The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-07-24
THURMAN.
THE NOBLE OLD ROMAN MAKES A
SPEECH AT A RATIFICATION
MEETING.
Views on the Campaign and the
Necessity of a Change of
Administration.
The Republican Party Believes
the Government Belongs to
them by Perpetual Right.
Therefore it Should be Removed
From Power, According to
Den. Ocrat1c Principle.

OAAA - ONSAS W
Den. ocrat1c Principle.
ps
y. CINCINNATI, July 19.-About co.
people attended the democratic rati
cation meeting in Court street mark
space tonight. Mayor Stephens Or
sided and speeches were made /
Gov. Hoadly, Representative Gordol
l. Ger. n. Ryan and Emil Rothe.
f. AT COLUMBUS.
COLUMBUS, July 19-About soc
% people attended the democratic ratit
E. cation meeting in front of the Capi
n tol this evening. John E. Thompso
If presided and read letters from gentle
= men who had been invited to be pres
4 ent.
n Gov. Cleveland wrote: "Thank
O to you for words of encouragement
!. and assurances of hearty sup
e port. 1 ain convinced the demo
| cracy of Columbus and of the state O.
{ Ohio, is determined on complete OF
E ganization, which is absolutely essen
' tial to victory"
Gen. Durbin Ward wrote: "Re
3 grets; will be unable to attend the
; ratification meeting. 1 preferred
Thurman to all men for president,
and deeply regret his defeat. 1t was
due him and the honor of Ohio that
he should have had solid vote. For
that l have worked. Those who OPP
posed the popular will Of the party
weakened and defeated Thurman
by dividing the vote in favor of can
didate who has no following, whatever,
outside of his state. That was a
| h1rrndor
a crime, but we must condone all, and
heartily support Cleveland, the nom1-
nee. With Thurman, Ohio was safe
to the nominee. Let us work and
| hope to make it so for Cleveland.
The public welfare requires the defeat
of Blaine. Ohio must do her share
Let us bury personal dislikes and work
| for the cause" The latter words were
received with demonstrations of ap-
proval.
| Letters were also received from
Governor Hoadly, Secretary of State
| Newman and others.
Judge Thurman delivered the prin-
cipal speech of the evening, and was
| warmly greeted. He spoke substan-
TALLY as follows:
Mr.. president and fellow-citiZens-
| When l accepted the invitation to adj
dres you tonight it was my purpose
| to speak somewhat fully on the great
questions now under consideration by
the American people, but the last few
| days l have been suffering severely,
not with anything the matter with
my heart, or any feelings caused by
disappointment, or regret, but from
that which, old men. like myself. are
sometim eS subjected to-an attack OF
rheumtt ism-and the const quence
| is, am in NJ condl-
ton now to make anything
like an elaborate speech. However,
| if [ was in the lest possible condition,
l should occupy but small portion of
your time, for the reason there are
numerous speakers here, and some of
them from abroad, and 1t would be
but common civIlity to say nothing.
1t will be justice in me to occupy but
little time. 1 do not desire to de-
prive them of the privilege of being
heard, and, therefore, shall be very
brief in my remarks. l shall speak
civilly as has always been my habit IN
life to do. and shall not depart from SO
good habit tonight. I shall speak
civilly of our political opponents as
well as ourselves. We are at the out
set of most important political cam
paign which will decide whether the
reins of the government shall longer
continue in the hands of the republic
can party. 1 have never. in my life,
been so thoroughly convinced of the
truthfulness of what / shall say to-
night, as now am, that the spirit of
our institutions and the welfare of
our country demand that there shall
be a change of administration OF
our national affairs. (Applause.)
| in monarchal countries, their instltu-
lions prescribe where and when
man shall rule in unbroken perpetulty.
The central idea of democratic insti-
buttons is that power shall not long
rest in the hands of any one man, or
set of men. Hence, we have hmlta-
lions upon the power of officials whom
we choose. Your president is chosen
for four years. Although eligible
to reelection, yet the example
set by the father of our
country, who was reelected but once,
has never been broken down. To this
day there has never been but one
attempt to break it, and that was a
signal failure. Also, your senators in
congress are elected for limited terms,
and likewise your members OF
the house of representatives. The
officers composing your state gov
ernments are also elected for
limited terms. The same is true of
your members of the legis-
lature, city and township officials
Hence we see the central idea OF a
democratic form of government, IS to
prevent long continuance in office.
What is true in individuals is true OF
parties. No man believes more firmly
than I do in the great blessings that
have been bestowed, in times long
gone by, upon the country by the
honored democratic party. 1t was
the democratic party that added such
an immense territory to our country;
that added so much wealth to our
country: that disseminated its priE-
ciples throughout the length and
breadth of the land. But this all
finally came to an end. The republic
can party came into power at the out
breaking of the civil war, with the
apparently fixed determination to hold
1T as long as the sun shone and the
streams shall continue to flow. 1t is
bad thing for parties to remain so
long in power. 1t is not necessary
thew shall have bad motives; not nee
essary they shall be unpatr1otic or
corrupt in order to be turned out.
You may grant them honesty
and patriotism, yet a long
continuance in power brings
with it evils. In the first place, the
inevitable tendency to create rings
and leaders who, at last, from long
continued success, come to think the
government belongs to them, and be-
longs to them in perpetuity. Some
seem to think by divine right, and
) therefore any means is justiiable to
keep them in power. Look at our
history. Only few years back, in
1876, when Samuel J. Tllden was
elected president of the United States,
. he had a majoaity of the electoral
votes, and majority of the
popular votes, Governor Hendricks
was. at the same time, elected vice
6 president. A voice-and will be
elected again. / agree with you.
Laughter IF any two men were
ever elected in this country they were.
. Voice" Why didn't they keep it ?"
! Bacause they were defrauded out of it
! bv one of the most astrocious and
: blacklist of deeds, which blacken our
! free form of government. The lead
I ers of the republican party would
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