Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1882-10-12
SYNOPSIS OF A SPEECH,
Delivered by Thomas B. Buckner, at
Sturgeon, No., Oct. z. 1889. "a.

The Democratic party is the party
of the people, by the people and for
the people. The Republican party
is the antithesis of the Democratic
party; it is the party of corporations
and office-holders-by corporations
and office-holders and for corpora
tions and office-holders. Democracy
is sentiment not to be appalled,, cor
rupted or compromised. 1t knows
no baseness it covers to no danger !;
it oppresses no weakness; it is de-
structiye of despotlsm it is the sole
conservator of liberty, law, labor and
property; it is the sentiment of equal
rights, of equal obligations, the very
law of nature itself pervading the
land" Modern Republicanism, as
shown in its legislative record, IS a
sentiment saturated with cowardice,
and is compromised and corrupted
by any agency that can give it mate
rial and or. strength. 1t oppresses
weakness to strengthen strength; it
is productive Of despotism; it is the
arch-eneny of liberty, property and
labor; it is the sentiment of equal
rights to none, equal obligations to
none, but special privileges to the rich
and powerful, building upa privileged
class at the expense Of the many,
The Republican party has now beer
on trial for over twenty years, and
we have its record before us. In thai
time We have seen our whole country
deluged in war and fratricidal strife
we have seen millions of propert,
taken from weak and unoffending cit
liens, without any compensation and
without any warrant of law; we hav,
seen whole states disfranchised ant
robbed of the right of local self
government, controlled aud pillaget
by imported carpet-baggers ant
standing armies; the soldiers swort
lifted over the people, while the i'm
ported carpet-bagger deprived then
'of their goods and wealth. We hav,
seen large and almost inexhaustibl,
rich and fertile public domain ruth
lessly given away to railroad corpora
tions, aggregating over one hundre'
and ninety-tive million acres of land
an area over three hundred and ninet,
times as great as the county of Audrain
I'VE have seen the public treasury pill
laged and plundered by federal off
cials. We have seen the most intimat
friend of the President on trial, an
in public sentiment convicted Q
treason against the government. W
have seen his confidential advisers o
trial for corruption in office. VIII
will ever forget the, Grant regime
surrounded by such satellites as Bal
cock, Belknap, Robeson, Joice, Nc
Kee and Mcdonald! We have see
panic after panic, the rich GROWN
richer, while millions of good, homes
hardworking citizens barely exc o.
an existence, or 60 about begin
bread. Whoever heard of a tram
before the Republican party came il
to power! Who will ever forget tt
strikes of 1872 sa-f , ~
We have seen the highest tribun
Of the land packed and filed up fl
no other purpose than to establis
! sorne political dogma, or carry TO
ward some party purpose. We ha'
. seen just once in that time a man il
: stalled into the chief mag,stry Of til
t republic whom the people had d
t feated at the polls, and the will
forty millions of people thereby set
2 asught. We have seen the most co
! .ispicuous figure in the great fraud
!, 1876 elected President, and that, to
f4