St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-17
QUESTIONS AND FACTS.

Gov. MERRIAM made vigorous
speech before the Republican league in
Minneapolis last week, on the past and
future Of mis- party. For the past he
pointed to the glorious memories of the
civil war, and claimed for himself and
his fellow partisans the sole right to
| cherish and reverence the fame of
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, ULYSSES S.
GRANT and WILLIAM 7. SHERMAN.
Let the GLOBE ask Mr.. MERRIAM a
few questions, and then tell hun q few
facts.
Have you, Mr.. MERRIAM. any pc
culiar right to pre-empt as your own
the memories and the heroes of the
| civil war? You are the foremost Re-
publican iii the state to-day, and
one of the first in the nation.
You are easily the ablest. the most
aggressive, the most adroit and
the most successful man in your party
i'll Minnesota. 1t is not unfair to it to
pick you out as type. Having done
| this, the GLOBE repeats the question ::
Have you, Mr.. MERRIAM, any peculiar
right to pre-empt as your own the mem
Were you a soldier? No" you will
answer, 81 was too young" That is true,
and very probably had you been old
enough you would have gone to the
front. But you were not a soldier.
Does the blood of soldiers flow in yonr
veins? Were your grandfathers, your
| father, your uncleS, your cousins, your
| elder brothers, if you had any of these,
were they to be found fighting on free
| dom's side during the dark years that
followed Sumter? The GLOBE asks
this not unkindly. but in the spirit of
inquiry. If they were, speak up.
Then you will have the same, but no
| better right. than millions of other peo-
pie of every party and creed to carry on
| your scutcheon the faces of LINCOLN
and GRANT.
Thousands and thousands of men
who vote the Republican ticket in Min
nesota were fifteen years ago subjects
of the king of Norway and Sweden, of
| the emperor of Germany, of the king of
Italy, OF the emperor of Russia. Tney
! are honorable and upright citizens, the
sinew of our state. But, Mr.. MERRIAM,
nave they any peculiar claim to a pat
ent or a copyright on the name OF
patriot? Did they bleed to save til e
| Union? Did they or their fathers en-
| dure the toiisome marches, the cold and
the privations of the battle field, land re-
| turn crippled to live in their old age on
the scant bounty Of the country they
| upheld with their arms? If they did,
! they have the same. but no better right
than q million of other people of every
| party and creed, to carry Oh their
| scutcheOn the faces of LINCOLN and
| GRANT.
As for facts, Mr.. MERRIAM, put these
down i'll your note book. In the same
party which put forward HoRATIo SEY-
| MOUR in New y ork, and JAMES +. ENG
LIsH in Connecticut to hold up LIN
COINS hands when the conflict was the
| blacklist. are now enrolled a countless
| host of men and sons of men who left
their shops and the arts of peace at
| duty's call. The earnest throngs OF able
young men who to-day are banded to-
| gether in solemn assaults on the strong
| hold of the new slavery are the off
spring of the heroes Who tended the
camp fires during the long nights on the
banks of the Potomac. They are not
only their offspring, but they are ami
mated by their fathers spirit. The
same loyalty which made those of an
earlier generation forget their private
gain for their country's good fires those
of to-day who would burst the shackles
which the architects Of tariff aud cor
poration dominion have forged about
our industrial life. If you and yonr
party friends will Join in this exalted
mission, you will have peculiar right
TO cherish the memories aud reverence
the heroes of the civil war.
Put these facts in your note book, Mr.
| MERPJAM