The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-14
THE SPEECHES.
Senator Bayard's Response to the Toast,
"Our Country"
senator,

sour Country"
CHICAGO, April Ex-senator Bayard, of Del.
aware, in response TO the toast, "Our Coun-
try" after paying compliment to the city OF
Chicago and the company assembled, and
summarizing the greatness of the nation and
its records, said:
Standing thus upon the highlands OF vision,
realizing the material forces placed in our care,
how important, how dignified, become the duties
of each American citizen, how vast the interests
committed to his charge; for We cannot disguise
the presence, nor lessen the weight upon the
members OF democratic republic of individual
as well as collective responsibilities to admins
ter well and wisely so great an empire, so vast a
body OF human Interests; and the soul of our
country Is the spirit of justice and liberty, find
ing expression under equal laws, for the preser-
vation of which the written constitution of our
Union was ordained and the free institutions of
our government founded. Left free and
unfettered to proclaim and exert them
selves, the intelligence and faculties
of mankind have indicated by their
results in this country the wisdom of non-inter-
ference by the government, either to assist or
obstruct the exercise of Individual effort or
faculty under the regulation of equal laws in
just such a mode and direction as the possession
OF conscious power and inclination by the indi-
vidual should instruct Hence we have seen in
America the children of adversity and poverty
growing strong in their contest with circum-
stances which elsewhere would have proved an
nsuperabe bar, bu5 under the equity of our
American system become guides and instruc-
tors to success, tests for growing abilities, and
announcements to high and honorable aspira-
tions, The enduring greatness of our country
is founded upon what is really elevated and
great i'll the minds and hearts of our people.
have Embarked our 0fss hopes on' on rust
and not upon distrust in human
nature; upon what it contains of strength and
worth, and not upon its weakness and depray-
ity; upon The belief that the instinct of self
preservation, left free to recol from natural and
necessary errors and Mistakes will not repeat
them, and that with free and recurrent oppOrtu
mites for popular elections, misconduct in rulers
and mistakes in public policies can and will be
corrected and remedied under peaceful, orderly
and effective forms OF law And can we be mis-
taken in the present indications, manifest and
abundant, that we are soon TO witness in the
election of18s4 a splendid and potential proof
of wisdom and power to redress grievances, re-
form unwise policies, rebuke corruption, and
purify and strengthen popular institutions by
driving out OF the temple of our liberties the
mercenary and machine politicians who have
betrayed popular trust and disgraced and de-
graded the administration Of our government?
Gentlemen the era which includes our lifetime is
one of remarkable forms of combination, of
results of invention, in the production of ma
teral wealth reaped, and of facie distribution
of that wealth, and the bringing OF the whole
world into such close and intimate relations that
the former conditions of human intercourse are
changed and the problems are bewldering in
number and Importance. As presented to our
view, time and space are no longer Qbstructions
to the worlds intercourse. The telephone has
already brought the lips of New York close
against tue ear VI OHIcdRO, anu 10 glrul6 tno
earth in forty minutes" would be to-day an un-
pardon able waste OF time Never in human his
tory was the creation of material wealth so easy
and marveously abundant. Its consolidation
under the forms of interpretations is creating
vast units Of power, which result in monopolies
and absorb and overthrow individual and inde-
pendent rivaries Herein are dangers it will
behoove us gravely to contemplate, and con-
slider what forces shall be summoned to counter
act them.
A SERIES OF coNUNDRUMs.
The great question which attends this crea-
tion of wealth is, "What will we do with iti'
Are we to be content with making this land Of
ours one great wealth-factory9 Is that the be-all