndianaY They assassnated Federal officers
they shot down Union men, they entered into
conspiracies for the purpose of releasing
Rebel soldiers; they were supplied with money
from Canada. l know 1t, and the evidence Is
to-day among the Rebel archives at Washing
ton that leaders of the Southern Confederacy
furnished money to the Democrats of Illinois
and Indiana 70 hold public meetings for the
purpose OF influencing public opinion against
the Republican party. When the war was
over what did the Democrats do? Every man
who advocated secession was Democrat;
IN ~ ~ htsfN nnufg, Isv.nv.
was Democrat; every man who sworo that
this great and splendid Government was but
"Confederacy bound together by ropes of
sanu, by chains OF mist, was Democrat;
every man who wished to tear the old flag out
of the sky was Democrat; every one who
wished to preserve the institution of slavery,
30 that babes could be sold from their moth
ers' breasts; every one who wished to make a
slave by robbing the cradle; every one who
wished to breed bloodhounds to pursue fugi-
tive slaves; every one who wanted Northern
treemen to become dogs to hunt slaves;
every one who believed that lash
upon naked back was lega-tender for labor
performed; every one was Democrat. Every
one who wished to create u fire in the rear;
all who wanted to release Rebel prisoners In
the North, that they might burn down the
homes OF soldiers then in the front; every one
who wanted to scatter disease and pestilence
In Northern cities every one who wish to intiict
our homes with yellow-fever; every one who
wished TO set fire to the great cities of the
North, knowing that the servants of flame
would destroy women and babcs every one
who tried to lire the boats upon our rivers;
every one was Democrat. Every man who
starved our soldiers, every man who shot a
Union soldier was Democrat; every wound
That Union soldier has is n souvenir of the
Democratic party. Every one who fed our
men taken prisoners with n crust that the
worms had eaten before was a Democrat;
every man who shot down our men when they
happenedto step an inch beyond the dead line,
every one was Democrat. Every man who
Wept over the corpse of slavery; every man
who was sorry when the chains fell from four
millions npnn4s IN Nvh hn nntr sod
TO see the shackles drop from men and women,
ana children, every one was Il Demo orat. In
the House OF Representatives, and in the
Senate, the resolution was submitted to amend
the Constitution so that every man treadinR
the soil of the Republic should be forever free
ana every man VINO voted against 1t was
democrat. Every man who swore that Green
packs never would be worth any more than
wthered leaves, every man who swore we
would never pay our bonds, every man who
slandered our credit and prophesied defeat,
was Democrat.
Now, ON the other hand, what has the Re-
publican party been doing all this timer In
the hrst place, our party preserved this Gov
ernment. Had IL not boen for the Republican
party the United States of America would not
still enrich and glorify the map of the world.
The Republican party issued the money; the
Republican party swore II was good, and the
MHSssp4iiolcan HSspp iit party swore Y should be paid.
The Republican party issued the bonds made
necessary by the Democracy, and the Repub-
lioans not only said awe will whip you"
but I'VE viii pay the costs ourselves" II cost
"a 4ptt7t Ola luOuhuHh IullllOnS OF dollars, a
pile OF gold in the presence of which even eX-
trayagance would stand amazed. Six thou
sand millions OF dollars, and 100000 lives
What for! Is II possible we did all that TO put
the very party in power that 1t cost six millions
OF dollars and 100000 lives TO prevent their de-
stroying this Government Let me ask any
Democrat, looked at in the light of history Of
twenty years, which OF these parties has the
better reputation?
What has the Democratic party done the
last twenty years that has been a success2
Governor Morton once said; 1.-THE Democratic
party-it Is like man riding on the oars
BACKWARDS. he never sees anything until he
has passed It," What has the Democratic
party advocated in the twenty years that has
been success? Now and then they have
advocated good thing, but that has only
idea.
Which Of these parties are the people of this
country willing TO risk the Government with?
Wen, OF course, II Is owing to what you want
Some people tell me we want a change. What
Iorl "Well, we want a change" What for?
There never was time in the history of this
country that IT was as prosperous as IL is to-
day; Do you want a changer This is not only
the best country In the world, but we have
good houses, We have got more 10 eat have
got better clothes, and we have got more sense
on the average than any other people on this
globe, When / AspOlInfrXrb " 4 ~