New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-16
GpEER.


.SPEER.
Mr.. j. Edwin Spcer Of Cincinnati, who
welded the temporary ana transitory gavel
III the Ohio Democratic State Convention on
Wednesday, seems u siDgularly felicitous as
we'll as an uncommonly fowery person. "The
Democracy of Ohio" he said, prancing at once
at dead run upon the very centre of the
OCCASION, " are once more gathered together to
pay their annual VOWS" Which is euphe-
mism for d" tell their annual lies" annual
VOWS" is very 2ood. The Democracy of Ohio
are not as a Iule in favor Of paying anything
except VOWS, and those only in resolutions
The Ohio idea " is that vows are irredeem-
able like greenbacks that the more they
issue the better off they are and that the only
way to tahe them up is to issue more and
keep them in circulation. Hence the "annuaI
vows.' The phrase is well chosen. "We are
making" continued Specr, "another circle in
the years of the oak. We have met to add
one more leaf to the perennial laurel" We
have not the slightest idea what Speer is driv-
ing at in these iibrous and vcrdurous remarks,
nor indeed do VIC care. Enough for us that
they are pretty and sound coed Hypcrc riti-
clSm might perhaps object to the precise terms
used, and insist that Il regard for truth would
have substituted The upas for the oak and the
deciduous slippery elm for the perennial
laurel; but It mnSt be remembered that regard
for truth Is never permitted to hamper the
flncy OF chairman of a Democratic Convcn-
ton. We have no hesitation in saying that
these two sentences, as they stand, are just as
pretty "a they can be.
Dropping arboricultrre at this point, he
plunges into Scripture. owe are assembled
he says, go thank Got and take courage. Ike
Paul at the Three Taycrns." Could there be
happier use Of ianguagcl Few orators wopld
have lad the holiness TO draw from thc life
of the great Apostle TO the Gcnti,cs a p9rallal
for Demcci9fc Convention Spccr did il.
SEEING upon the only passage in the life Of
ST. Peal after he had ceased prosecuting th,
saints which could furnish the parallel NE
desired, he tolls them they are assembled to
take courage like Paul ut the Three Taycr1,s."
This Is the inspiration of genius. Speer is
evidently equally familiar with the life of ST.
Paul ana the habits of the Democratic party.
Had he put ths part of his speech IN the form of
Il eonundrum, thus" Why is the Democratic
party Ike st. Paul p"-he would have STAG
g2r, 'ne whole Convention. Probably no Dem
| ocrat in Ohio could have guessed it, And vet
the answer is simple and easy enough to aIy
one who remembers that Paul took courage -
at "Three Tavcrns.' For it is at "Thrce
Taverns"-m0rc or less. but usually more
that the Democracy are in the habit of " tax
ing courage" IL Ia not, to be sure, q VERY
lasting courage, but it lasts at least through
the Convention. No doubt a majority OF the
delegates whom Spocr addressed had already
taken courage" at three or more tayerns in
Columbus. And had done it, too, without the
remotest notion that they were initiating ST.
Il, n ;cI,;
speech and IN illustration at once eloquent and
unique.
Skipping then with the case and grace Of a
prac,ised orator from the New Testament to
the Old, Speer likcns the Democracy TO The
Chosen People. Though years in the wilder
ness he says, "the true Democracy. Ike
the children of Israel, finds water in the
rocks and mamma on tho ground And they
do indeed waite for which they have no use.
and mama that they heap up in their greed
with the same result AZ followed the accumu-
lation of an oyer-surply by the I~lacites.
But they are very like the Israoli.cs in other
partculars-as for ms ance in thcis lonyin.
for flesh pots, their everlasting gIurlblirg. and
in the oiil GIilar and solemn circumstance that
none of this generation v ii, ever reach inc
Promised Land. Surely no man was ever so
happy IL his illustrations as Svctr. Having
exhausted the resources Of the Old and NcT
TcStamcn'3 Tor anal0gies, he strides into
profane history and proceeds to tumble
tf"' " barclootcd democrat. Socrates the
81 .ime,' into The tunuliuous torrent
OF hi discourse. When Socrates the
SUI me, blrciootcd democrat" he saws,
"procaimod the doctrine thai the king was
no -rc,ter than his subjects, Athens gave
him hemlock, but the doctrine liyed.n With
OFT being able 10 perceive the precise ,cl..-
ylncy OF ths aiusiou, we can still see that il
was good thing to ring inn Socrates on
thc Convention, and that the speech would
hay lacked completeness without it. Is it
any wonder that after this address the Con-
vcution resolved that "thc humantics are
non partisan" and that commission shculd
be appointed to revise the tariff! II seems
likely that nothing in particular Will come of
the Convention; but however that NAV be. the
literature OF the period has been enriched bv
Specrs beautiful speech, and that is Of itself
ample compensation for the defeat OF the
ticket.
To REPUBLICAN, MELBEHS OF THE LEGIS-
LATURE.