Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-10-20
BEECHER SPEAKS
10 an Enthusiastic Gathering, and Voices RI Pc
iitcai Sentime nts---A Stirring Address.

The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher adj
dressed large audience at Cooper insti-
tute on the night OF the 18th inst. He
was introduced by Luther B. Marsh.
Mr.. Beecher said:
/ hardly think that any man in this
assembly can feel the same Joy that I
feel in the hdings which have come from
the state Of Indiana to-day. / believe that
| delivered the first anti-slavery speech ever
made in the city of indianapolis, and I feel
peculiar interest in that section of the country.
felt tonight like sending my greeting and my
thanks to this great western state for The stand
which 1t has taken in this general crisis of our
history am not thrilled with the news of the
victory III Ohio. I expected it. Ohio is accus-
toned to do this kind of thing.
Whenever an emergency arises that really in
wolves the national welfare, the state of New
York is accustomed to do this sort OF thing. too.
She may am1se herself at times, but when she
sees the signs OF the storm in the heavens all
troilc ceases. and the men of the state join
hands, as they are doing now, to rescue the ma
ton from its peril. No party is entitled to hold
power IN this country for a single hour which
does not have for it's guiding aim the securing
OF harmony among all the interests of the land
north, south, east and west. Convince me
that the Democratic party is more intent on &C.
comprising this than the Republican party, or
that the policy of the Democrats is better cal
| culated to do this than that of the Republicans,
and L Will renounce my allegiance to Republic
| canisn and go over to the Democracy.
But don't go over. In my heart of hearts
| [ believe that the Republican party is g ma
tional party, working honestly for the welfare of
all sections, and treating none with contempt,
| and 1T is because [ SO believe that I am willing
| to commend it to your suffrages Applause |
[ am here tonight for the practical purpose of
digging out votes. Ladies and gentlemen for
| " Tlnf rIf Of I
turbance has been sprung upon this nation by
| the people of the north. We are accused of
being sectional, but the fact is that every one of
the great conflicts which has agitated the nation
| has had its orig gin in the south. We have de-
| Tended ourselves against the south, but we have
never intruded on them. When slavery began
to lift it's head in power the south attempted to
| invade the free territories of the northwest.
| That agitation, and the Missouri compromise
which resulted, came from the south.
| 1t was the south that invaded Kansas aud
| wiped out the compromise. The Mexican War
was one of the whelps of slavery, and finally
came the proclaimed right of secession. Was
| it the north that drew the sword The whole
war was the product of southern doctrine. The
north has stood for the nation in principle and
conduct, and all our national difficulties have
come from the south. The Democratic party
| In this conflict. in every ward, in every state,
says there will be no peace in this land till the
! Democracy rule that all the mischief has
| sprung from the Republican party. Something
of this kind happened about three thousand
/ years ago, III Ehjah's time, when he said he had
not troubled Israel. If there has been any
trouble on the continent we the Republicans,
are not to be charged with that. The north has
| been ordained, believe, by Divine Providence,
| to stand for the whole nation. All the storms
| of the Atlantic they tell us, are bred in the
! Caribbean sea. SO all our political storms are
| bred there. Or near there. [Applause.l What
/ 4hrc
keep them in order? Individually the citizens
| of the south are as good as we are.
! [ condemn the southern doctrine of politics,
but their people are noble people and am
fond of them, the more SO, perhaps, because
for sixty years of my life it was not safe for me
TO go among, them; The whole mischief that
| has arisen hitherto has arisen from the great
evil of the south, slavery, which forced them to
| adopt the doctrine of state sovereignty. The
south holds to state sovereignty the north holds
only to state rights. They alike up to certain
point; then they separate. Every school dis
every county, and those rights must be 1e-
spected. Just SO every state has certain rights,
and yet the nation is superior to any state, and
must remain SO. The south says that the right
to break up the nation inhered in them. 1T
did, IN just the same way that the right inheres
in guest in hotel to take down his part of
the outer wall and let in the wind and weather.
No state has right to break down our walls
anywhere. 1t is supposed that the north don't
believe in state rights. Why, they don't believe
IN anything else. The doctrine Of state rights
was born in the old New England colonies. We
are Just as much in favor OF state rights as the
south is, but not of state sovereignty. Rhode
Island, Connecticut, and the others were SO
jealous of each other that they coud not at first
agree upon anything. Why do / debate the
question after it has been settled by the sword?
Gentlemen, the sword may slay, but it cannot
nY,1 I,
besotted with state sovereignty to-day they
were before the war; The southern mind is I'M
changed on this subject. Will you stand up to
the doctrine you v1ndicated with your swords
The doctrines of Calhoun are taught in every
principal seminary of the south, just as when
Lee led on the rebel hosts. If the Democratic
party with the south goes into the possession
of the government, we will be upon the
verge of further troubles. Republican principles
| must be the heart and soul of the country in
the future, as they have been for the last
twenty years. The south fer fifty years admin
istered the institutions of this country, and
must say she administered them pretty badly.
For more than fifteen years before the war, her
connseis were series of blunders. Just now
the south seems determined to make one more
great under. She drew suddenly back after
the war, and refused the right hand of Repub-
lican friendship. Not one state in all the south
would take the proffered hand of President
Hayes. [Cheers.l That was gigantic blunder.
If she had been willing to accept the situation,
there would have Teen no difficulty to-day; but
she went with the Democratic party. These two
defeated fanatics cast their fortunes together,
and we, as one great determined state, are 1e-
solved that they shall not deprive us now of that
which we fought for and won. We will fight it
out ON this line if it takes twenty-five summers.
[Applause.l
tits time we had change? What do you want
a change for? Our foreign relations? We are
at peace. Our finances? Our notes are at
par. Do you want mole paper dollars? I pro-
test against it. We have gold and silver. We
give a full dollars worth of gold, but only
eighty-fve cents in silver. There is universal
content. And now you want change? The
only change possible is to go back to the dull
and dreary days. We are on the eve of pros
| perity such as never had been measured out to
this land before. Now up come the black min
ions of Democracy, and say, get down from the
seat and let us get up and drive. [Cheers.]
Where is there a guarantee that any four years
in the future will be cleaner than the four years
| Just expiring. When in the history of the coun-
| try has there ever been a cleaner president or
cleaner cabinet? We look at these four millen-
| NAL wears and saw we want change! Do YOU