Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-07-10
ePEECH OF
HON. j. ID. TAYLOR
At the Republican Congressional Con.
yenti0n, Held at Caldwell,
July 1st, 1884.
Able Discussion Of the Pending POliti-
cal Question.

L
been nominated in the new Seventeenth
congressional district as your candidate
for congress. No words of mine can
fully express my appreciation OF this dis
tinguished honor, or my gratitude fol
the confidence which this nomination in
dicates. can only promise you, that in
case l should be elected (the probabilities
or possibilities of which shall not dis
cuss,) shall give to this important trust
whatever ability or capacity 1 possess
My short experience has taught me. that
to q man who has proper appreciation
of the obligation he owes to his eonstit
uency, it is position of great RESPONSE
! bility and great labor. From my boy
hood I have been accustomed to hard
work and close application, but l have
never worked harder than 1 have done
since my election to congress.
| The recent gerrymander, which was
intended to steal power and disfranchise
Republicans in the five counties which
| compose this new district, should stir
anew the activity of every Republican
and ought in justice to be rebuked by ev-
cry honest Democrat.
The districting of the State, after the
Federal census of 1880, was eminently
| fair, and was followed by the election of
large majority of Democratic represen-
tatives. Not content with this, and in vi
olation of precedent and authority, the
present Democratic legislature in order
to further increase Democratic power.
redistrlcted the state against the protests
of the best men in both parties. Wheth-
er such miserable fraud shall contrib
ute to the prosperity of the participants
remains to be seen.
Be this as it may, 1 am glad to meet
the Republicans of the new Seventeenth
district and to join hands with you in the
campaign of 1884. Since the war no
campaign has involved more important
questions or merited at your hands a
greater effort for victory. There is one
thing connected with this reapportion-
ment. which l trust will forever be a
pleasant memory, however our fortunes
may be cast in the future; and that is
that we were together In the glorious
campaign of 1884, when Blaine and Lo
gan led the Republican hosts to victory.
And that is what we are going to do.
James G. Blaine, the greatest states
man on the continent to-day, leader Of
leaders" master of diplomacy, the idol
of the Republic. The peoples candidate,
the peoples choice. The boy at school
said be did not whistle, il whistled itself;
this is the way Blaine was nominated,
and this is the way he is going to be
elected But in order to make it bril-
liant victory you must help. No better
nomination could have been made and he
will in my opinion be elected by the
la TN rriu tn don
since the war.
And Gen. Logan, the grand old hero.
There is no use to say anything about
him. He never lost battle, and he will
not begin now. In peace and in war, he
has been chieftain whom all have de-
lighted to honor. He is the soldiers
friend. He remembers the widows who
gave their husbands to the war. He re-
members the orphans whose fathers sleep
at Gettysburgh. at Antietam, in the
graveyard at Andersonville, and in the
unmarked graves all over the South. The
soldiers viii not forget him next No
vember. The widows in their lonely
cottages Rn't vote, but they can watch
and pray.
The Republican party was never more
| fortunate in ticket. We have as our
national candidates two great leaders,
men whose names are associated with
| the grandsst achievements of our nation
al history, and whose deeds of heroism,
valor and craftsmanship have endeared
them to all Americans The grandeur
of Republic was never more fully ex-
| emplified than in these nominations, for
no two men ever bad a warmer place in
| fho haortc of tha ne0nla
DUTY TO THE SOLDIER.
And right here I want to say what I
have time fully to explain, and that is
this, we are not doing our duty to the
soldiers of the Republic. Up to the time
of my election to congress L had given
this matter very little attention, and was
wholly ignorant of the gross injustice
and blushing wrongs beneath which in
digent soldiers, helpless widows and
homeless orphans, are being crushed
Disabled soldiers, unable to earn their
bread, widows whose husbands have died
since the war, from the effects of the
war, imbecile children over 16 years OF
age, whose fathers gave their lives 10
their country. and other classes no less
deserving, are objects of charity, and are
in many cases the inmates of infirmaries
and poor houses. 1t is burning disgrace
to nation like ours, to let any honora
bly, discharged soldier die pauper and
be buried in potters field. The soldiers
are the heirs of the Republic, and should
be the legatees Of comfortable support
Besides, every dollar distributed to the
poor adds to the wealth and prosperity
of the country. The tendency of money
is toward the large cities, toward the cof
fers of the wealthy, making the rich rich
er, but paid to the poor, to the poor sol
dier, to the widow and orphan, goes main
ly into the rural districts, pays the mer
chant, the grocer, the farmer, and passe.
through thousands of hands before il
gets back to the treasury. This money
is the seed of prosperityit is cast on goo(
ground and will produce many fold. Thi!
is not only an act of justice but it is al
act of craftsmanship, which will abund
antly repay the national government.
have given this matter great deal O.
attention during this session, and l real
ize its Importance. There are Thousand
of instances of actual want among tn,
bravest and best soldiers of this country
who have been denied pensions becaus
of the imperfect workings of our pension
system.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
Mr.. President, wish to speak of tn
j, Democratic party briefly, and in doin.
!. !. so only mean the Democratic leader
: and managers. The masses of both par
= ties are honest and mean 10 do right. Ant
q at no time since the war has there beeI
a campaign like this. The anxiety o
the Democratic party to get control O
= the government seems to outweigh ever,
> other consideration. The dome O
the National Capitol looms up in tn
distance, and the honors and emolument
of Office are the goal of Its ambition
Whatever the Democratic party ma
seem to be now, You may rest assure,
> that 1t will be very different if it shoul,
get in power at the coming election. Th
iOaVp9 and fishes have a yaru oavo.