The Republican journal., 1882-01-12

Garf1eld's Advice to Young Men.
EXTRACT FROM THE LAST POLITICAL SPEECH DE-
LIvERED BY HIM IN OHIO
Now, tell you, young man, don't vote
the Republican ticket. just because your
father votes it. Don't vote the Demo-
cratic ticket even if he does vote it. But
let me give you this one word of advice
as you are about to pitch your tent in one
of the great political camps. Your life
is full and buoyant with hope now, and
l beg you, when you pitch your tent,
pitch it among the living and not among
the dead If you are at all inclined to
pitch it among the Democratic people
and with that party, let me go with
you for a moment while we survey the
ground where l hope you will not shortly
lie. 1t is a sad place, Young man, tor
you to put your young life into. 1t is to
me far more like graveyard than like a
camp for the living. Look at it. 1t is
beloved all over with the graves of dead
issues, of buried opinions, of exploded
theories, of disgraced doctrines. You can
not live in comfort in such place. Why
look here, Here is a little double mound.
look down on it and read, Sacred 10
the memory of squatter sovereignty and
the bred Scott decision" A million and
a half of Democrats voted for that, but
it has been dead fifteen years-died by
the hands of Abraham Lincoln, and here
it lies. Young man, this is not the place
for you.
But look a little further. Here is
another monument, black tomb, and
beside it, as our distinguished friend said,
towers to the sky a monument OF four mil
lions pairs of human letters taken from
the arms of slaves, and read on its lit
tie headStone this: Sacred to the mem
DRY of Human Slavery" For forty years
of its infamous life the Democratic party
taught that it was divine-God's iustitu-
ton. They detendedit, they stood around
it, they followed it to its grave as a
mourner. But here it lies, dead by the
hand of Abraham Lincoln. Dead by the
power Of the Republican party, Dead by
the justice of Almighty God. Don't camp
there young man.
But here is another little birthstone
tomb, and read across its yellow face,
IN lurid, bloody lines, these words: ''Sa-
cred to the memory of State Sovereignty
and Secession" Twelve millions OF Dem
ocrats mustered around it in arms to keep
it alive; but here it lies, shot to death by
the million guns of the Republic. Here
it lies, its shrine burned to ashes under
the blazing ratters of the burning Conted-
eracy. 1t is dead | would not have
you stay in there a minute, even in this
balmy night air, to look at such place.
But just before | leave it | discover a
10 H. els.
The grass has hardly sprouted oven it,
and all around it see torn pieces Of
paper, with the word fat on them, and
| look down in curiosity wondering what
the little grave is, and | read on it.
"Sacred to the memory of the Rag Baby.
Nursed in the brain of all the fanatic.sm
of the world; rocked by Thomas Ewing,
George H. Pendleton, Samuel F. Carey,
and few others throughout the land :"
But it died on the LIST Of January, 1879,
and the one hundred and forty millions
of gold that God made, and NOT fiat
power, lie upon its little carcass to keep
it down forever
Oh, young man, come ont Of that :,
That is no place in which TO put your
young life. Come out, and come over
into this camp of liberty, of order of law,
of justice, of freedom, of all that is glori-
Gus under these night stars.
Is there any death here in our camp
Yes. yes. Three hundred and fifty thou
sand soldiers, the noblest band that ever
trod the earth, died to make this camp a
camp Of glory and Of liberty forever
But there are no dead Issues here
There are no dead ideas here. Hang out
our banner from under the blue SKY tlis
night until it shall sweep the green turf
under your feet 1t hangs over our camp.
Read away up under the stars the in
scription we have written on it. 10. these
twenty-five years.
Twenty five Years ago the Republican
party was married to liberty, and this is
our silver wedding, fellow citizens A
worthily married couple love each other
better on the day Of tneir silver wedding
than on the day of their first espousaIs /;
and we are truer to liberty to-day and
dearer to God than we We're when We
spoke our first word of liberty. Read
away up under the sky across our starry
banner, the first word we uttered twenty
five years ago. What was it Slavery
shall never extend over another foot Of
the territories Of the Great West" Is
that dead or alive? Alive, thank God,
forevermore. And truer tonight than
it was the hour it was written. Then it
was hope, promise, purpose. To
night it is equal with the stars-immor-
tai history and immortal truth.
Come down the glorious steps of our
banner. Every great record we have
made we have vindicated with our blood
and with our truth. 1t sw eeps the ground
and it touches the stars Come there,
Young man, and put in your young life
where all is living, and where nothing is
dead but the heroes that defended it.. |
think these young men will do that.