The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-10-12

The Democracy enthuses over old Al
Ian G. Thurman when It viii over no
body else. This has been particularly
Noticeable at Democratic meetings In the
Ipresent campaign. The Iaudations Of
Grover Cleveland rs . general thing fall
fiat, but the mention of the ''old Roman
is always sufficient to secure in the re-
porter's notes the inteTjection, "tremen-
dous applause" There u good reason
for this-the old man il Q true, old moss
back. through and Throughout only
now, but in the dark. days of the musty
past he remained true to Democratic
principles. Grover Cleveland was doubt
less just - true, but unfortunately for
him he left nothing on record to prove
TO the solid Southerners and the North
ern Democracy that in the days when
attempt was being made to overthrow
the government, he was active in his
sympathy with those behind that 1T
tempt. To show the Democracy how
true to party principles the ,"old Roman"
was in the stormy days of 1851, time
when the acts Of public men most truly
showed their character it is but
necessary to say that in q Demo
cratic state convention held in Ohio. ut
Columbus, Jan. q, 1851, Allen G. Thur
man. now candidatefor yice-President
of the United States, offered the follow
ing resolution:
Resolved, That the two hundred
thousand Democrats of Ohio send to the
people of the United States, both North
and South, greeting, and when the peo-
pie of the North shall have fulfilled their
duties to the constitution and the South,
then, and not till then. will il be proper
for them TO take into consideration the
question Of the right and proprfetY of
coercion"
Mr.. Thurman supported bis resolution
in the following speech:
''It is the great error of the North to
agitate. This is the root of the present
evil. Men in the South have believed
for years that il was to the interest of
that section to form Southern Confed-
eracy. But these men would have been
as helpless as infants If a party at the
North had not put weapons in their
hands by anti-slavery agitation. A man
is deficient in understanding who thinks
the cause of disunion is that the South
any overt act of oppression
in Lincoln's Administration. It is the
spirit of the late Presidential contest
that alarms the South.
No State has q constitutional right to
secede, but it has the right of revolution.
1t would try the ethics of any man to
deny that some of the Southern States
have no cause for revolution. The first
blow of civil war that is struck will mark
the going out of fifteen States. These
States can not be saved by standing on
the constitution. They have right to
their opinions, however wrong they may
be. Constitutional right or no constitu-
honal right, the fact is before us that
i've States are out of the Union, and ten
more will follow at the first blow of civil
war.
rom legal standpoint, and what good
comes from using force? How will des-
'lation of one section Of the country BEN
Eft us? Because you have the right to
,oerce the South, will you insist that it
must be done, regardless of the great
sacrifice of life and property 1t is un-
wise to do this.
There are enough gallant thinking
men in the North to prevent civil war"
After careful perusal of these re-
marks no Democrat can doubt that Mr..
Thurman is in an appropriate place as
he nominee of the party which seeks to
secure the permanent control of the gov
to the hands of the "men Of the
south who have believed for years that
t was for the interest of that section to
orm Southern Confederacy." 1t will
llso most plainly show Republicans, and
n fact all loyal men, that this is a time
or the friends of freedom, union and
equal rights to unite in one grand effort
o save the country from the hands of
he men who proved its enemies in the
,qst