The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-10-26
BUSINESS GISDOM.
Speech of Mr.. NJ. ID. Harter, of
Mansfield.
In Which He Clearly Defines the Issues
That are Now Pending Between
Capital and Labor.

having been asked to address you upon
the political questions now engaging
the attention of Intelligent people every
where. These annual seasons of pOliti-
cal activity and enquiry are of great
Val1e to us, and however tired we may
be Of listening to almost endless
speeches, however wearied and disgust
ed with personal and continued discus
sion, the net result of them is to the
country unmixed good. How many of
us would give one day out of the entire
365 to an Investigation of the principles
upon which our civil fabric has been
reared, OF which of us would give even
an hour to looking into the shOrtcOming
of those in authority, if the annual cleo
tiOns did not call US into a state of pO-
litical activity and patriotic INTEREST,"
These elections are therefore the cause
of twO-fOld good. 1st. They educate,
worthy people say, "Keep your hands off
of politics." and only short time ago a
most highly esteemed friend said, None
bathe in the muddy pool of politics with
out sOiling themselves" and these senti-
ments are entertained and innOcently
uttered by some most excellent people
in our midst, but they are nevertheless
injurious and dangerous, for even under
a despOtic form of government political
intelligence amongst the people pro-
duces moderation, and places whole
some restrictions upon that government,
and In government like ours, which Is
"Of the people and for the people" intel
ligence and active interest, indeed eter-
nal vigilance is the price of good gov
ernment and the bOunden duty of the
citizen. The man therefore who fails to
do his duty actively in politics Is not
good citizen, and If friend to his cOun-
try at all Is either very Ignorant or a
lukeWarm one. Suffrage is great duty
as we'll as a great privilege, the ballot
does as much in this country as the bull
let does in some others, and the man
who casts it thOughtlessly and aimless-
ly is little less criminal than he who
would come into this company and fire
his gun at random. There is no doubt
that our form of government is the best
so long as it is jealously guarded at the
ballot box, 80 long as the voter feels his
responsibility as we'll as his power but
it is equally true that it is one of the
worst whom votes are directed by preju-
dice and guided by Ignorance. l plead
therefore for reason and Judgment, not
for prejudice; do nOtcOndemn until you
have heard, do not decide until you have
both weighed and measured. In nothing
perhaps is prejudice so powerful a factor
as in politics, and nowhere should II be
so conspicuous for its absence. The Re-
publican feels that the Democrat must
be the enemy of his country, because
the Democratic party organization in
1861, and during part of the great strug-
gle for the Union opposed many of the
measures of the party in power, bnt he
should remember that the blood of Dem
ocrats crimsOned every field of conflict,
that it mingled with and ran in the
same red stream which poured from Re-
publican veins; that in winter and in
summer, by day and by night, amidst
the rattle of musketry and the roar of
artillery the Democrat barred his breast
to the foe and rushed forward into the
jaws of death, shoulder to shoulder with
his Republican comrades, and to-day the
flags with which you on last Decoration
day marked the resting places of our
gallant dead, wave over the ashes of
many heroes who voted the ticket of
Democracy. l am almost led to say that
the man should be damned by his neigh
bOrs, and that his tongue should cleave
to the roof of his mouth, who attempts
to brand as dislOyal those who differ
with him upon the proper conduct of
the affairs of government. To such men
let me recall the history of the Mexican
war, when the Wing party, the nursing
hOarse in appreciation of Mr.. COrwin,
when he declared, "If l were Mexican
| would welcome you with bloody hands
to hOspitable graves" 1 do not forget
that our armies were then full of brave
men who gave ALI glance to the Wing
party, and that every battlefield attest
ed their bravery, nor do l forget that
among the hOnOred men who yetremain
with us, their missing arms and manned
bodies bearing silent, but eloquent testi-
mOny to their deeds upon the field, no
small proportion of them were Wings
Their and Republicans now. Let us
therefore cast aside prejudice, let us
look upon those who differ with US as
patriotic men, who wish
heir country well, and who love its in
5titutiOns and glory in its past, and are
to sacrifice as much for its
present and its future as we are. Do not
Judge men wholly by their faults, and
look upon party as you do upon an in
lividual, have charity where it is need
ed, make due allowance for untOward
and judge it by rules and
not by exceptions.
1t seems to me no time could be more
favorable for this than the present, for
with glorious harvest, insuring COM
fort and plenty, with peace at home and
tDIOdu we C6Ibdlu1y are Wn6I6 we ought
to be able and willing to listen gladly
TO and weigh fairly what each of the
two great parties present; and while we
10 this let us be thankful that there are
TWO great parties in this land of ours,
for If we had but one ruin of our gov
and the destruction of our in
'titutiOns through its rOttenness and
would only be a question of
lime, and of very short time, too. Re-
my friend, therefore, though
you be a Republican that you have cause
for rejoicing that there is such a thing
as the Democratic party, and you ought
to thank it for the unceasing vigilance
It maintains, and be grateful to it for
and exposing the dark spots
On your own party banner and the cor
ruptiOn which long hold upon power
has developed among you. With little
good humOred dose of medicine, which
[ hope you will swallow cheerfully, we
" II seen he among the issues OF the
lay. This dose will be wholesome. You
should have greater respect for the
Democratic party my Republican friends.
You are too apt to look down upon it as
of the least wealth, the least
the least honest and the least