The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-10-31
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Young
Men.

Men a very brilliant thing said the
other day by boy in one Of
our northwestern counties. He said to me:
General, have great mind to vote the Dem
ocratic ticket" That was not the brilliant
thing. l said to him: "Why?" why" said
he, my father is Il Republican, and my
brothers are Republicans, and am a Repub-
lican all over; but want to be an independ
ont man, and L dont's want anybody to say
| that fellow votes the Republican ticket just
because his dad does and have half mind
to vote the Democratic ticket just to prove my
independence" / did not like the thing the
boy suggested but do admire the spirit of a
boy who wants to have some Independence
Now, tell you, young man, do not vote the
Republican ticket just because your father
votes it. Do not vote the Democratic ticket
even il he does vote it. But let me give you
this one word of advice, as you are about to
pitch your tent in one of the great political
camps.
Your life is full and bouyant with hope now,
and beg you, when you pitch your tent, pitch
it among the living and not among the dead.
If you are at all inclined to pitch it among the
Democratic people, let me go with you for q
moment while we survey the ground where I
hope you will not shortly lie. 1t is q sad place.
young man, for you to put your young life.
1t is to me far more like graveyard than q
camp for the living. Look at it! 1t is billowed
all over with the graves of dead issues Of
buried opinions, OF exploxded theories, of dis
graced doctrines. Here are the tombs Of
Squatter Sovereignty, the Dread Scott Deci-
sion, Slavery, the Rebellion, State Sovereignty
Secession and opposition to the war. You can
not live in comfort in such a place. Before
leave this graveyard must point out to you a
new made grave, q little mound-short. The
grass has hardly sprouted over it, and all
around it / see torn pieces of paper with the
word fiat on them; looking down in curios-
ity, and wondering what the little grave is, I
read: "Sacred the memery of the Rag Baby
nursed in the brain of fanaticism; rocked by
Thomas Ewing, George h. Pendleton Samuel
Cary, and few others throughout the land.
But it died on the first of January, 1879, and
the $l4O, ,0OO0 900 of gold that God made, and not
fiat power, lies upon its little body to keep it
| down forever"
Oyoung man, come out of that camp. That
| is no place in which to pitch your young life.
| Come out and come into this camp of liberty,
Of order, Of law, of justice, OF freedom, OF all
that is glorious under these night stars
| Is there any death here in our camp2 Yesl
Yes! Three hundred and fifty Thousand SOL
diers, the noblest band that ever trod the
| earth, died to make this camp camp Of glory
and Of liberty forever, but there are no dead
| issues here. There are no dead ideas here
Hang out your banner under the blue sky this
night until 1t shall sweep the green turf under
| your feet. 1t hangs over our camp. Read
away under the stars the inscription we have
written on it, To- these rs years. Twenty five
years ago Gne hepuDuc8n parry was narIl0O
| to liberty and this is silver wedding, fellow
citizens worthily married pair love each
other better on the day of their silver wed
| ding than ON the day Of their first espousals
and we are truer to liberty today and dearer
| to God than we were when we spoke our first
word Of liberty. Read away up under the sky
| across our starry banner, that first word we
uttered % years ago What was itP Slavery
| shall never extend over another foot Of the
territories Of the great west" Is that dead or
aliveP Alive, thank God, for evermore. And
| truer tonight than the hour it was written.
Then it was hope, q promise, q purpose. To
night it is equal with the stars-immortal his
tory and immortal truth.
Follow the glorious steps Of our banner
Every great record that we may have made
we have vindicated with our blood and with
our truth. 1t sweeps the ground and II
touches the stars. Come here young man and
put in your young life where all is living, and
where nothing Is dead but the heroes that de
Tended 1t. l think these young men will dc
that."-James A. Garfield at Cleveland, Oct
| II 1879,