Daily Republican., 1889-04-10
HIGGINS SPEECH.
REPUBLICANS OF PHlLADEL
PHiA REJOICE.
Senator Higgins, In Reply to Toast
Reviews the Past and Present
of the Republican
Party.


phia held their ninth anniversary ban.
quet last night in St. Georges Hall, and
2sl persona sat around the table. Among
the invited SPEAKERS aud guests was
Senator Anthony Higgins ir III Whining.
ton, who responded 10 the following
toast: "rhe Republican Party, pure In
patriotism, uGsclneh In Its devotion, It's
success is the triumph of right over
wrong, of freedom over slavery. Though
Just To tho people OF all laI ds both East
and West, 1t loyea our native land the
test"
When the cheers that greeted Senator
Higgins had subsided, he said:
thank you most sincerely for th 8
hearty greeting, both on benalf of tue
Young Mems Republican Club OF VII
mingtoD, Del. Of which | am proud TO be
v member, and also ON my own account.
II is particularly III ing, MIR. President,
that we should at this time meet aud that
tho first tuas should be that OF the Re
publican party. | remember being much
affected at the tue OF tho convention ty
my meeting with a distinguished soldier
OF the Confederate army, now a leading
Republican from the State OF Tennessee
who, speaking from the bottom of hi.
heart, said that the Republican party Il
the greatest that has ever existed among
mankind.
THIS is an eventful period Of our e. ist
eucc. The Republican party has JUS
wrt stcd the Government from it's ancient
Zoe. The Prtsldeucy, the Senate and thl
House of Representatives have all beeI
recovered, though all by narrow shade
The victory is decisive, but no more s.
than Was the peril great. The gravity o
the danger is only 10 be INT assured whei
we reflect that IL involved not only tht
exis' ence of the executive and the lea leila
tive branch OF the Government. but hat
the Democracy carried the Presidency
they would have taken with II the gu
preme Court, which would have been re
organized IN such a way as to give tht
seal Of It's approval to legislation adopted
by the ex COnfederates in Congre ~, ant
to any that they might choose to adopt.
lie must remember that the result de
pended upon a few wards In New Yorl
city as to the Presidency and the Vice
Presidency. The House was won by thu
| turning oyer OF their seats in the Demo
cratic city OF st. Louis, In the borJc
State Of Missouri, and our retention of tht
Senate depended on the unexpected bu
not less grateful victory In tho State o
Delaware. Thus, after lapse OF thlity
| Ave years, since the repeal OF the Missouri
compromise gave reason for being, to ID,
Republican party, IT comes back into su
| pre- me control.
VIEW or THE FAST.
Before We look into the future, it d
only Just to you and appropriate to th'
subject that we take view OF the past
The whig party WAS the one that stool
agair ST the Democratic when the country
divided on an economic question alone
But the Wing party was unequal TO the
task OF meeting that question and melted
as the mist before the sun, and passet
out OF being. Out of that great peril -
for such It was-arose the Republican par
ty, made up in no small measure OF Fret
soil Do moctats, aud they stood boldlj
| together on he question OF the eX tension
Of slavery. The Republican pa-ty mad,
n gallant fight In 'b6. In 1850 1t mad,
its successful COZ test and put in the chali
OF state tue greatest man the world has
ever produced. We see special provi-
dence guiding the dcstinies OF men, iu
the fact that the choice OF these million
of people went TO the son OF obscure
parents, to this man without leinage,
without high culture, without the train.
ing OF the schools, but who had that saw
acter, richuess OF heart and ability OF
head that made him the savior OF the ua.
| tlon aud the hopes OF mankind.
Then the patty charged with the desi-
nlts Of agCvernment and people stood
face TO face with with the trials of great
WAT On the battlefield II nobly followed
its great mltsion All honor to the Demo
Gratis who abandoned the party which
never has, and never win, lose any op-
porl unity to take the DEVILS side. 1t was
false to the principles Of Jefferson, and
when the crucial test came II was false to
the Union aud to the existence of free
Institutions. Words would fall me tC
htly speak Of the events OF that war, oi
| tie making of splendid names and oI
mAtchless deeds OF untold herOism. II
was all story OF trial, OF suffering and
of triumph. 1t Is enough to say that IN
that great contest the principles OF the
Republican party trlumphed aud the
country was Eaved.
Then came the period of reconstruction
and the race question aro'e. The prin
c'ples OF Republicanlsm were equal t,
the emergency, aud the party planting
itself on the constitution, the broad prin
ciple of the equality of man WAS ioleve
hxed. Next the party was met by RreA
fDauCial questions, and as II had beef
true TO freedom SO now 1t was loyal I,
honesty. When at last, through TIL
providence of God, Democratic admin
lstration is brought into power 1t finds It
only trouble In money surplus, a sur
plus so great that 1t produced in Grove
Cleveland that condition Of mind tina
induced him 10 venture on that act whic
resulted In the speedy exit OF himself An,
his party from power.
Permit me for moment to 20 back b
cite the fact that the platform on whic
Abraham Lincoln was nominated wa
that Of free speech, a flee soil aud pre-
tectivc tariff. When the Republica
party came into power 1t enacted pre-
tective tariH and maintained II. Whe
the Democracy resumed control the Re
publican party again found itself face
with the oid issue of what shall YOU d
with the Southi and with the ehalleuR
for the overthrow oil the system of tn
protective tariff enacted by the Repub.
can party. In every Southern State III
gentlemen Of the South will again he
the saddle aud surrounded by combine
force and fraud that stined every expre,
sion OF freedom, and II Is easy to imsgln
how desperate the new contest was.
FAIR VOTE AND A FAIR COUNT,
When will this contest ceasel Neyt
tnl every American citizen enjoys Ii
right to vote once and to have that vol