Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-03
GARFIELD's SPEECH
To the Ohio Electors and Other Party
Friends Who Visited Him at Mentor Yes
terd.y--The "Omnipotent Sovereign Peo-
PaoueO

To the Ohio Electors and Other Party
Friends Who Visited Him at Mentor Yes
terd.y--The "Omnipotent Sovereign Peo
Peope."
CLEVELAND, Dec. 2.-During the visit oi
the Ohio electors at Mentor, in response to
Gen. Grosvenor in their behalf, Gen. Gar.
field addressed them, as reported for the
Herald, in the following language:
am deeply grateful to You for this call and
these personal and public congratulations. II
I were to look upon the late campaign and its
| result merely in the light of a personal strug.
gle and personal success 1t would probably
be as gratifying as anything could be In the
| history of politics. II my own conduct during
the Campaign hes in any way been help and
am 'IsSs'A s1ads 1t is W not N' always
g. ca , thing tn behave WELL II under trying
circumstances my behavior as candidate for
the Presidency has met your approval, am
greatly grstifed. But the larger subject, your
congratulations to the country on the triumph
of the Republican party, opens q theme toe
vast for me TO enter upon now. l venture
however. to mention q reflection which has
occurred to me in reference to the election OF
yesterday. / suppose that no political event
has happened in all the course of the contest
since the early spring which caused 80 little
excitement. and indeed 40 little public obser-
vation as the Presidential election, which was
held yesterday at midday. The American peo-
pie paid but little attention to the details Of
the real Presidential election, and for very
significant reason. Although you and all the
members Of the electoral colleges had the abso-
lutte constitutional and technical right to vote
for ybody you chose, and, though no written
law directed or suggested your choice, yet
every American knew that the august sovereign
of this republic, the 5000, 900 of voters, on an
early day in November, bad pro-
nounced the omnipotent fat of
choice, and that the sovereign assuming as
done that which he had ordered to be done, en-
tertained no doubt that his will would be i'm
plicitly obeyed in all the colleges in all the
States. That is the reason why the people
were SO serenely quiet yesterday. They had
not yet found an American who had failed to
keep his trust as Presidential elect
or. From this thought draw this lesson
That the omnipotent sovereign, the American
people, speaks to one man and orders him to
do duty. That man may, under the most
solemn obligations of duty, except those that
the God of the universe might impose
upon him. Yesterday, through your
votes and the votes OF Others il the
various States OF the union, it is probable (the
returns will show) that our great political SOW.
ereigu has laid his commands upon me. If he
has done so am as bound by his will and his
could be by any consideration that this earth
can impose upon any human being. In that
presence. therefore, I stand, and am awe3 by
the majesty and authority of such command.
In so far as can interpret the best aspirations
and purposes of our august sovereign I shall
seek to realize them. You and l and those
who have acted with us in the years past,
believe that our sovereign loves liberty. and
desires for all the inhabiSants of the republic
peace and prosperity, under the sway of just
and equal laws.
Gentlemen, thank you for this visit, for
this welcome, for the suggestion that your
presence aud your words bring, and the hope
that you have expressed, that in the arduous
and great work before Us, We may maintain
the standard of nationality aud premote all
that is good and worthy in this country. and
that during the coming four years We may
raise just as large crop of peace, prosperity.
Justice, liberty and culture as it is possible for
forty-nine millions of people to raise.
Governor Foster was master of ceremonies,
presenting the visitors to General Garfield.
After on interchange of greetings two hours
were passed in informal intercourse, after
which the company returned here and dis
persed for their homes, except Governor
Foster, who remained at Mentor.