The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-10-02

/ CItCu,
! say also that If james 4. Garfield had nc
! deserted his comrades on the field of battl
To 20 to congress at time when even RuthcI
| ford b. Hayes said that u man who left tn
army to 60 to congress ought to be sca!ped
he would have forgotten the creed of tn
Little Sisters OF the Poor and other charita
bic bands Of sisters who fitted over the battle
fields to minister 10 the manned and suffer
ing. Had he remained 10 fight down tin
rebellion instead of coming home to talk |
down in the safety and comfort which sur
rounded "a seat in congress, he could hav
borne testimony 70 the fact that the sister
VINO do charity never asked the wounded o
the dying what their creed was or whether o.
not they had any creed. Had he waited Oh
the battlefield to do more than smell powder
had he been shot down like Hancock, had b,
encaSed his sword only when the enemy sur
rendered, he would have favored this appro
priation rs Grant did, for you will remember
Grant was president and approved the appro
priatOn Garfield fought. However much We
may differ about Grants course at other times
he was a soldier in he hour of his country's
peril, Grant then faced the danger of Lee on
his front, and kept facing the danger until Lee
surrendered, Garfield was then facing the
temptation Of rotten paving fees and Credit
he surrendered. am not Irish | am not
a Catholic. ! am an American and Protest
ant. say, in no boastful spirit, that | was
"a soldier during the war of the rebellion. 1t
was SIMPLY my duty to be Il soldier then.
But American and protestant as | am, |
should be an migrate did not bear testimony
to the service of Catholic sisters in the hOspi.
tai, on the march, and on the field OF battle
during those terrible years.
They nurscd the sick. They bathed the
ftvol.sh. Tic .CG The .amlshing They held
the saving, cooling draught to the lips of the
scorched and thirsty, They bandaged the
wounded They sOothed the dying, and stole
his cruel terrcrs from death. Heaven only
can reward their labOrs COmmensuratcly and
the tongue must have more than human in
spiration which can acknowledge the sacri-
fees.
II remained for the man who fed from the
battlefield, where they renamed, TO demand
what creed they protested who never asked
the soldier lis creed before they ministered to
him! II renamed for the bigot in politics to
vote public money TO charitable organ lZation
lis creed, and to refuse it to
these nurses Of his country's soldiers because
their creed is not his. 1t remained for that
runaway from the battlchelds, and that un.
OF the lrsh-AmerCan voters to make him
president!
In the forty fifth congress, few months be.
fore the death of brave old James Shield
iurlst, statesman, and soldler,--a man whose
long years Of fidelity to his adopted country,
and of bravery III her defense, should have
made all men forget where he was born, and
remember only the country and cause for
which he fought-a bill was introduced in
the house authorizing the president to appoint
the hoary and intrepid veteran brlgadier
general in the United States army, on the re
tired list, with rank and pay from and after
the passage of the act. IL was then known
that that hero Of three wars the cx supreme
court judge Of Illinois, the only man who had
ever represented three states in the United
States senate,-was fast approaching his end.
The bOny hands Of the grim spectre were
stretching forth to clutch the valorous frame
that had detiCd foreign foe and domestic
traitor; the once stroag body, rlddled with
balls and SCARED and scanned with wounds
was not 10 hold together much longer. He
had been stricken with paralysis To wounds
and disease was added one more misfortune
poverty On the bench as Judge; in the
camp and on the march as a soldier in the
halls of public dehbcralion rs maker of his
laws, he had been what all ages
and all nations have agreed is Goods noblest
WORKMAN honest man. He had never robbed
the enemy he conquered. He had never
lespoilcd the people who had rcsposed their
trust in HIM. No bride had stained the hands
that had drawn patriots sword. No I'M
proper inducements thnly disguised as
fees" had procured the exercise of his lnflu.
ence with heads of corrupt and corrupting
He never bought nor was he
ever presented with stock in corporations
whose interests required legislation to be
modified by his voice and vote. For all these
reasons, he was 4 poor man and his poverty
was extreme. The bill to place him on the
retired list would have furnished, at a very
small cost to his country, comfort and security
Tor the very short period which his wounds
would permit him to live; and against that
bill was recorded the vote Of the soldier who
-aa away from the battleiields to the politi-
;ian's spoils; of the know-nothlng who OPP
posed the resolution sympathizing with
he efforts Of the Irish people to ob.
ain for themsclve. in their own land the
liberty they fought and died to secure for US
and OF the bigot who voted to give public
money to IA religious organization of Protest
ants and withhold it from charitable Organi-
,ation of Catholic women whose benevolence
was administered without regard to creed.
James A. Garfield crowned his unworthy
'ecord by voting against the bill which would
nave made comfortable and contented the few
days of aged, brave, honest, poor
md sick James Shields! For this, fellow
,ltizens, make him president Of the United
States.
You, especially, my Irsh,American fellow
citizens, you, especially, are harangucd by
to vote for him, You know his
'ecord now. 1t was always consistent toward
you From 1867 to 1879 he never missed an
opportunity to scorn your race and to pour
)ut his contempt on your aspirations. HIS
'ecord ~ before you, The people of the
United States abhor intolerance, no matter
who may practice IT. The executive functions
lignitied by the elevated and liberal spirit of
, Washington shall never be disgraccd by
know. nothing and bigot.
Garfield and the Great Fraud.
Mr. Hendricks, in a speech at Indianapolis,
tbat Mr. Garfield nartiCipatpi IN