Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-11-17

seats OF the ruined Coliseum, and
the skeleton Of the aqueducts, and
the miasma Of the CampagnA. and the
fragments OF the marble baths, and the
useless piers Of the Bridge Triumphalis,
and the MAmertine prison, holding no more
apostolic prisoners, and the silent Forum
and Basilica OF Constantine, and the arch
| Of Titus, and the Pantheon come In with
great chorus, crying, Dead, dead" After
Horace, after Virgil, after Tacitus, after
Cicero dead. After Horatius on the
bridge, and Cincinnatus, the farmer oil
garch, after Pompey, after Scipio, after
Cassius, after Constantine, after Cesar
dead. The war eagle Of Rome few SO high
| It was blinded by the sun and came whirl-
| ing down through the heavens, and the
owl Of desolation and darkness built its
nest In the forsaken eyrie. Mexican en-
pire-dead. French empire-dead.
WE, TOO, ARE THREATENED.
You see, my friends, 1t is no unusual
thing for government to perish, and in
the same neurology Of dead nations and in
the same graveyard Of expired govern
ments will go the United States Of Ameri-
ca unless there be some potent voice to call
halt, and unless God In his mercy inter
feres, and through purified ballot box
and widespread public Christian senti-
ment the catastrophe be averted. This ma
| tion is about to go to the ballot box to ex-
ercise the right of suffrage, and propose
to set before you the evils that threaten to
destroy the American government and to
annihilate American institutions, and II
,Iod will help me will show you before
ret through the mode in which each and
every one,may do something to arrest that
appalling calamity. And I shall plow up
the whole field.
The first evil that threatens the ami
| hilatiOn of our American institutions is
the fact that political bribery, which once
was considered crime, has by p,any come
to be considered a tolerable virtue. There
is legitimate use of money in elections,
in the printing of political tracts, and in
the hiring of public halls, and in the OBJ
tanning of campaign Uratory, but is there
any homunculus who supposes that this
vast amount of money now being raised by
the political parties is going in legitimate
direction? The vast majority OF it will go
to buy votes.
Hundreds and thousands Of men will
have set before them SO much money fol
Republican vote, and SO much money for
Democratic vote, and the superior finan-
cial inducement will decide the action.
You want to know which party will carry
the doubtful states day after tomorrow
/ will tell you. The party that spends the
most money. This moment, while !
speak, the peddlers carr7ing gold from
Wall street, gold from Third street, gold
from State street and gold from the Brew
ers' association, are in all the political
headquarters of the doubtful states, deal.
ing out the infamous inducement.
There used to be bribery; but it held its
head in shame. 1t was Under the utmost
secrecy that many years ago Il railroad
company bought up the Wisconsin legis-
lature and many other public officials in
that state. The governor of the state at
that time received $4,000 for his sigma
ture. His private secretary received IS, 600.
Thirteen members of the senate received
S175, 900 among them in bonds. Sixty
members of the other house received from
5000 to $4,000 each. The lieutenant gov.
ernor received $4,000. The clerks of the
house received from 81, 5000 to $4,000 each
The bank comptroller received $4,000
Two hundred and fifty Thousand dollars
were divided among the lobbyists. You
see the railroad company was very gen
erous But all that was hidden, and only
through the severest scrutiny on the part
; of q legislative committee was this in
; iquity displayed. Now political bribery
, defies you, dares you, is arrogant, and will
probably decide the election next Tuesday
! TERRIBLE DANGER.
Unless this diabolism ceases in this coun
| D,1l nir, IL
with uplifted torch to light other nation.
into the harbor, had better be changed ant
the torch dropped as symbol of universe
iincendiarism.
Unless this purchase and sale of suffrag,
shall cease the American government will
expire, and you might as well be getting
ready the monument for another dead ma
'tion and let my text inscribe upon it ,thes'
words, "Alas, alas, for Babylon, that grea
city, that mighty city, for in one hour il
thy Judgment comev' My friends, if yot
have not noticed that political bribery il
: one of the CHASTITY crimes of this. day, yot
: have not.kept your eyes open.
Another evil threatening the destruction
, of American institutions is the solidifyin!
of the sections against each other. A solit
: north. A solid south. If this goes on w,
> shall after awhile have solid east'agains
: ;a,solid west we shall have solid middl
states against solid northern states; w
; shall have u solid New York against
solid Pennsylvania, and asolid Ohio agains
. a solid Kentucky. 1t is twenty-sevel
years since the warcloud, and yet at ever,
: presidential election the old antagonism j
: aroused. When Garfield died and all tn
: states gathered around his casket in sym
pathy and in tears, and as hearty telegram
, 0fcondolence came from New Orleans ant
3 Charleston as from Boston and Chicago.
said to myself, II think sectionalsm i
! dead" But. alas, no! The difficulty will
never be,ended until each state of the ma
3 tion issplitupinto two or three gpeat po
htical parties
This country cannot exist umaess it ex
lists as one body, the national capital, tn
heart, sending out through all the nrterie
of communication warmth and life to tn
very extremities. This nation cannot ex
ist unless it exists as one family, and yol
might as well have solid brothers agains
solid sisters, and solid bread tray agains
q solid cradle, and solid nursery against
solid dining room, and you might as wei
have solid earsagainst solid eyes, and sole
head against solid foot. What is the In
tesest OF Georgia is the interest of Mas
sachusetts; what is the interest Of New
York Ia the interest of South Carolina
Does the Ohio river change it's politic
when it gets below Louisvilles 1t is no
possible for these sectional antagonisms tt
continue for a great many years without
permanent compound fracture.
HAS THIS NATION FORGOTTEN GoD2
Another evil threatening the destruction
Of our American institutions is the low
state of public morals
What killed Babylon of my texts Wha
killed Pheniciaf What killed Rome
Their own deprayity, and the fraud, ant
the drunkenness, and the lechery whicl
have destroyed other nations will destroy
ours unless merciful God prevent. II