The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-10-07

the vote Tor PRESIDENT, ana the erm1ne OF the
Supreme bench was dragged in the mud of
politics, to give the people hope of fair count,
what was the complaint then? or this tri-
bunal, composed of the highest, most edu-
Gated, and most judicious, one of them now
candidate of the Republican party for Presi-
dent Still partisan exactly according to their
political preiudices Was the result any diff
ferent than it would have been had the ques-
ton been committed to an equal number of
voters of the Five Points of the same party
biases? The silk gown of the judge, the black
frock of the clergyman, the dress coat of the
scholar, and the ''free and easy" garb of the
Congressman, all covered partisans, following
party aims in judging of a great question of
constitutional law and right. What would
have been the effect of the blue uniform of q
blunt and gallant soldier among these politi-
clans to make them do the right the people
are about to try?
What do the Republican party complain of
the present campaign in Alabama? That
anybody voted as he ought not to have done
Oh, no the fault again is claimed to be in the
counting.
So that upon the question of universal man
hood suffrage l am clear that all ought to vote,
and laws should be so enacted that those votes
shall be as justly counted as they are rightly
cast. The people know how to vote rightly. o,
ye reformers! send somebody who knows how
to count honestly. When any Of my Republi-
can friends desires to put to mea political ques-
ton which he deems unanswerable, he asks
chow CAN YOU VOTE WITH THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY,
Which undertook to break up the Union which
you fought to sustain?" The trouble with your
question, my friends, is that You have forgot
ten the history of your country.
A portion of the Democratic party undertook
to secede from the Union, and thereby broke
up the Democratic party. If the Democratic
the Union would surely have been broken up.
Does any sane man, not blinded by partisan
preJuulce, uouDJ JnaJ w1Inour prompt, vlgor-
GUS, loyal, courageous and patriotic action by
the masses of the Democratic party, that it
would have been possible for the Republican
party to have preserved the Union? If Dix, if
Mcclellan, if Farragut, if Smith, If Thomas, if
Grant, if Meade, if Meagher, If Corcoran, if
Burnside, if Sheridan, if Hancock, and a long
roll of other heroic names which will come to
every mans thought that / might recite-had
not stood by the Union, drawn their swords and
marched to the rescue Of the Government, do
you believe it would have been saved by the
present stay-at-home Senators and Representa-
tives of Massachusetts,, not one of whom did
go to the war, even after Massachusetts, Demo-
Gratis showed them the way, remaining at home
in safety, SO that their ranks, undiminished by
disease of the bullet, are able to fill all the
prominent civil offices, both in the State and
Federal Government, with not soldier, either
Republican or Democrat, among them. But
need not cite as examples of the fea]ty and de-
votion of the Democracy of the North to the
flag and Constitution these great and illustrious
names. Look at the rank and file of our
armiesl They were as largely recruited from
the Democratic as from the Republican party.
For the correctness of my assertion, let me
speak of my own knywledge. marched to the
Gulf with New England division, containing
G, 600 men, and there could not have been five
hundred men in that division who ever had
voted any other than the Democratic ticket.
They came back voting for the Union for which
they fought, and they have been voting in the
same direction since, and will continue 30 to
vote when they vote with the Democracy for
Hancock, by whose side they fought.
Go to your soldiers homes, where the shat
tered and war-worn veterans are collected to
the number of some 5000, and you will find
their votes have of late been largely for the
Democracy, where they have been permitted to
vote by the laws of the State.
In saying this, by no means detract from
the patriotism and zeal of the rank and file of
the Republican voters, who stood shoulder to
shoulder with their Democratic brethren for
the preservation of the Union. l pay, and
have at all times paid, just tribute to their
good qualities citizens aud soldiers, and
never have undertaken to discriminate between
soldier comrades, in q partisan sense, more
than 1 do now.
admit, freely, the fact that there were more
Republican than Democratic officers in the
| volunteer armies of the United States-gallant,
| good men and true, who arose from the lower
| to the higher grades of military life by their
| beroism and devotion to the country's cause.
The reason for this is obvious. Quite all
| the Governors of the Northern States were
Republicans. They appointed all the regimental
| officers, and, therefore, they appointed most
| largely their Republican friends. But the
Democratic soldier, when he enlisted patriotical-
| ly appointed himself private.
Yes, my comrades, whether you were Re
| publicans or Democrats, and whether you are
! now Republicans or Democrats, whatever
| tickets you may vote, let any body of men
undertake to disrupt this glorious Union of
ours, whether from the North or the South, or
| the East or the West, with what there are left
| of our diminished ranks, we will march again
under the leadership of our old commander,
/ Gen. Hancock, and give another lesson to the
stay-at-homes in patriotism and devotion to the
cause of our country. Hancock did it then:
| In his letter of acceptance he says it now, and
who shall dare doubt his pledged honor to the
| Nation'
Secession persisted by the word! The Union
is saved! Nay, stands stronger, firmer, better.
| more glorious than before, its strength having
been tried, cemented now by the renewed acts
and oaths of loyalty of all of its people. More
worthy of the love and reverence of all its
children, because everything but freedom to
all, and equal rights to all, is blotted from hel
escutcheon! Who fears for the stability of the
Union now save our stay-at-homes? But they
| are always afraid
Another objection against the change of the
rulers of public administration presents itselt
more especially to me than other men in this
form You have proclaimed yourself as the
champain of the negro race. You have pledged
yourself to do all that you can to protect anc
care for them, and make them worthy of the
condition of free citizenship to which they have
been raised: how, then, can you deliver ovel
the negro to his enemy, the Democratic party
THE coLoRED QUEs TON.
To these questions frankly and eagerly an
swer yes-as hope am the champion of th'
-1r-o and ad of
alities. I did pledge myself to the colored peo
pie when he fought by my side, that hereafte
his race should have all that could do in thef
behalf, and here and now renew that pledge
have the full and earnest belief that I am do
ing in this hour the best thing can do for tn
elevation, protection and welfare of the negrt
race, by taking a step to unite their interes
with those of the other laboring classes of thi
country, who SO largely composed the Demo
cratic party so that all workingmen of tn
country may stand united for the elevation o
all against the expressions of monopolists ant
aristocrats, in that day of darkness and dread
which must, sooner or later, surely come
There never has been, and there never will be
any reason why the free workingman of tn
North and South should be enemies to eac
other in order to build up an aristocracy o
wealth. They are not antagonistic, they are no
even rivals. When the laboring men of Massa
chusetts Join hand with the laboring men O
Mississippi their class will govern the country
The alliance is not an unnatural one, and need
only little time to make it effectual.
These questions put to me, however, involv
she whole issue of the campaign, as now pre-
sented by the Republican party, in the presen
canvass, and being the issue, t deserves care
, full and candid consideration. To it I hay
given the best thought of which am capable
The platform of the Chicago Convention
| not outspoken on this question. 1t simply So!
. that it 'fwil leave the question to the peacefl
solution of the ballot Within the last montl
the National committee of the Republican part,
and the principal leaders of that party, wit
{ ore notable exception, assembled at the Fift
Avenue hotel to lay out the plan of their can
paign In their discussions but two question
were treated. The one which occupied th
} larger share of the time, was what they shoul
. do with their money, the chairman of the con
,ooiftaa HAVING hefora that annouDced that n