The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-22


A high wind prevailed which made oratorY
difficult. The Central Blaine and Logan glee
club entertained the multitude for half an hour,
singing "Our Jim is Coming, ''Goed Bye, Oh,
Governor, Good Bye, ''Over the White House
Fence and other airs, which were received
with great applause Elk Mayor Caven, the pre-
siding officer, introduced Hon. R. W. Thompson
as the cold eloquent whe spoke as follows:
SPEECH OF HON. R. W. THOMPSON.
Fellow citizens: 1 plead guilty to being an
old man. The days of my eloquenee have passed
with my youth, but with my declining years
realize no abatement of my love of political
truth, and in as far as l have the physical
strength to avow my convictions 1 am ready to
do so whenever there is a proper occasion for it.
cast my first presidential vote in this State, in
1892. The Democratic party was then laying
the foundation upon which it has since rested.
became then thoroughly convinced that that
party was wrong, and have seen nothing since
to change that opinion, but during thesffty-
two wears that have interviewed from that time to
this have seen innumerable things to
firm it. 1t has been from the beginning of its
existence party of blunders. 1t committed
blunder after blunder, until it carried 4theI gov
eminent to the very verge of destruction, from
which it was only saved by the creation of the
Republican party. Applause And in looking
to-day over the events which are now transpir
ing in the country, it is a wonder to me that any
man of intelligence does not see that
there is really but two serious questions
involved in this presidential contest. The first
is, whether the Southern States so recently en-
gagged in an attemptto destroy the Union, shall
win back the political power which was wrested
from them by our Union armies; and, second,
whether the government of Great Britain shall
win back the control of our material interests
Id YNat nd
from it by our fathers in the revolution. These
are really the only two political queS-
tions which are now submitted to the
American people for their Judgment In regard
to the first question; There will be over 159
electoral votes east for the Democratic cand
date for the presidency by the Southern States,
and no argument need be addressed to any
Democrat in the South to justify him in casting
his vote for the Democratic candidate
Has it ever occurred to you to in
quire why this is SOL Why is it that
those who so recently were engaged
in an attempt to break up the Union are now so
united in the support of the Democratic party2
1t must arise out of some affinity Of feeling be-
tween them They have animpressien nstheir
minds that they can gain somewhat of their lost
power by putting a Democratic President Ia
office at Washington. Does it not stlike you
that that must be the reasoning in their minds.
If they thus reason the great question for us
to decide is whether If they sue
coed in electng a Democratic President
In other words, whether they do nOt-gain an adj
vantage over the Union If they did not expect
to gain that advantage they would not be half
so anxious npon the subject Now what is that
proposed adyantage2 You all know that during
the progress of reconstruction, after the close of
the rebellion, divers measures were CON
sidered necessary to be adopted, and were
adopted with extraordinary nnanimity by the
Republican party, as a means of restoring the
Union upon constitutional basis. Every sim
Of ms fp01
by the Democratic party, North and South, upon
the ground that they were in violation of the
Constitution of the United States. Why there
were bushels of eoquence expended by
signed to show that the oppressive
armies of the North had trodden
down, aud ground into dust all the rights of
the Southern States and of the people
of the South, until we were almost led to be-
1ieve that anarchy and confusion reigned in that
part of the country. Now the sympathy which
they thus enlisted for the South has not died
out, and there hundreds OF men in the North
honest mon undoubtedly--W'ho have brought
themselves to believe, have reasoned themselves
into the conviction, that if the Democratic
party gets into power the South
will occupy harmonious position
in the Union That harmonious position how
ever can not be occupied without surrenderng
to the South the rights which have accrued to
the Union by virtue of the result of the war l
am not willing nor do believe that majority
Of the people of the North are willing to turn
this government over to the control of
the South. prefer to have them
educated little better in the national
school before we do so. We have forgiven
them, and are not disposed to fight
the war over again: but until
they forgive us, do not think that they can be
safely trusted. [Applause.l They have not
yet forgiven us. and are to-day educating their
children in the belief, or conviction, that the
war was brought on by marching the Northern
armies into tho Southern States; that it was an
invasion Of their sacred soil md that their in
stitutions have been pucked mp by the roots by
an arlnY raised for the pnrpose of DESTROYING