The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-03-29
SENATOR PLATES SPEECH.
DELIVERBD IN BRIDGEPORT LAST
 NIGHT

Lesson in the Last Two Years-Object
 Lessons Have Been Plenty-The Damaged
 EdiflOe of National Prosperity Cannot be
 Repaired Until After 1896-The Next Con
 gress-Democrats Can Block the Wheels
 of Prosperity Yet for Time.
 Gentlemen of the Republican Club:
 am sure need say little more than
 is necessary to express my warmest
 thanks for your hospitality, to com
 gratulate you and the republicans of
 Connecticut as well, upon your evident
 purpose to stand by the principles of
 your party, and to join with you in the hope for it's complete triumph, tri- l umph which we believe would bring
 with it the return of prosperity to our
 country.
 It is not i'm my heart tonight to say
 harsh or vindictive things of the dem
 ocratic party. have the feeling, and I
 think you will agree with me, that it would not be fair to dos so. By the
 rules of all honorable contest it is un- fair to strike a man when he is down, l elliN IL ci pcIl ly ever WdS QOWu, lHtil lS l the democratic condition at present;
 nor is it quite fair and manly to exult
 over the fallen foe. Heaven knows the field for criticism is wide and the temp
 tation great. But after all, republi-
 cans do not need to oriticise, the dem ocrats are performing the crfticising l act to perfection, and really it would 1 be superfiuous for us to join in. If you do not appreciate this, just stop
 and think a moment. Have you heard
 any democrat within the last year say
 good word for his party since 1t came in power? On the other hand,
 has not every democrat whom you
 have met expressed his disgust in
 words which, if not actually profane,
 were at least more forcible than ele-
 gant? Can you find democratic
 newspaper anywhere that upholds the
 democratic administration for any thing that it has done, or has party loyalty enough left to blow penny whistle blast in honor of the president? If all the swear words which demo- crats and democratic leaders and newspapers have said and are saying about their president and their con- gress could be printed what a volume it would make; indeed, what a libary! If republicans talked and wrote as the democrats do, we should be called Villi- fiers and slanderers. I think we can leave criticism and condemnation of the administration which for two years has disgusted the country to the demo- crats themselves. If I desired to, I could not frame language of condemna- ton which would fit the case as we'll as that used by them; I certainly would not desire to fall behind in de- nunciation if attempted 1t. But there is one thing to be looked out for. When a ruff1an attacks you viciously and you knock him down, if he surrenders and cries enough and says he won't do so any more, it is quite right to let him up. But if he has not learned anything by his punishment, and shows dispo- sition to attack you again just as Wi- ciously when he gets up, you had better keep him down, and sit on him until he promises to behave. And that is just what we ought to do with the democrat ic party. As soon as it came into power it made a most vicious attack on the interests of the people, and the people struck it down; now 1t wants to get up again and renew it's attacks on the interests and industries of the people Better keep it down while; we don't need to be hard or severe or cruel, or to pound it now that 1t Is down, but the people had better sit on the prostrate party for a while. If 1t gets on its feet again, there is no telling what it | will do. It might elect another con- | gross such as has just given up the | ghost to everybody's relief It might | even elect Grover Cleveland president | again. Do not trust it, beg you. Do | not let it get up until 1t shows repen- ! tance at least; I don't believe you are | going to.
 I think the people have learned a good l deal in the past two years. Object les sons have been plenty and have been | pretty thoroughly studied, and if I am not mistaken republicans have all | learned something worth remembering. | Before the last presidential election | there was a pretty general feeling | among average republicans that really | there was no necessity for individual political work; kind of feeling that | 3fe republican party had taken pretty | good care of the country for thirty | years and that in some way it would 90 on doing 1t without any great help rom the individual citizen. Then a good many men who believed thorough y in the policy and principles of the party, had 8 notion that they were either too busy or too good to do any work for 1t, and talked about political lffairs in kind of sneering tone; but
 do believe that the last two years of rial and disaster have opened the yes of people to the fact that every individual has a political duty to per orm, and 8 political work to do, which le cannot neglect without serious re- ults. It will not be unfashionable, I .m sure, for some time to come to be 0 ,olitician. If the workingmen and business men of the country are only IS anxious to put the republicans in lower again as they have been that heir representatives in congress hould prevent democratic mischief, here is complete restoration and a long ease of power in store for the republi- an party. The lesson which ought to 1 ave been learned by this time, and I