Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-03-19
SENATOR PALMER.
ne Addresses the Legislature of
Illinois Briefly In Well
Chosen Words.

Illinois Briefly In Well
Chosen Words.
Gen. Jno. M. Palmer, on the
announcement that he had been
chosen as United States Senator,
was waited upon by a committee
OF seven, four from the House and
three from the Senate, and inform.
ed OF the result. The Senator
elect was escorted to the floor of
the House where he returned
thanks in the following words for
the honor conferred upon him:
Gen. Palmer, after the cheering
had subsidized, said: "Mr. Speaker
and gentlemen of the JOINT Assem-.
bly, of the State of Illinois, you
would hardly expect me on an oc.
casion like this to attempt to thank
you formally. 1 feel good deal
like singing one of those songs that
l have heard SO often from pious
lips in the camp meeting of my
native West, 'Ain't I Glad I am
Out of the Wilderness [Cheers. I
l thank you, Mr.. Speaker, and l
thank you, my Democratic friends,
the l01 who have so nobly and
patiiotically vindicated the right of
the people of the State of Illinois
to elect a Senator. prolonged
cheers.l My election to-day is
historical. The gentlemen who have
80 earnestly and manfully labored
to elect an Independent Senator,
concluding at last that they could
cooperate with US they, too, de-
serve my thanks. [Cheers.] They
have demonstrated that men earn
est in their convictions are not de-
tered by the majorities against
them. I admire that principle,
that it is the principle that 1 have
acted upon, not to count my enc
mics, but to stand by my own con-
victions of right. [Applause. ]
These gentlemen deserve the
thanks of the people of the State
of Illinois for standing out in vindi-
cation of their independence. My
Republican friends on the other
side. I thank you, too. Laugh
ter and cheers.l You, in this con-
test, represent another method of
electing a Senator. On the one
hand is the method of electing
Senators by direct vote of the
people. On the other hand is the
old method. I thank you for the
dignity and fairness with which
this contest has been conducted. I
thank you that the contest has been
free from personality. Gentle
men, I stand here as the repre-
sentative of a race that has almost
passed away. have lived through
one of the mightiest revolutions in
the history of this continent. l
have seen institutions perish. I
have seen this country spring again
into new life. While l am a parti-
san in the sense that I act with
men who agree with me; while I
recognize the fealty ofparty obliga-
tions, yet I trust, now that l have
reached nearly the limit of my ac-
tive political life, I trust that
after that time shall have elapsed
and you have watched my course IN
that new sphere which, by the
kindness of the people of this State,
I have been elected, I trust you
will find you have made one mis-
take; that it was not the highest
object of political ambition to beat
Palmer, and l trust, too, that I
will represent you frankly and
fairly.
81 love my country if I know
myself. I have given years to my
country on the battle field; I have
struggled to advance my country's
interest; claim to have been un-
selfish. Gentlemen, I thank you.
My neighbors of Springfield, l
thank you for the sympathy and
the interest you have manifested
in this contest.
| "Gentlemen of the General AS
sembly, I feel that you have dis
charged what you have conceived
to be your duty. I will say to yor
frankly, in my humble, modes
way, that l don't think you coulc
have done it better" Prolonged
Applause.
Wales-Pugh.
ofk ~