The record-union., 1892-10-22

I
undertake an historic essay. \ better
opportunity could not be desired for a
study of our peculiarities than is fur
nlshed by the present moment.
We are in the midst of q quadrennial
period, established for the selection of q
| Chief Magistrate. Each citizen has his
right to vote and to have his vote freely
cast and fairly counted. Wherever this
right is assailed for any cause wrong is
done and evil must follow; first, to the
! Wnole country, which has an interest in
! all It's parts, but most to the community
immediately involved, which must act
uaily drink of the cup that has contained
| poison aud cannot escape infection. The
| abrldgment of the right of suffrage, how
ever, is very nearly proportioned to the
ignorance or Indifference of the parties
concerned by 1t, and there is good reason
10 nope that, with the expanding intelli-
gence OF the masses and growing eniight-
eminent OF the times, this particular form
OF corruption in elections will be reduced
! below the danger line. To that end, as
TO all other good ends, the moderation of
| puplc sentiment must ever be our chief
! reliance, for when we are forced by a gen
eral desire for truth and light, which our
4 modern vehicles OF Information throw
upon truth, to discuss public questions
! Tor truths sake; when it becomes the
| plain interest OF public men, as it is their
!
all, friends and neighbors cease to love
one another less because of individual
| difference of opinion about public affairs,
the struggle tor unfair advantage will
! be relegated to those who have no char
| acter to lose or none to seek
| 1t is admitted on all sides that the cur
| rent Presidential campaign is freer from
excitement and tumult than ever known
| before, and it is argued from this circum-
stance that we are traYersing an epoch of
commonplace. If this be So thank God
! for 1t. We have had full enough of the
! dramatic and sensational and need a sea-
son OF mediocrity and repose. But may
we not ascribe the rational way in which
! people are going about their business to a
| larger knowledge and experience and
lalrer spirit than hitherto marked our
| party contentious; we have in our time
| seen the republic survive an irrepressible
conflict sown in the blood and marrow of
social order; we have seen a Federal
| Union, not too strongly put together in
the llrst place, come out of great war OF
| sections stronger than when it when into
1t, its faith renewed, it's credit rehabili-
| tated and its flag saluted with love and
! homage by 6O, ,000, 600 of God-fearing men
and women, thoroughly reconciled and
/ homogeneous; we have seen the Federal
| Constitution outlaSt the strain not merely
| OF reconstructory ordeal and Presiden-
]
OF an electoral vote, a Congressional dead
! lock and extra constitutional tribunal,
! yet standing firm against the assaults OF
! It's enemies, while yielding itself with
admirable tleXibility to the needs of the
| country and time, and finally we saw the
! gigantic fabric. of a Federal Government
| transferred from hands that had held it a
! quarter of century to other hands, with
! out protest, although so close was the poll
IN the final count that a single blanket
might have covered both contestants for
the Chief Alagisterial Office. With such a
record behind US. who shall be afraid OF
! the future?
The curse of slavery is dead. 1t was a
JOINT heritage of woe, to be wiped out
and expiated in blood and fame. The
mirage of COnfederacy has vanished. 1t
was essentially bucolic, vision of ar
cadla, the dream of the most attractive
| economic fallacy. The Constitution is no
longer rope of sand. The exact rela-
ton of the States to the Federal Govern
ment is left open to double construction
| by the authors of our organic being, be-
cause they could not agree among them
/ selves, and union, the paramount object,
! has been clearly and definitely fixed by
| the last three amendments to the original
chart, which constitute the real treaty of
! peace between the EoIt4 and South and
| the seal of our bonds as a Nation forever.
ter and spirit of the sublime declaration.
! The letters that bound her to earth are
! burst asunder, the rags that degraded
| her beauty are cast aside. Like the en-
chanted Princess in the legend clad in
spotless raiment and wearing the crown
of living light, she steps in the perfection
| of her maturity upon the scene of this,
the latest and prOudest of her victories,
| to bid welcome to the world.
| Need l pursue the theme? This vast
assemblage speaks with resonance and
| meaning which words can never reach
| There is 10 geography in American man
hood. The South claims Lincoln, the
immortal. for its own; the North has no
| right to reject Stonewal Jackson, a typi-
cal Puritan soldier of war, for its own.
Nor will it. The time is coming, is al
most here, when, hanging above many a
mantel- board in fair New England glor-
flying many a cottage in the sunny South,
shall be seen bound together, in everlast-
ing love and honor, two cross swords car
ried to battle respectively by the grand
father who wore the blue and the grand
| father who wore the gray.
cannot trust myself to proceed. We
have come here not so much to recall by
gone sorrows and glories as to bask in the
sunshine of present prosperity and hap
piness; to interchange patriotic greetings
and indulge in good augures, and above
Oil w upOI lItC LuG
stranger within our gate, not as a for
eigner, but as guest and friend, for
whom nothing is too TODD.
AT this moment, in every part of the
American Union, the children are taking
up the wonderous tale of the discovery,
and from Boston to Galveston, from the
little log schOolhouse in the wilderness to
the towering academy in the city and
town, may be witnessed the unprece-
dented spectacle of a powerful nation
captured by an army of lilliputianS of
embryo men and women, oftoddling bows
and girls and tiny elves scarce big enough
| to lisp, numbers of national anthem
scarce strong enough to lift miniature
! flags that make of the arid street and
autumn wood an embleInatic garden. to
gladden. the sight and to glorify the red,
white and blue, See "our young bar
barans all at play" for better than these
we have nothing to exhibit. They, in
deed, are our crown jewels, the truest
though inevitable, otfsprings Of our civil
iZation and development; representatives
of manhood, yitalized and invigorated by
toll and care; of womanhood, elevated
and inspired by liberty and education.
God bless the children and their
mothers; God bless our country's flag,
and God be with us now and ever-God
in the roof trees shade and God on the
highway, God in the winds and waves
and God in all our hearts.
The ''Star-spangled Banner and 'Hail
Columbia were then rendered by full
chorus and orchestra.
COLUMBIAN GRAFTON,
Chauncey M. Depew was then intro
duced and delivered the oration. Mr..
Depew stated that the day Belongs not to
America, but to the world, for the results
of the event it commentaries are the
heritage Of the people Of every race and
cline. We cnlabT3tp ln said tba aynar
cipation of man. Reference was made to
the chaos which followed the breaking
up OF the Roman Empire, the rise of the
tendal system. absolutism in the State