Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-10-18
STRIKING SPEECH OF HENRY WARD
BEECHER

Rev. Henry Ward Beecher made the
principal speech at the great Cleveland
meeting at the New York Academy of
Music Wednesday evening, held under the
auspices Of committees from the various
business exchanges that city. Mr. Beech
ers speech, which was Interrupted at the
end Of almost every senteucc by prolonged
applause or loud laughter, vas reported as
follows in the New York Timcs:
"You may ask why am here | thik
there hiss been no great movement IN my
country for the last 40 years-no great
movement which went down 10 she ground
work of principle that have not, accord
ing to the measure of my strength, had part
and lot in. I became au abolitionist the
moment | was born. 1t grew with my
strength. My earliest worl; outside OK my
professional work was n the anti slavery
cause.
s'Mine was the honor Of working in a
time when the question was not slavery or
no slavery, but whether III this land 4 inau
might hold his opinions on one side or the
other of that question and argue thcm be
fore the communty-in other words, ii was
q question of free speech. | am not unac-
uuainted with the quality OF eggs. was Il
Henry Clay Whig l drank in his views.
| advocated him but when | found that
the old whig party went do"n on its knees
before the Moloch OF slavery | would not
20 down. | should have been perfectly
willing to have gone over then 10 the dem
ocratic party, but they were ali on their
bellies.
Then came conflict, and in that conflict
the number of those that gathered them
selves together for principle and swore IN
for the war was not nearly so great as to-
dav is the number of Independent repubi.
cans. 1t was Il little cloud, | may say, but
it was on the question Of black and white
in those days-no bigger than mans
hand-but it rose on the horizon and spread,
and the thunder of God Almighty WAS u
that cloud 1t was not long before they he
gan to make themselves felt on the Buffalo
platform, and subsequently on the tentative
platforms of the republican party, and the
whig party, the moment it ceased to havcthe
power to serve the country, went under.
Stiff, corrupt, and unable to adapt them
selves to new questions, they went ander,
and became the fertilizer o! II new party.
Things that have happened once may
happen twice. You may depend upon IL,
gentlemen, that this matter oI revolt Oh the
part Of independent republicans is neither
caprice nor d whim. 1t is a life long bust
ness that we have undertaken. New York
may not go as she ought 10 go. But We Shall
90 as we ought to CO. and stay as we ought TO
stay. We are willing to hold IN the arms
of any Moses that will lead us against the
Cananites, the Invites. and the Jebustrs.
If this election goes wrong, we are not
going wrong. We are not going under; we
have come to stay.
"An English prime minister said years
ago, In the long run, England will always
go with the dissenters' conscienceS,' and
say to. day of any compact body OF iEicill-
gent men who have conscences and are
willing to use them that in the long run
this country will 90 with intelligent con-
sciences. Well, I am not here .cnight seek.
ing any office. | certainly am not here
seeking any renowD. suppose you read
the morning papers? Well. you certainly
have no chance 70 read my mails or 1t
might augment your ideas of the nastineSs
of mankind. am not here in the expecta-
ton of lining seat for any sor; of nine.
hold no bonds nor land grants. am here
simply as citizen, an old man, al u time
of life when most men choose 10 retire iulo
quiet. But as long "a my country or the
administration of its government Is imper-
lied | will know no quiet. = voice: 'fnaak
God for that Times are coming when
men will be glad to thank God for any
thing, if Blaine is in it.
when | was invited hy these associate
clubs to speak in Wall street from the step.
of the sub-treasurv l declined, saying that
did net intend, except in my own city, to go
into this canvass When this meeting was
appointed, and l was again requested 10 be
present and make remarks, declued, but as
soon as heard how Ohio had gone came.
If any man is discouraged by that vote we
don't want him. When Joshua was 10 so
against an adversary with his $4,000 men, |
think it was, more or less and the other SIDE
was $50 900 strong, the Lord told him to tell
everybody that was afraid, or had q wife and
children at home whom he wanted to see, TO
so. The result was that they went TIL
Joshua had only 1000 When the Lord
looked over those he said, ct is too many"
and he put them through a baptismal test
and 800 were all that remained. Bn: they
were men that had lamps in the pitchers.
The pitchers were empty. but the lamps
were bright. and 800 men were enough to
overcome 10000. Men that mean some
thing, that count reproach as q compliment
men that would rather die than give up
in any right cause-those are the men we
want.
II am not here tonight to speak disparag-
ing words of Mr. Blaine. In his private life
and person I believe him to be most
amiable gentleman, of courteous demeanor,
of generous heart aud an open hand.
Roars of laughter. am not here to prove
upon him the unspeakable falsehoods that
have been charged. Finance has not been
my study. leave to you that know more
than do whether the series ofletters which
he wrote and which were written to him
evidently in the natural course of business
whether they present to your minds the
portrait of a simple, honest, Jefferson like,
Madison-like, statesman. Cries OF No, no u
According to the feeble lights which have
| cannot but feel that he did use his infu-