Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-07-31
Thomas B. Reeds Voice
Opens the Maine Campaign In a Clean
cut, Brilliant Speech.

Opehs Nnt campaign III n NleAnS
cut, Brilliant Speech.
Speaker Thomas b. Reed opened the
Maine campaign Wednesday in speech
delivered at the York county Republican
convention at Alfred. Mr.. Reed said in
part:
have said that it would be unwise. un-
Just and senseless to confound the Demo-
cratic organization with individual Demo-
Gratis. have said, also, that that would
be flouting part of our own history, and
glorious part of our history, too-why,
it is within the memory of a third, and,
perhaps, half of this very audience which
listens to me, that when the terrible war of
the Rebellion burst forth, tens of thousands
of Democrats, politicians, strong party men,
sprang to their feet, representing hundreds
of thousands, aye, millions, and thenceforth
and always were part and parcel of the
bone and sinew of the victorious republic.
What matter If the party had gone wrong?
They were right. Que man among them,
one man alone, by single sentence, gave
aid and succor to this government which
outweighed a whole army corps of veterans
musket on shoulder. When Stephen A.
Douglas declared, after Sumter was fired
on, that "thenceforth there could be but
two parties, patriots and traitors" he won
the respect even of foes and an imperish-
able place in history. We shall certainly
welcome all such men today, not that they
are to be Republicans, for they will not be,
but because they are patriots, for that they
must be.
''If l were going to give good advice to
the people of the whole United States 1
should take this time to do it. just now
there is great deal of froth and foam in
the air, and some time is really needful TO
disclose clearly to every eye how much of
it Is the result of the temporary breeze
which stills at nightfall, and how little
there is of that heavy ground swell which
shows that great elementary forces are at
work. How very suddenly all this rush
and stir has set itself into action. Two
months ago no man of any standing would
have risked his reputation as a prophet by
limiting the slightest doubt of Republican
success. Four years of actual trial of the
opposition, under the guidance of it's best
and twice-trusted leader, had left no shad-
ow of question as to public duty. How
ever far the Republican party might have
fallen short of perfection, nevertheless all
men felt that it was the best party, just
now, to draw nigh TO for whatever is to be
left to us of sound government, CONNER
cial success and business prosperity. On
that we were all agreed, some of us who
were Democrats, regretfully, for we all hate
to be classed with the unsuccessful, whose
condemnation is at hand, even if we gain
by the change; others of us who were Re-
publicans, cheerfully, but without exulta-
tion; for we know how hard the task must
be to rebuild out of the ruins of the last
four years the stately mansions of national
happiness, prosperity and self-respect,
wherein our people lived until that unfor-
tunate election of 1892.
Two months have slipped away-hardly
time to ripen a strawberry, mTslh Less a
system OF finance-and there are those NnC7
tell us that all things have changed, that
those very men who were being arrayed for
decent burial had burst the cerements of the
grave, and transfgured by some new ar
rangemeut of crowns of thorns and crosses
of gold were to lead us to a new happiness,
and even repair all the damage they them
selves had wrought. Now this may be so,
but to me it does not seem probable. HUI
man experience in every walk of life teaches
us that those who have blundered will
blunder again, and that the wiSest course is
not to employ ship captain who has not
yet emerged from his last shipwreck, but
the safe sailor, who has never lost ship,
a passenger or a letter, but who has sailed
safe through every sea. He may have lost
masts and sails, and even been rudderless
for hours, but if he has every time come
safe to shore, better have him than all the
landsmen who are forever shouting what
they can do, and never dare to tell of what
they have done. Boosters are worth moth
ing. Deeds are facts and are forever and
ever. Talk dies on the empty air. Better
a pound of performance than shipload of
language.
But is it wise or Just to class all Demo-
Gratis together, and to declare them all
wrong, then announce they must be beaten
because they are Democrats? That would
be very unwise, very unjust and senseless
altogether. 1t would fiout all history and
especially our own. Parties are one thing,
their individual members may be another.
Parties seldom follow their best men. They
follow their average sense. In real action
there can never be but two parties, the Gre
ating party and the retarding party. The
progressive party may be unwise in its
progress, and the retarding party may be
unwise in its conservatism, but both serve
good purpose, and between them both the
world slowly and safely moves ahead.
Dreadfully slowly sometimes, but it does al
ways move ahead. Perhaps some one will
say here we have creative party which
has sprung up in a night like mushroom
and created a new system of finance. My
friends, you will find that that mushroom