The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-09-25
Sheridan the Great Orator
Opens His Batteries of Grape and
Canister Upon the
Debauched Democracy and DemOlishes
Their Fortiticati0ns,

Debauched Democracy and Demolishes
Their FOrtiticatiOns,
Spikes Their Guns and Puts Them to
Inglorious Rout.
Pursuant to announcement the eloquent
orator, Gen. Geo. H. Sheridan appeared
at the capacious diningroom of the Park
hotel last evening. Being introduced by
Judge Race to the immense audience
which had assembled to listen to him, he
addressed them in substance as follows:
LADIES AND
The territory of Montana is about to
take very important step in its history.
1t is called upon to ally itself with one or
the other of the two great parties,wh are
to control the destinies of the republic,
either the democratic or the republican
party. There are no others; all others
count for nothingin in the destiny of the
nation. Now we as individuals, having a
thing we want done are apt to look very
carefully into the character and standing
of the parties. We want to know some
thing of their integrity and standing. If
we find strict integrity we appreciate
them and if we find precisely the reverse
of this we have no trouble in deciding
which party to employ.
Now, Montana wants something done
for her. She wants to link her destinies
with one or the other of the parties Of this
republic. Both parties present them
selves and are known to Montana and the
people of the country at large. The re-
publican party stands fairly up and says;
We want you to join our party. We
stand by our record. We have not beer
perfect, Of course. We have slipped anC
fallen sometimes but we have always
meant to do we'll and in the main we sub
nit to you that we have done we'll hy thu
, republic.
The democratic party on the contrar!
says: For Gods sake don't go to lookin!
into that record of ours. That is the las
thing we want to stand by. Loud ant
continued applause.] We will p:omist
you anything on earth. just take OIL
promise and let us in. Well, the peopl
of Montana, l judge, before doing tina
: thing, promise to examine little into tn
record of the democratic party.
I'll were citizen of Montana shoul
be opposed to the democratic party bt
cause in all the history Of that party
= has never yet succeeded in arraying itsel
upon what ultimately proved to be tn
:, right side of the question. Loud Al
- - plause.
% The democrat does not live here {
= elsewhere who can point to single gre
question of importance that has bee
brought up in the last sixty years for di
cussion and settlement that the democre
ic party was not found arrayed upon Il
f. wrong side--not one. [Applause.
Going back fifty years. that is lo'
enough for one night Loud laughter t
democratic party was wrong when it
od pealed the Missouri compromise; it W
~ wrong when it passed the fugitive sla
90 law; it was wrong when it declared II
r.. republic to be rope of sand; 1t
IN wrong when it refused to bow down
~, the will of of the American people III
Abraham Lincoln was declared the 10
fully-elected President of the Unit
~ States; it was wrong when it declared
had no right to call out volunteers for
- suppression Of the rebellion; twas wrt
tic when it declared the people of the no
ads would not answer that call; it was wrt
ate when it declared the government had
ght right to issue greenbacks in the time
ess- its distress; it was wrong, in fact, in ev
ana measure looking towards the suppress
The of the rebellion; it was wrong in dec
tur- ing we could not put down this REBEL
r in it was wrong when in 1864 it declared
war failure, though at that very ms
ND the air of the republic was filled with
triumphant music of the armies OF &
and Sherman, loud and continued
D. plause]; it was wrong after the war
NJ over, in fighting the thirteenth, fourte'
and fifteenth amendments to the cons
HE ton; it was wrong in declaring in tin
peace that the government had the
*l to issue unlimited quantities OF gr
,,ve backs; it was wrung in fighting the
tional banking system and today
,,, wrong on the great industrial ques
that now confronts the people and
mands settlement.
= " The democrats ran this government
X. about seventeen years, without b7
and they ran it into the ground. L
'UL- applause.1
They broke it short off. What did
give us when they got it?
..o, They gave us country torn asl
'"u'' with rebellion-with two flags fiyin
the air of the republic, each claimin
oUs' premacy over its people.
The They gave us land where ever
sew dustry was paralyzed, govern
IS the without credit, treasury without
t and lar in it.
They gave us an army seethlng
u. treason and navy scattered owe
Tho waters of the globe.
We he'd the country twenty-five
and what did we return them?