Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-10-07
Il SILVER TONGUE.
Bob Taylor's Wonderful Eloquence.

Bob Taylor's Wonderful Eloquence.
The contest between the Taylor
brothers for the governorship of Ten
nessee is the most remarkable political
battle which ever took place in this
country. From the reports which have
appeared from time to time in the REG
IsTER our readers are familiar with it..
A friend in Chattanooga has sent us a
copy of the Times containing a six-col-
umn report of speech delivered by Bob
Taylor, the Democratic candidate, at
Madisonville, September 9. Although
masterly in argument, Bob's chief
strength lies in his wonderful eloquencs,
and that the people of iron county may
Judge for themselves, we print the
opening and closing parts of the speech:
FELLOW CITIZENS In the days o.
the Roman Empire it was the custom
of the Emperors to amuse themselves
and their subjects with cruel and
bloody entertainments called gladiato-
rial contests. Tt is possible that many
of you have come here to-day with the
fear that you may witness a similar
exhibition of brutality between two
brothers scrambling for the same Office.
Allow we to assure you that you will
be agreeably disappointed. Thank
God, we are not in Rome. The Roman
Empire, its subjects and victims, lie
buried in the dusty tombs of by-gone
centuries. A better and brighter age
God has reserved for us. AS the eagle
T. nd h.rsl J, u
the Gifted crag above the storm clouds
and storms, so the spirit of liberty has
enthronesi herself in the New World
and raised her millions of sons and
daughters, where every home is the
castle and palace of a prince and every
citizen sovereign. 1t is the chief glory
of our great Republic that all men are
free as the eagle and untrammelled in
thought and action as the unfettered
winds of heaven. AS God has diversi-
fed His creation and made the moons
and planets and stars and sun of heav-
en- to differ from each other in glory,
in movement and position, and sent
them all circling in space in perfect
harmony, so in politics He diversified
our people in thought and opinion, yet
harmolized all on one great principle
of free government. In this country
there are two great ideas of free govern
meut-the Republican idea and Demo-
cratic idea. The representative of the
Republican idea in this campaign is
my brother. 1t devolves upon me as
the choice of the Democratic party of
Tennessee, to represent the Democratic
idea. Is there anything improper, in
delicate or unbrotherly in our meeting
to discuss publicly the interests of a
great state and "a great nation under
these two ideas? We have not met to
wrangle, or quarrel, or scramble for the
high office for which we have been
made candidates. The tender bond of
brotherhood is neither severed nor
abraded by our difference of opinion in
politics, nor can the discussion of polit-
ical questions disturb the delicate rela-
tions. The red rose and the white rose
bloom together and shed their odors
upon the same atmosphere, and gently
struggling for supremacy, glorIfy the
twiligh ht hours. My brother represents
today The red rose and I represent the
white. Our political histories vary in
thjs-that in my boyhood I was trans
planted by tender and loving hands
into the sweet gardens of pure Democ-
racv; while he, like the sIast rose oi
summer in the desertof Republican,
ism, was left blooming alone.
Full many gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathomed eayes of ocean bear;
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
But, fellow citizens, when you shall
all have taken a smell, and then taken
your choice of blossoms, the red rose
will have the happy consolation thai
| he is the brother of the Governor.
Fellow citizens: meet you and gree
YOU and congratulate you upon the
final triumph of Democratic principles
For twenty long, weary years those
principle were trampled under foot anc
| the party that clung to them anu
preached them met defeat and disaster
| in every quadrennial contest. But We
never lost heart. for We knew tina
those principles were true, that they
were as eternal as God, that they woul,
live when the stars were old, when thu
sun is cold, and the leaves of the judg
| ment book unfolded. In the year 0
our Lord 1884, those principles tri
umphed, and the party of Jefferson
and Johnson and Polk and Cleveland
assumed control of the government
Not n outstanding the prophesies of Re
publIcans, the country is still safe. th'
colored citizens are still free, the pen
sioners still receive their bounty, th
fields still yield, the sun still shines
be rain still falls, the grass still grows
the stars still twinkle, and the old Shll
of State speeds proudly over smooth
seas and not wave of trouble roll
across our peaceful breast. The yea
of jubilee has come.
THE CLOSING PART.
At the close of that memorable con
flict the South, once so fair and ricl
and pow erful, lay bleeding and gaspinI
i'm the ashes of defeat and humiliation
Her fields were laid waste, her wealtl
consumed, her cities battered and burn
and ruined, and her thousands of ono
happv homes made desolate and mourn