Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-10-08
The speech.

| picturesque. 1 should insult your intelli-
| gence and discredit my own ii / should per
| petrate the conceit OF attempting 10 over
reach your credulity with the pretense that
there is crisis. There is no crisis. Dan
gers there are, indeed, ss alWeyb; Tor, amid
the prevailing inceftitnde and indifference,
the absence Of organized conviction indicates
rank, unwholesome growth, which, while
giving show OF current prosperity, is calcu-
lated TO deceive the short sighted, superficial
observer. Our body polite, however, is not
going TO the dogs. 1t has At least escaped
the dogs of war. 0or national unity is
stronger tkan ever it was. Among
the people there are no longer any Gfepres-
sible conflicts. Peace pervades the States
and the actions which compose our Federal
fabric. The war is over, and the issues that
begat it are settled irreyocably and forever.
Slavery is not more thought OF or regretted in
the South Than In the North; and secession
raises smile even in its very hsnnts. The
fTictiens and collisions growing out of the
war haye passed into history. Our govern
ment has survived the deluge. Unsheken
and untsrnished, our Constitutional system
has emerged from an era of mischeivous
theory, which, beginning with false notions Of
reconstruction TO end with illusory notions
OF finance, for long time threatened it. All
the while the people have got on, Soh1ehow,
in spite of their deraagoYues. And now,
with Gen. Butler as the Democratic stand
ard-bearer in Massachusetts, and Gen. Chal-
mers as the Republican standard-bearer in
Mississippi, surely the country is safe; it is
more than safe; because what those great
warriors and statesmen lack of making il SO,
we may confidently look TO see supplied by
Gen. Malone,
TIE DEVIL OF PARTY SPIRIT.
Mr.. Watterson then explained at length
his reasons for being a Democrat. AS to
what be called the Devil of party spirit" he
said' I am afraid of too long domination
OF any party. L saw how that was and what
it means under conditions favoring my parti-
san prejudices and predictions. l saw a
noble party, like 4 noble ship, full-rigged
and carrying The ensign of the Republic, sail
out upon the broad, open waters of Ameri-
can politics. The mission of this party was
human freedom and national development.
1t was the defender of the constitution. 1t
was the friend of The onion. II was the
enemy of close corporations, class legislation,
patricianism, oligarchism and sumptusry
laws. 1t was for honest money, home-rule
and free-trade. Ii was the party of progress
and national honor. L; represented the as
pirations and needs of the people 1t
grew and grew and grew in popularity
and power At last ii elected It's National
ticket by the votes of all the States
except four, and returned to power
after a brief interval upon pledges
which constituted the issue of the campaign
which it had won by such an amazing ma
jority. / saw this great party disregard
those pledges, yet still retain its power. /
saw il, maddened by the arrogance of success,
abandon its hottest principles. 1 saw it
throw over the doctrines of Jefferson and the
precepts of Jackson. | saw it become the
organ of oligarchism, the advocate OF
slavery, the promoter Of a weak, costly,
splendid and corrupt government. Aud,
finally, / saw it so powerful that it was able
to make lis exit from power-which had
only been brought about by division in it's
own ranks-the signal for the greatest and
most useless war of modern times. / saw all
this. l was victim 10 it, for l loved the
Union and hated slavery, and yet, With
thousands of other young men of the
time, l was borne down 10 the vor-
tex and made-not by Democratic
principles or traditions, but by irresistible
conditions created by the devil of party
spirit-to raise sacrilegious hand against
The flag and the honor Of my country.
Thank God, l am here tonight TO confess it,
and thank God / can say, with full heart,
standing upon soil which, when Virginia
gave it to the Union, she stipulated should
than yours, and that though you, who have
never parted from it, may prizs it, ], who
know what it is 10 be an exile and an alien
10 my own land, love it, and would willingly
defend it with my life.
WARNING TO YOUNG REPUBLICANS.
warn the young Republicans, said Mr..
w attersop, OF the present generation by the
fate that befell the young Democrats of the
last. They were brought up TO look upon
the Republican party as the light of the
world. In their eyes it aboli- he'd slavery, it
restored the Union and it saved the public
credit. l shall not stop 10 question these
claims or to consider how far any one OF them
may be qualified or abridged. The Repub-
licsn party came when it was called. Origin
ally an inspiration and a enthusiastically
more than an emotion, though generous
aud good emotion-there came to it au OPP
which the eminent and astule
men who led it we're not slow to see
and seize. The folly of the Democratic
party laid the foundation, as il has since
made the fortune, of the Republican party.
The repeal of the Missouri compromise
anticipating the guns which opened upon
Sumter, gave the cue to the Republican
chiefs. The Democratic party had, in a
manner, laid aside the garments of Jefferson
and Jackson. The Republican leaders
picked them up, put them on and appealed,
not in vain, to the people to vindicate the
principles of liberty and Union which they
symbolized. There were Lincoln and Seward
and Chase and Summer and Greeley, and 4
host OF able aud true men,. Why, the Re-
publican platform of 1860 contains as good
Jeffersonian doctrine as may be found, and,
by few verbal alterations, might be adopted
by Democrats as a protest against the pro-
ceedings of the Republicans during the whole
period OF reconstruction. But, pardon me,
do not mean to go into ancient history.
THE NEW SLAVERY.
After reviewing Republican shortcomings
and giving a record of the history of class
legislation and explaining what he called
the Republican tendency, Mr.. Wstterson
passed 10 the consideration of the tariff. He
said:
do not mean 10 enter upon long snd
wearisome discussion of the tariff. There
is one among you who has brought its wan
ton hypocrisy and its vicious features to your
familiar knowledge more pointedly and more
LUMINOSITY than l can hope to do. / a u
speaking the rather of collective forces, az
they apply in their general forms and rela-
lions 10 the business and bosoms of men, and
of political tendencies as they take their
rise and impetus in party organization. The
tendency of the Republican policy is moi
only to enable few favorite classes TO build
up disproportioned fortunes, but it has by its
subserviency to the power OF money, its
trucking to corporations and its disregard OF
the simple precepts on which its fathers
founded il, done not a little to enervate
American man kood and break down the
spirit of fraternity among the people. 1t has
quite forgotten the homely wisdom OF the
couplet, once quoted SO forcibly aud so apo
sitely by Mr. Seward, when speaking of the
degrading influences and oligarchic character
of slavery, he said with a soiemnity that
gave prophetic reach to the lines:
"m fares the land to hast'ning Ills q prey,
Were wealth accumulates and men decay"
African slavery has gone. The overseei
with his lash has gone. But the Republican
party is setting up a neW sidreIy. 1t is slowly
but surely, transferring the seat of power
from the people to the politicians and the
capitalists, and preparing the way for grea
commercial empire and moneyed aristocracy
and a race of Medician princes masqueradins
as presidents of the United States. We hav,
already had a president who was beaten b.
a quarter of a million votes. Why may W,
not have, under the inspiration of money
and by the operation OF mechanical agencies
a succession of presidents representing thu
ruling principle of our political life?
1t is habit of the apostles of the new
slavery, who have design in all they sal
aud do, 10 belittle the Office of president, a
If il were mere 6gurehead. Yet, in hi
letter of acceptance, just Issued, every lin
and word of which we may be assured wer
deiberated and have their meaning and pur
pose, Judge Folger, the Presidents Secretsrl