Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-12-08
rne Ohio hlector- vs. | Mentor.

i'ne Ohio hlectcr- V Aentor.
CLEVELAND, December 2.-During
the visit of the Ohio electors at Mentor
to-day, in response to an address OF
General Grosvenor in their behalf. Cen
eraI Garfield addressed them in the
following language
am deeply grateful to you for TINS
call and for these personal and public
congratulations If | were to look upon
the late campaign and its result merely
in the light of a personal struggle and
a personal success, it would probably
be as gratifying as anything could be
in the history OF politics. If my own
conduct during the campaign has been
in any way a help and strength to
our cause. l am glad. 1t is not always
an easy thing to behave well. If under
the trying circumstances my behavior
as a cand date has met your APPROVAL |
am greatly gratiiied But the larger
subject. your congratulations to the
country on the triumph Of the Republl-
can party, opens a theme too vast for
me to enter upon now. | venture how
ever to mention a reflection which has
occurred to me, in reference TO the cleo
tion of yesterday suppose that no
political event has happened in all the
course of the contest since the early
sprine which caused so little excite
lnent, and, indeed, so little public obser-
vation, as the presidential election
which was held yesterday at midday.
The American people paid but little
attention to the details ofthe real presi-
dential election, for a very significant
reason. A though you and all the mem
bers of the electoral College had the
absolute constitutional and technical
right to vote for anybody you chose,
and though no written law directed or
suggested your choice, yetevery Amerl-
can knew that the august sovereign
of this republic, the nine millions OF
voters, on an early day in November,
had pronounced the omnipotent fiat OF
choice, and that sovereign, assuming
as done that which lie had ordered to
be done, entertained no doubt but that
his will would be implicitly obeyed by
all the colleges. That is the reason
why the people were so severely quiet
Yesterday They had never yet found
an American who failed to keep his
trust as presidential elector.
From this thought | draw this lesson:
That, when that omnipotent sovereign,
the American people, speaks to any
| one man and orders him to do a duty,
that man is under the most solemn OBJ
legations ofobedience which can be con-
ceived, except that which the God OF
the universe might impose upon him.
Yesterday, through your votes and the
votes in the various states of the Union,
it is probable (the returns will show
that our great political sovereign has
laid his commands upon me. If he has
SO, am bound by his will and his
great inspiration and purpose as could
be bound by any consideration that
this earth can impose upon any human
being.
In that presence, therefore, / stand,
and am aided by the majesty and au,
| thority of such command. In so far
as can interpret the best inspirations
and purposes of our august sovereign,
| shall seek TO realize them, You and
| and those who have acted with us in
the years past, believe that our sover.
eign loves liberty and desires for all
the inhabitants of the republic peace
and prosperity, under the sway of just
and equal laws.
Gentleman; thank you for this visit
for this welcome, for the suggestions
that your presence and your words
bring, and for the hope that you have
expressed, that 10 the arduous and
great work before US we may MAINTAIN
the standard of nationality and pro
mote all that is good and worthy il
this country, and during the coming
four years we may raise just as large
crop Of peace, prosperity, justice, lib
crty and culture as it is possible fol
forty-nine millions ofpeople to raise.
Governor Foster was master of cere'
monies, presenting the visitors to Gen:
eraI Garfield After an interchange Of
greetings two hours were passed in
informal social intercourse, after which
the company returned here and dis
persed for their homes, except Cover
! mormon Foster, who remained at Men
| tor