Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1884-09-25
SPEECH OF THos. @. WEEKS

Dor statistics of the State of Mary.
iaad. spoke as follows
II have an Gliding faith in the in
telligeace and good horse sense of
the American citizen. fhavs a great
love and admiration tor a peoples
government and great hatred and
fear Of monarchies and what is called
governing class We are told to-
day that this contest on which we
are now entering is contest for the
spoils of Office; that there is no vital
principle involved that it is strug-
gle Of camp-followers, and Ben But
Ter, with wall-eye and btutonhole
bouquet, with an outrageous insolenoe
on common decency, is presented to
the American citizen as the embodi-
ment of all the virtues left to us in
this land, as the climax of the revolu.
tionary conflict and the progress
i've civilization of the American peo-
pie. believe that such PROPOSE
ton needs only to be stated to carry
with it its own refutation. Benjamin
f. Butler may have his own eye
closed by the discriminating hand of
nature, but neither Benjamin F. But
Ter nor any one like unto him, if such
there be, can shut up the eye of the
American people. Laughter and
cheering.
1.-THE time was, perhaps in the
worlds history when the few could
command and the many would obey
the time was when ignorance bowed
the neck to the yoke Of despotic con-
troll, but that time is not now, not
now, in this nineteenth century
Applause. We have more states
men now than we ever had before;
not the manufactured articles Of king
ly courts, not educated to the profess
sion in the cloister and the school,
but among the men who turn the red
soil in the furrow, who direct the fly
ing shuttle in the loom, who strike
the glowing iron at the forge. These
constitute the grand inquest, before
which is brought the acts of poten-
tates and parliaments and senates for
kual judgment. | have confidence
in that American spirit Of fairness
which always prompts us to hear both
sides of controversy. Applause.
/ do not believe in man who never
changes bis opiniops: be must siLAsg.
fool.
"The theories OF republicanism--
and | use the word in its generic
sense--were never tested on so wide
theatre of action as they are in this
land and those theories cannot be
Iihnractically applied by narrow minded
men. Neither, under these ScjircGm-
stances, can we expect that platform
can be written by any political party
which will in every particular satisfy
every idea that any citizen may en-
terrain. There is no room for petty
politics in the national affairs Of the
United States. There have been sep
arate parties, which, being concen-
trated on one subject, have given
sharply defined policy to the section
supporting them, and caused them to
stand out prominently on the field of
politics Such, for example, az the
anti-Masonic party Of 1929, the know
nothing party of 1862, the greenback
party Of 1880, or the prohibition and
Butler party of 1884 but such par
ties were never broad enough or sufi-
GENTLY comprehensive to constitute a
\ government for a great nation. AT
ter all, there are never more than
two great parties and each party has
represented one or the other Of two
great principles.
whatever variety of name has
been adopted by political opponents
in the history of the United States,
wings and tories, republicans and
| democrats, the one party represented
by republicanism to-day has always
advocated what is called strong
| government; has tended towards
Capitalization has appealed to the
argument of force rather than the
Il force Of argument; has encouraged by
lbs system the growth Of aristocratic
asd corporate monopolies; has re-
gagded the government as something
X ssparate from superior to and controll-
ing the people, and has ever support
ed its CLAIMS by standing armies and
military custom.
| h 1The other party represented by
Il ItEs democracy Of to-day [cheers
STAGES the citizen above tho State !;
believes that strength and govern
, J ment is to be found more in the dis
tributed force of the popular will, more
i in the affections than in the fears OF
Of the people it recognizes the SOW
! ereign character Of every citizen, and
Il believes greater safety to the State
j exists in the right Of individuals to
j carry arms than in the support Of
standing armies. 1t has throughout
its history arrayed itself against mo.
r nopolies, its highest aim being to main.
! tain government Of the people, whose
end shall be not 30 much the pomI
d and circumstance it may attain as the
3 comfort and prosperity it can secure
' to every citizen and, while repnbli,
0 canism delights in the glare Of mill
0 tary display; while 1t points witt
I pride to princely mansions and thu
purple and fine linen Of concentrated
Il wealth, democracy, adorned in home
spun, finds it's success in the rudy
1 GLOW Of the domestic hearth and th'
4 peace, content and modest prosperity
Il &c tho y,anria TGraof aur,Iauao Rui