The freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1886-18??, 1888-08-15
THE GREATEST PARTY
Decoration Day Speech, at the
National Prohibition Con-
ventiOn, May 80, 'SS.
BY FRANCES E. WILLARD.

Decoration Day.
I speak the words of truth and
soberness. No other party ever
dared to be so great as to ordain a
scene like this.
What circle we have here
Sweep the com passes of thought
through its circumference. Prohi.
bition, first of all, the fixed point
whence we calculate all others the
Blue and Gray, the working men,
the women; at the centre of this
circle is the home; that goes with.
out the saying; and beyond its
shining curve is the saloon, out.
matched, out-witted and out voted,
which, in bile, is best of all.
For the fiat of the greatest party
has gone forth, and we are here
simply to set our seals to it; no sa-
loon in politics or law; no section.
alism in law or politics, no sex in
citizenship, but liberty, equality,
fraternity in politics aud law, now
and fore vermore.
This is our platform IN nutshell
and it is a platform of four ideas at
least. M
When, in all history, were such
matchless issues espoused by such
magnanimous men?
There are two other parties; big
but not great; multitudinous, not
mastertul. Their tissue is adipose,
not muscular; the Issues of the one
are made literally "out of whole
CLOTH of all wool tariff warranted
to wash" in one more campaign,
and the ensanguined shirt warrant
ed never to be washed at all.
Those of the other are spoils and
Bourbonism. They will soon rally
their respective clans to their stere-
otyped, old-fashioned conventions
in Chicago and St. Louis, prepared
to fight, bleed and die tor their
country and its offices once more.
Not woman will be in their dele.
cations. Oh, mol They might
displace some man. Not a word
about the home any more than if
like Topsy, "They 'spected they
wasn't made at all, but growed."
Probably women would not at
tend these conventions, even were
their presence sought. They GER
tainly could not hold their own at
the bar, while in the greatest party
they are only required to hold their
own at the bar of public opinion.
Meanwhile, as if to set before
these brethren a lottier example,
the greatest party welcomes here
the home folks to equal opportuni-
ties and honors, and rallies here
remnant of the noble veterans who
have learned that it is ''good to for
give, best to forget" attesting by
this splendid and fraternal object
lesson, that our party spells ma
ton" with the tallest kind of a
capital "N"-ons that indeed in
cludes "the people of these United
States and that the blue and the
gray are to US emblems of nothing
less than the blue sky that bends
its tender arch above US all, and
the gray ocean that enfolds one
country and one flag.
angels look downward from the skies
Upon no holier ground,
Than were defeat valor lies
By generous foeman crowned"
How Grant would have rejoiced
to look upon a scene like thls-he
whose orable words were, "Let
US have peaceE" beside whose sick
bed sat Gen. Buckner of the Con-
federate army, and to whose recent
birthday celebration rallied Eltz
Hugh Lee and other Southern
braves.
The leaders of the party that was
great when great Lincoln was It's
chief, are pleased in these days OF
its degeneracy to call US "the Saint
Johnites." He is our patron saint
heaven bless him--who laid
himself upon the altar of our sacred
cause, and in a fame of partisan
wrath that followed the defeat OF
1884, proved to be "whole burnt
Offering" yet l present him to you
here tO.nipht. one of the most gal