Morning journal and courier., 1886-09-10
Friday, September 10, 1886.
SEN ATOR PLATT,s SPEECH.

SENATOR PLATES SPEECH. \ A Ringing Address-His ArraIsnment
 of the Democratic Administration l For Failure and Incompetency-La- l bor and Hts Frfends-TemPe Perance and Its Friends-DemOcratIc DipIoma atfc l Failures.
 ! Gentlemen of the Conventions:
 l am indebted to the Republicans and to the people of Connecticut for many favors, ! for which am sincerely grateful, but none 1 of them more highly appreciated by me | than the honor of being selected to preside over this convention.
 l You are representative Republicans. You l have met to-day with an unusual determina- | tion of purpose. The earnestness which per l vades this hall means three things: First, ! that whoever may be nominated by this con- | vention shall be elected, again, that in No | vember next you will pave the way ! for Republican victory in 1888, and, | last in order, but first in impor- l tance, it means that Connecticut will not be represented in the Senate of the United | States by Democrat. Continuing, MT. \ Platt spoke of the record of the Republican party. For twenty-four years it ran the af 1 fairs of government In that period great | and substantial progress was made by this l country, progress only possible under wise | political management. With the advent of l the Democratic party to power came change for the worse. Eighteen months of it's rule have made the people sadder, if not wiser. Our national and popular advancement has been checked. I believe the people see and realize this most sorrowfully, and only the mugwumps are happy and idolize President Cleveland. MT. Platt then spoke of the solid South. Though I ought not to keep silent I will not speak of the shameless fraud and wicked crime against the republic by which they were made solid. There they were. There they are. Solid still.
 The sad significance of that solidity is this: The Democratic party is the representative of the civilization, thought and purpose of
 the South rather than the civilization,
 thought and purpose of the North. The
 southern leaders know that the rule of the
 Democratic party means government accord
 ing to the southern idea, as respects the
 rights and powers of government, as respects
 business, economic and social life, and all
 that affects public welfare. Therefore the solid South, therefore they have never hesi-
 tated at the means adopted to make it solid.
 Those 1s2 votes representing southern domin-
 ation were and are constant factor in the
 political problem. How could there be
 joined to them the votes of New York,
 New Jersey and Connecticut The free-trad-
 CTS deserted, they went to their own place. They made common cause with their south
 ern free trade friends. I will not rehearse
 the history of that campaign of prejudice
 and islander. Mems minds were poisoned by
 lying. A chief cause of Democratic success
 in the States to which have alluded was an appeal to the restless desire for change. One of the most conspicuous fools of which fable or history speaks is the man who killed the goose that laid the golden egg, and he has not been without imitators even to the present day. Some were persuad- ''Let us have change' was the cry, and so they voted for Cleveland and the change was secured. The men who wanted the "chnnge" are dissatisfied now. If they were in the frying pan then they are in the | fire now. They are quite ready to change back. Their position is fairly illus trated by the sad epitaph in English | church yard:
 wanted to be better,
 took physic.
 And here am.''
 Nations as we'll as men seem at times \ affected by the suicidal impulse. It was | scarcely less than suicidal impulse which I induced the men of Connecticut and New Yolk and New Jersey to add the votes of ! those States to the votes of the solid South. | There is no single sentiment or factor on which our marvellous northern civilization | rests which is not endangered by Democrat \ ic administration. Now, if that is sectional, \ I am content to be called sectionalist. " am for the northern idea in government, in ! business, in social and economic life, and be- cause am, am Republican. The crown ing glory of the twentyfour years during which Republicanism prevailed was that the \ northern idea of civilization was in the as- eendancy.
 How long must Connecticut experience the sad results of such policy and purpose ss the Democratic party, 8 policy so prejudicial to it's best interests, before it's people will take it out of the solid South col umn and place it where of right it belongss It is for you to say. You are earnest men, ' You truly represent Connecticut sentiment | Your earnestness is an assurance that you raise again to-day the Republican banner in ! meaning to carry it forward to victory. The duty is imperative, the induce \ ment is great, the situation is full of encour- agement.
 The administration of Grover Cleveland is ' not a success, it gives promise of a dismal failure. wish to speak only in respectful ' and courteous terms of the chief magistrate ' of the republic. He cannot complain that he has not been kindly and fairly treated by ' the Republican party. It hoped it might ' find in him and his Cabinet advisers wise, \ prudent, statesmanlike administration of af \ fairs. It was disposed and prepared to sus- ' tain him wherever and whenever it could. \ But eighteen months of trial has forced it to ' join in the verdict of a large portion of the \ Democratic party and to avow that since the \ of the government no adminis- \ tration has been so distinguished by incapaci- \ ty as the administration of Grover Cleveland. Y know that Democratic conventions endorse \ his administration in formal resolutions, but \ I know, too. that they do it with painful \ grimaces and contortions. For the President \ himself, his only open admirers and defen- ders, the mugwumps, have but the excuse \ made for one of the characters in Gilbert 6 \ Sullivan's opera, "He means well, but he N don't know" They still faintly insist that \ he is better than the wicked Democrats who and impose upon him-but the real Democrat repudiates the wicked part \ ners" excuse. The truth is that the Presi- lent is Democratic politician of the aver age type, with an exceedingly difficult role to perform. He must satisfy and hold the South \ o him
 =nthe fair and happy land NJ
 Where his possessions lie.'' And he must satisfy and hold New York for { e8S. He must feed "hungry and thirsty" ' Democrats with the spells of office and he \ must please his idolatrous worshippers, the ( >arl Schurz style of civil service reformers. ( 50 he essays the political trick of carrying water on both shoulders. He did it success ully during the campaign. It is sad failure \ f n administration. To please the Democratic \ Inanciers of Wall street he recommends the ( of silver coinage; to please the n l liver and greenback Democrats of the South \ g le announces that he shall not endeavor to \ t press his suspension policy upon ' 8 Congress- His duties cease with recommen- 2 lation; the duties of the President are "es- \ t entially executive" He feeds the mug \ t vump element with paper promises to re- V nove officers with fixed terms only for cause t IT offensive partisanship, and he feeds the \ t lungry workers with offices from which he F las ejected Union soldiers who have been ' r aithful to their trust and-non partisan in ' 8 'olitics. He makes few, alas how few, | pectacular appointments of alleged Repub I jeans who directly or indirectly helped to leet him, and for officials who superintend l nd control patronage appoints and re- U aims men with records which shame t ven Democrats. who justify fraud a nd ballot box stufing Loud in profes l. ion that honesty and capacity con- V titute the qualification for office, think it V safe to say that more men having peniten- | il iary records have been appointed to office q uring this administration than in all the \ c years of history. Coming to \ il flee on the popular yell, ''Turn the rascals \ e ut" he has found it necessary to remove ! lore of his own appointees for defalcations V nd irregularities than he has found Repub- \ s cans in the whole body of oficeholders o gainst whom the pretence of such cause of r emoval could be made. He came into his h lace with the reiterated declaration that I P public office is public trust" and immedi- ii