Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-03-08
Ben Butler on George Wsshlnrtop,

I
We have been requested to give the
substance OF Ben. Buffers speech At q
banquet given at Boston on the 22d OF
February. Butler discussed Washington
In his characteristic manner. We give
below the salient points OF his speech,
Their. were none OF as here" he said.
"who do not view him with a reverence
that In earlier times was given dema.
gogue. There is no virtue that has not
been ascribed to him; there is, In fact.
no virtue he did not possess. He has been
so far removed from us by the high ped.
estai upon which his virtues and his
great goodness had elevated him that the
American people have almost feared to
love him as they love the great father Of
DEMOCRACY. Thomas Jefferson. ZAP
plause. The most virulent Of all Iiarty
spirit followed Jefferson. 40 that we have
learned 70 love him more than to revere
him. as We have rrvered Washington. I
sy npathixe with Theodore Parker, who
said he thanked God that he had learned
that Washington sometimes sworr. He
didn't like to revere him too much M q
saint. Democrats have right IN cple-
brate equally the birthdays OF jefferson
and Washington. Il was our father, the
Democracy, which fought the Revolu-
tionary war. They were not rich. Take
out John Hancock. Ben Franklin,
Charles Carroll and George Washington.
and the united fortunes of all the rest OF
the signers of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. would hardly have sufficed to
pay the hoard bills of the convention
laughter. But they stood by their
country in the hour of oppression. and
Washington Joined the Democracy at
that time and became part OF US and
one of us. He led the forces, the
Democratic forces Of Virginia, speaking
now in political sense. and in all the
tributes paid to Washington there is no
higher. no better, no more analytical and
no more appreoiative one than that given
by Jefferson Of his character, so familiar
to everybody. True, in after life, Jeffer-
son and Washington differed politically.
Washington was swayed by hamilton to
adopt in some degrees the theory of king.
ly government, while TO that the apostle
OF freedom, Thomas Jefferson, stood OPP
posed, and stood like rock against all
the seductions of place and power, until
the people gave him the highest position.
Washington did not, however, alto
gether escape caiumny. He was very
much calumniated by his Attorney Cen
eral, Edmund Randolph, for locating the
seat of government in the District of
Columbia, where he did. Randolph
wrote pamphlet about it. charging
that the whole thing was job. WASH
iugton was at the breakfast table when
phlet. He brought his fist down upon
III h.. &n, all
saucers dance, and said: Yes, using
a very hard adjective-"I have, and he
is the--"-using another hard adjec.
tive-"liar that ever hew". Laughter
and applause. And so say with Parker
that am glad to know that Washington
was human. Laughter.
We have another object of contemplaI
ton, and that is the difference of the
country in which Washington presided. A
little line Of settlements from Georgia to
Maine, occasionally an outpost into
Western Pennsylvania or up toward the
great lakes was all the country that
Washington practically saw, or. perhaps,
prophetically saw. He did not know
that the Mississippi river, the mouth of
which was then in the hands OF foreign
government, might at any times shut his
country within those boundaries only 81
600, 900 Of people. Whose was the genius
after Washington that practically solved
the difficulty that prophetically saw the
extent of this country and had the power
and tho will to do the act which made us
the nation that We are now, of so. 900, 900
people, extending from ocean to oceanp
The apostle of Democracy. Thorn
as Jefferson, who purchased Louisiana
and gained control of the Mississippi
river [applause]; and while we, the De.
mocracy, honor Washington for all he
did, for his steadfastness in war. for his
moderation in peace, for all the great
qualities he exhibited, we love Thomas
jefferson because he foresaw all that we
are and made us what we are. [Great
applause.