Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-08-19
CARL SCHURZ ON BLAINE.
sCORD OF THE PLUMED KNIGHT.

RECORD OF THE PLUMED KNIGHT.
WHY BLAINE'S ELECTION WOULD MEAN COR
RUPTION IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COR
| CITIZEN.
The Independent Republicans of Brooklyn
held a mass-meeting in the Grand Opera.
House Tuesday night. The place was
| crowded. The platform was occupied by a
number of prominent Independents. The
principal speech of the evening was made
by Carl Schurz.
After reading several of the Mulligan let
ters and reviewing Mr.. Blaine's record and
| the defence made for him in the matter of
those transactions, Mr.. Schurz said:
If you want to know what the result of
Mr.. Blaine's election would be stop and OBJ
serve what the result of'his mere nomina-
tion already has been. What do you see
Men high in standing who but yesterday
were shocked at such things as Mr.. Blaine
has done, who thought that the people
would and ought to brand them with their
emphatic disapproval, now meekly apologize
ing for the same things and dismissing them
as little eccentUcities of genius. Nay, some
of them grow fairly facetious at the EsPhar-
isees," or "saints," or s'dudes,'' Or ssgentle
hermits," who denounce corruption to-day
as they themselves denounced it yesterday.
Indeed, "Pharisees' and s'saints.'' What,
then, are the strange and dextravagant things
which these Pharisees and saints demand,
and which, after Mr.. Blaine's nomination
have suddenly become so ridiculous? Do
they ask that candidate for the presidency
should be the ideal man and the embodiment
of all the human virtues? That he should
part his hair in the middle and wear laven-
der gloves? No, not that But these strange
creatures, these "Pharisees" and s'dudes, :"
insist that man, to be elected President
of the United States, should be man of
| integrity; that he should have just sense
of official honor; that he should not be one
with a record of prostituted official power,
such as the Mulligan letters and the investi-
cation show, upon his back. That is ALL
Why, how ridiculous this is, to be sure.
Have you ever heard anything so outland-
ish?
Well, fellow-citizens, when you see grave
men, men of public standing, suddenly dis
posed to laugh at other men who to-day re-
fuse to honor bad practices which yesterday
they all in common condemned, it is not al
together amusing. It is rather serious
symptom of the moral effect Mr.. Blaine
mere nomination has already produced. But
it is only one of many. The Republican
party once proudly and justly called itself
the party of moral ideas. Where are those
moral ideas now? What is the answer of
the Thoroughbred partisan when you re-
mind him of ''the party Of moral ideas" OF
the past and point at the record of his can
didate? "Hang moral ideas, we are for the
party" And he will tell you further that
whatever may become of your moral ideas,
you are in honor bound to be for the party
too. The Republican party was party OF
freemen and volunteers. From the Wings
and from the Democrats they came, proud
of having cut their party ties, and they
gathered around the anti-slavery banner, for
this they thought the cause of right. And
now the spokesman of the same party tell
you that he who opposes the candidates OF
his party because he conscientiously believes
it WRONG to support them commits a dis
honorable act.
THE DUTY OF THE CITIZEN.
As member of party do not cease to
| be a citizen. Under all circumstances the
duties which owe as citizen to my coun-
try are superior to the duties which / can
possibly owe to any party. When | go as
delegate to party convention, consult
with others as to what may be best for par
ty action. When as a voter l go to the polls,
l consult my own conscience about what is
best for the country's welfare. And if ]
conscientiously find that what the party de-
mands is not ffor the good of the country,
then it is not only my right but my duty as
a citizen to vote against it. Who will gain.
say this But now we are told not only
that delegate to convention has no right
to oppose his party nomination, but an or
dinary member of the party is by his honor
forbidden to do so. A new code of political
honor is invented which forbids us to be
honest. There was an outcry once in this
country against the English principle,
"Once subject, always a subject" Ii
seems the Blaine party wants to improve
upon this by the proclamation, "Once a par
ty member, always a party slave" AND
what is worse, we see men who know thai
all we say is true, and who but yesterday
said it themselves, stife their conscience ano
wear the badge of that slavery.
| But that is not all the mere nomination OF
Mr.. Blaine has already accomplished. AS
it is tainting the present, SO it is defillng the
past. How often have you had to read and
to hear these days that, as MIR. Blaine is
pursued with charges and abuse, so were
Washington and Lincoln pursued, and that
between these three there is really little diff
ference? What comparison. 1t is true
that Washington was called by his enemies
a monarchist and Lincoln a babboon. But
we cannot learn that either of them found
it necessary to defend himself against the
imputation. If the friends of Mr.. Blaine
want to establish real parallel between
him and them they should carefully examine
Washington's and Lincoln's private cores
pondence. Among Washington's letters
they would have to find one somewhat like
this:
HEADQUARTERS OF THE
CONTINENTAL ARMY.
To W. Fisher, Esq, Aamy Contractor:
My Dear Mr.. Fisher,-You offer to admit
me to participation in your beef contract
is very generous. Accept my thanks. But
1 want more. You spoke of your FRIEND
Caldwell, who has the flour contract, as
willing to dispose of share of bis interest
to me. wish he would make the PROPOSE
ton definite. Tell him that feel L shall
not prove dead-head in the enterprise.
see varions channels in which know car
be useful. Sincerely your friend.
| GEORGE WASHINGTON.
P. SIN looking over my order-bo
find that when Mr.. Caldwell delivered the
last lot of -four there was some irregularity
| ,1,b;ob ;pduood tha cornmissarv of the army