Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-07-02
4 POWERFUL CONVERT.

Colonel Alexander Mcclure OF the
Philadelphia Times, is an eloquent
speaker as well as one OF the ablest
writers on the Republican press OF the
country, and for that reason the following
words from his lips will be read by Dem
ocrats with extreme pleasure. They
were spoken as the wind-up OF an address
TO the students of the Washington and
Lee University in Virginia recently. The
burden OF his speech was aimed at point
ing out the centralizing tendencies en-
gendered by long Republican rule, and
ended as follows:
"You will be called to battle against the
dregs of the despotism of war that will ever
be plausibly excused or justified ms centrali-
Zation comes with gifts to open the citadel
of freedom. Against it let your hatred be
implacable; let your effort be tireless; let
your patriotism be unabated. II is the great
peril to free government. 1t will not come
with banners, declaring its purpose, but 1T
will come with decitful promise; 1t will affect
to reject the crown as Caesar did, but re-
member that Rome was never free after the
Rubicon had been crossed. Trust the peo-
pie; educate the people; teach them that
eternal vigilance is theprice of liberty; warn
them against every approach to despotic au-
| thority in n government whose supreme SOW
ereignty is only in the people and whose Ma
tion, State, county and home are distinct ms
the billows. yet one as the sea-"
Colonel Mcclure and his paper, while
holding unique views on certain matters
OF national moment, have always been
staunch supporters OF Republican rule,
but now, in the light OF the great changes
wrought in the short ascendancy OF Dem
ocratic power, he sees the error OF his
ways, and unhesitatingly acknowledges
the danger to the country of the central
izing policy aimed at by his party. "You
will be called to battle against the dregs
OF the despotism OF war;" he says, and
thereby shows up in one sentence the
hollow pretenses Of the Republican party
and damns them with the truthful as
sertion that "they will always come ir
the guise of deceitful promises. ,
The young gentlemen to whom these
truths were spoken are mainly
the offspring OF men who sought to sever
the autonomy OF the countryand failed, ,bu
who never dreamed Of leaving legacy
of hatred to be borne by their children il
consequence, and which was so promin
emily manifest in all measures attempted
by the Republican party for the govern
ment of the South. The Reconstruction
policy and laws OF that party were more
burdensome than any Roman mandates
and the helplessness OF the people served
but to stimulate the party in power tc
further effort to humiliate and abuse
them. The contrast is now 30 plainly Sc
before them, by the return of eminen
Southern men to the councils OF the nation
and the return of Democratic simplicity il
the management OF the affairs of the ma
ton, that with the use of ordinary judg
ment they can readily see the error pointed
out by Colonel Mcclure, and avoid al
future chances OF repetition by solidl,
supporting the party that saved then
from its baleful influences. The youthful
mind is the proper field in which to SOW
the seed of manly principle, and Colore
McClure's words to the youth OF Virgins
and the South are destined to take dee]
root and flourish for the benefit OF til,
Democratic cause which has been, is, ant
always will be for the greatest good o
the greatest number, and the equality o
all men before the law.