Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1894-07-20
The Farmers Leader
MELVIN GRIGSBY'S GRAFTON
A Part Of His Speech Which Created
SO Great a Sensation at
WatertoWn.

| WATERTowN, July Con the Fourth
Melvin Grigsby of Sioux Falls. delivered
an eloquent oration here, speaking more
than an hour. He carried the crowd
with him and received frequent and pro-
longed applause. His great audience Of
| old soldiers was startled toward the close
at his vehement denounceation of Sena-
| tor Pettigrew and these remarks were
greeted with cheers. This portion Of
the address was as follows:
'It is not enough that correct princi-
Piles are laid down in your platform.
Mean men often advocate good measures
Good men under the influence of their
environment are often found supporting
bad measures. We must have sound
| measures and sound men.
Twenty years ago a young man
made his political debut IN this valley.
He claimed to be d republican but he
bolted republican convention and ran
against an old and honored member Of
that party. Realizing that he would be
short Of votes, he came I'D here into what
was then unorganiZed Deuel. county. He
had voting precincts organized for town
ships that did not contain even one sod
| shanty. There were few men at work
on the Winona and St. Peter railway,
but they were not legal voters. From
Deuel. county that young man took or
had sent to the capital at Yankton re-
turns showing nearly 300 votes all cast
for himself. Those votes were canvassed
and by the aid of those votes that young
man was sworn in as a member of the
legislature, and took the seat that right
fully belonged To his tewnsnan and
neighbor-an old republican. That seat
was contested. And although that young
man had allied himself with large ma
jority of the house. and was assisting
them in nefarious schemes, when the re-
port of the committee on contests came
ed on chicanery so fragrant, on returns
so corrupt, that even his companions in
jobbery would not sustain him. They
cast him out. If the facts reported by
the committee were true that young man
was entitled to prison cell instead Of
legislative seat That man today is a
candidate for the United States senate.
That was twenty-five years ago. A
leopard might almost change its spots IN
twenty-five years. In that time young
man might repent of the follies of youth
and acquire the dignity and the character
and the principles that belong TO full
tiedged manhood. But if you should fol-
low the history of that man from that
starting point up to the present time and
sou should find that his first move in
politics had been indicative of his whole
career. that chicanery and trickery
had been his chief stock in trade,
treachery his most effective tool, slander
his readiest weapon. political jobbery his
only success; if you should find that that
man, aided by party machinery, with
that kind of a record behind him had
pushed himself to the front, would it not
turn him down?
The office of United States senator is
one of the most exalted to which an
American citizen can aspire.
In statuary hall at our national capitol
the states of the union endeavor to perpe-
tuate in marble and in bronze the memory
of their noblest men.
No man should be chosen to the senate
who-if he has not already earned-has
not ability coupled with those sterling
qualities of honor and of manhood thai
will enable him 10 earn for himself a
niche in that temple Of fame.
There Virginia proudly points to Pat
rick Henry, to Jefferson and to the father
of his country.
There New York has placed the gifted
Hamilton, who, when a mere boy, wrote
on drum head the first draft of our con-
stltuIion.
There Pennsylvania has her philosoph-
er statesman drawing lightning from the J
clouds with one hand and with the other
writing economic truths that are today
household proverbs for all the world.
There Kentucky places that great COM
moner whose love OF country coupled
with his matchless eloquence we'll nigh
cemented together in bonds of union
human slavery and American freedom.
There from Ohio stands the scholar, the
hero and the statesman, who helped to
teach American boys that the tow path
to success leads from the log cabin on the
farm up through the district school, the
academy and the college, and the battle
field If need be, to the halls of congress
and the white house.
~l fc~ nllh h,,Do ritv hoci6o tho