Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-03-29
THAT coWARoLY SPEECH.
Ingalls, win Have a Chance to Try OBJ
scurity Himself.

Senator Ingalls, undoubtedly knows by
this time that even from partisan politi-
cal standpoint he made q miserable mis-
take in delivering his recent speech in the
senate.
His abuse of Hancock and Mcclellan
finds but faint approving response from
even the most rahid party organs, while it
is being resented in such manner by
many of the soldiers of the country, ire
spective of politics, as to make the rebuke
to the Kansas senator conspicuously
severe That man of Mr.. Ingalls, abil
ity and ambition should descend to bid
for the favor of the soldiers in the dis
creditable way he did, and then in
spire as his reward the indigna-
ton and condemnation of the soldiers,
must be extremely humiliating to him.
1t will probably be many moon before
he has anything to say in public again
about the war, OF. those who figured in it.
If he is as shrewd as he has been hereto
fore credited with being, he will leave
henceforth field in which he has made
such q spectacular failure to more sue
cessful cultivators of it, like the governor
of Ohio, who even if he were to provoke
such q rebuke as the Kansan has re-
ceived, is so small that it would never hit
him.
Meanwhile, as he is pondering in peni-
tence over tie blunGers of politician, he
might reflect advantageously on another
of his declarations made in the same
speech, when he proclaimed, with what
was intended as whitening sarcasm, that
after the nomination of Grover Cleveland
there is no man in this country ''whose
obscurity is so impenetrable that he has
no right to aspire to the presidential
nomination of the Democratic party"
In the course of his reflections perhaps
Mr.. ingalls, will be able to arrive at some
definite conclusion as to the exact time at
which obscurity became q crime under
our government, or disability in the
path of the citizen of the United States
who dares direct mis- ambition to the
presidency of republic built upon the
principle that all men are equal. Per-
haps Mr.. Ingalls, will also be able to ex
plain, at least to his own satisfaction,
how it is that in censuring the Demo
cratic party for nominating man who
not so many years ago was undoubtedly
an obscure man, he can at the same time
escape censuring the Republican party on
the same ground. Who was more obscure
than the now illustrious Lincoln, the first
of the Republican presidents? Did Presi-
dent Grant emerge from less ''impene-
trable obscurity'' than any man who
ever rose to fame9 Even the now dis
tinguished and canonized Hayes was not
always like the effulgent luminary which
he became when he shot above the Ohio
horizon and achieved notoriety as the
| g., vlr ha
people of the presidency. 1t was the
boast of the Republicans during the Gar
field campaign that their leader had
risen from the humble obscurity of the
towpath, and President Arthur's name
was hardly known outside of New York
before Secretary Sherman gave him prom
inence by summariiy turning him out of
the custom house.
Where then is the Republican president
who was not guilty of the crime of OBJ
scurity, if this modern apostle of Repub-
lcanism insist on denouncing it as a
crime?
Perhaps Senator ingalls, is In favor OF
making the presidency hereditary, as the
crowns of Europe are, comforting the
honor upon some distinguished family,
and providing that it shall descend in q
regular line of succession to whatever un-
obscure nincompoop who happens to be
born in that line. BY this means the dan,
ger of any political party nominating and
electing an obscure candidate would be
effectually guarded against, and all citi
zens of the nation would be saved the
trouble of trying to overcome the sin ol
obscurity.
To say the least, this is very prevalent
sin among the citizens of this country. Il
is even rumored-upon how Trustworthy
authority we do not pretend to say-that
Senator Ingalls, himself was, not so very
long ago. an obscure peddler. But we
know of no one who would think less o.
Mr.. Ingalls, on that account, unless it il
Mr.. Ingalls, himself Indeed, if the good:
he peddled were honest we are very mucf
inclined to think that most people in thi:
country have greater respect for Mr. In
gals as a-peddler than they have for hin
when, as Il senator, he deals in sucl
shoddy pinchbeck wares as he purveyet
when he delivered his speech in the sen
ate.-Louisville Courier journal.