The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-06-18
George william Curtis at Chicago.

Last week we gave the latter's speech nominat-
ing Mr.. Edmunds. AS throwing side light
pleasant incident that transpired while the
forces were maneuvering for position, we give
the speech Of Mr. Curtis at the meeting OF the
Edmunds men at the Massachusetts, head
quarters the day before the meeting OF the
convention. Being called upon to express his
views Mr.. Curtis said:
MIR. CURTIS ADDRESS.
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen II come from
the state of New York, whose vote is supposed
to be somewhat essential in determining the |
result of the presidential election this year.
came here with the purpose, which has been con.
frmed all the more certainly since arrived |
here, to give my vote to a man who Is the peer
of any statesman whose name has ever APP
peared upon the great republican roll of states
men. come from state in which the contest |
OF the year must necessarily be exceedingly |
sharp. | believe that it will be decisive. |
know that it will not be short. New York is a
state where obligations are always little |
doubtful. In 1872 it went republican by fifty |
thousand majority; in 1874, democratic by fifty |
thousand majority; In 1882, democratic by |
nearly two hundred thousand majority and in |
1883, it gave a democratic majority which |
would have defeated General Garfield. The |
state of New York, then, being, as you all |
know, huctuating state, II you believe, as ! |
believe, that the sncerest and deepest purpose
of this convention is the nomination of q man |
who can be elected it seems to many of us
New Workers wise to select as our candidate
that gentleman against whom have heard but
one objection-that he is what is called a cold
man. | take comfort, when consider that OBJ
lection, in remembering that there was another
president OF the United States, who, like Mr.
Edmunds, did not desire that position who did
not seek the position, who was certainly in the
same sense a cold man, whose name was George
Washington AS q delegate from the state of
New York, gentlemen, say that we ask Of the
convention man who Is in no way identified
with those quarrels that will spring up even in
the best regulated families, and, that in the
state of New York, which is an uncommonly
large family, have been pushed to great ex-
IRENE OF feeling-we ask of the convention a
man, against whom nothing can be said; a
man who is in no manner whatever identified
with the differences which have torn the party
In New York; man, who, in my judgment,
can easily cope with the strongest man that the
democratic party may bring forward; a man,
who, in my opinion, also, will poll in the state
of New York, every vote which can possibly be
polled under any circumstances by any repub-
lican candidate. You are here-so am /, al
| though ! am an impracticable and visionary
man-for the purpose Of considering how we
can secure the nomination of Mr.. Edmunds.
There is but one way. 1t Is that we shall feel
not only the excellence, the desirabiity of his
nomination. but that we shall feel as Emunds
men, so strongly the determination that that
shall be the nomination, that every Edmunds
| delegate who hears me at this moment shall
| pledge himself within himself by his loyalty
| to the party, by his fidelity to the great pur-
| poses for which the republican party exists
and with every one of which Mr. Edmunds is
distnctvely identfied-that he shall pledge
| himself within himself to stand fast by Mr..
| Edmunds; to make Mr.. Edmunds the rock of
refuge when the crash and the storm shall
| come, the one central magnet to which every
fragment shall fly when the hall yonder shall
| be filled with the flying fragments of the diff
| ferent booms which have been formed. Now,
| gentlemen, it seems that we all are of the
same mind. There is no difference of opinion
among us as to our duty-you will excuse the
word, as am not practical politician. don't
know why should say anything further, since
| we have reached such an admirable unanimity,
unless say word in regard to the course we
ought to pursue in the convention-and that
| may we'll be left in the hands of Governor
Smith, Mr.. Billings, and other gentlemen, who
| were members of the last convention and pro-
motors OF Mr.. Edmunds' cause there. As one
of the New York delegates have stated what
my feeling is in regard to our duty. came
here from the Grand Pacific hotel. The Grand
Pacific ia at this moment the great exchange of
| the most miscellaneous transformation. The
| corridors of that hotel are burnng-I was about
to say they were blazing-with falsehoods,
with rumors, with those gusts of passion and
| panic, which sometimes seize individuals in
great emergencies, but which, trust, it is one
of the objects of this meeting to prevent seizing
| the Edmunds men when we come into the con-
vention. Above all things we are to avoid
being driven by gust; we are to avoid being
seized with panic. After the two great col
umns with which we are familiar 44thur and
Blaine we will cast the largest vote which any
candidate will receive, and no candidate, be-
lieve, is more " solid in the hearts of his
supporters. / say for myself that propose to
vote for Mr.. Edmunds until find, from some
quarter, coming to me as an alternative, APP
pealing to me for a change in my vote, some
candidate in the convention who holds in his
hands, as believe MIR. Edmunds holds in his
| hands, the future of the republican party,
which is the future OF this country. propose,
say 10 stand last Young 1or MT. Edmunos
until mere Is Drought 10 me man VINO repre-
sents IN cur politlcs, to-day, substantially the
same thing that Is represented by Mr.: Ed
munds' NOW, II that Is your opinion, II may
interpret the manner IN whlch you nave re-
celved my Individual declarations as an echo
OF these declarations on the part OF the large
body OF men In the convention who will support
Mr.. Edmunds, then certainly need say moth
ing more Tor am sure Oh the result.
The tactics proposed were admirable. The
difficulty was that the Edmunds forces did not
| "stick," but broke at the first fire-a Massa-
chusetts delegate leading the retreat In his
speech in opposition to the choice of Powell
Clayton, OF star route fame, as temporary chair
man, and again in opposition to the resolution
binding the delegates to abide by the nomina-
ton whatsoever il might be- he won recopni-