The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-09-27
A Rattllng Speech.

From a speech of ]. P. Doliver, (twenty-six
years Old, and at one time aresidentof Oak
laud.) Temporary Chairman Iowa Repub-
lican Convention.
Out of the abundance of my heart l
thank you for the honor. which your
favor has conferred upon me. III
builds up a mans political constltu-
tiOn to take front view of the fight
ing strength of the Republican party
of Iowa. If any Of you have friends
that are bothered with political dys-
pepSia, who find trouble in selecting
from the printed bill of fare of Re-
publican politics, l advise you to
bring them here and let them look
in the face of this magnificent assem-
bly,. Your conventions have always
been deliherative, your nominationS
representative, your campaigns p0tpees
lar, and your ballot-bOXes too full for
utterance of straight Republican tick-
cts. Consequently a Democrat has
not been seen on the streets of an
Iowa city after 8 o'clock on election
night for quarter Of a century. The
music of the telegraph Office has been
their annual elegy of grief. They
look upon bulletin board as an ene-
my of free government, and. accept
the first half of Franklin's maxim.
''early to bed," when the returns are
coming in.
The first act Of the Democratic par
ty is to file schedule in bankruptcy.
Already their property is out of their
own name. Their national standard
Is in the hands of a man whose name
is not disclosed by the Democratic
National record. Four years ago his
name could have prudently been used
as an alias, under which to travel in
cOgnitO all over the known world
outside of Buffalo. To elect him Pres
ident would be like lending money
to stranger on the train. 1t takes
the cheek of the Democratic mana
gers to play the whole American
people for suckers | thank God that
we belong to a party that saves the
crown Fits public honor for the brow
OF its actual leadership. With the
| Democratic party nominations are
made not so much to representing
the party as to diguise it. In its long
struggle for existence, the men who
nave made the history of the party
go to the wall 1t is the only party
that ever eXis ell W ose candidates
and platform never throw any light
whatever either on its management
or its faith. In fact, modern Demo.
Gratis of the practical school have no
creed except the oath of office.
All the important Democratic prin-
ciPles are unfit for use. They have
been left out in the field Just where
they were used last, with not even a
bunch of swamp grass thrown over
them, in sun and rain, until rot and
rust have done their fatal work. 1t
Is true they talk plously of the need
of reform, and with an inexcusabIe
libel accuse the integrity of the Re-
publican civil service. They work
their favOrite alluSion to the Augean
stables for all there is in it. These.
they assert, must he cleaned out. Yet
from the general appear nee of the
crowd that is on hand to do the busi-
ness, the average citizen is likely to
conclude that their intention is to
steal the fork rather than clean out
the barn.
II is true they pre-empt all sides of
the tariff question. They profess to
settle that issue by jargon of words
without precedent in the annals of
nonsense and confusion. You might
as well try to fit the hundred-headel
dog of the ancient fable with straw
hat as to place candid and intelli-
gible tariff platform under the feet of
the Democratic party. They ap-
proach that question and nearly every
other like man emptying hard coal
ashes in high wind, with their eyes
| shut and their backs to the subject.
Now and then you find Republic
can who enjoys the mOmentary i'm
pOrtance that belongs to the kicker
and the scratcher. The shortest road
to celebrity nowadays j. to advertise
your conscience IN the newspapers.
There are Republicans who treat
their conscience as if it were the stock
in trade Of baking powder factory.
They soIemnly protest everybody's
conscience has alum in it except
theirs. They adopt the doctrine of
Matthew Arnold, and insist that in
order to be safe the Nation must fur
nish the remnant with complimen-
tary tickets and front seat. They
would have the country govern itself
by the advice ofpersons whose names,
| if | hArna,xy ID ,.