Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1896-08-20
AN ADDRESS
BY
SENATOR G. <. DAVIS
TO THE
CITIZENS OF ST. PAUL.
AUGUST 4. 1896.

1or the Republican party La Ramsey county
by the delivery of mastery address,
principally confined to a discussion Of ques-
lions OF finance. He was greeted at Mar
ket hall by a large audience, and was
listened to with the closest attention, and
ut numerous pauses in his speech was en-
Enthusiastically applauded. Senator Davis
spoke as follows:
Senator Davis said: Mr.. President and
Follow Citizens: This great assen:blage,
convened under conditions of temperature
so unpropitious, admonishes me that you
have met here to deliberate upon
matters of serious and most pressing inn
port. l am here, standing face to face with
you, to speak in a perfectly plain way,
without any attempt at rhetorical exaggera-
ton, hope without any error of fact. and
l trust without any error of judgment, upon
issues which concern the American people
more deeply than any that have been pre-
sented to their consideration since the first
election of Abraham Lincoln.
I must confess, my fellow citizens and
neighhors, that l appear before you to-
night under feelings of uncommon respon-
sibility and with somewhat of self-distrust.
I feel that to you l am under a peculiar
pledge, not only to give you the best fruits
of my reflection, but to assist you to direct
your steps and vision in the right direction
and upon the right path. 1t almost over
powers me when l think that perhaps i'll
some particular I may fail; l am sure l
shall not attempt to mislead you; and in
tending, as do, to give you discourse not
garnished with any flowers of rhetoric, but
to deal in plain speech, historical facts, and
we'll authenticated examples; say l ask
your calm attention. and if you do not
agree with me at once in what 1 say to
you take it home with you and reflect upon
it. I shall doubtless this evening say some
things that will not be sweet to the ears
of some persons who hear me. l say them
Of
larity as we'll as any man, but. in the lam
guage Of a great judge delivering a great
decision, when the waves OF popular up
roar were beating at the doors of his court,
Il desire the popularity which follows,
and not that which is run after" Cap
plause)
Ny fellow citizens, 1 am here as a Re-
publican. I have been a Republican ever
since that party was formed. (Applause)
believe In its principles. have the ut
most liberation for the honest political con-
victiOns of any other man. The limitations
of this occasion and the peculiar state of
feeling which has called you together do
not permit me to apply my remarks to the
personnel of this campaign. l only ask you
to apply everything say as reason why
you should support Mr.. Mckinley and the
principles Of protection, for a Repub-
lican I believe that they lie at the founda-
ton of our prosperity. (Applause.) also
ask you, for the same reason, to apply every
argument shall adduce to the support of
the state ticket. nominated fairly and placed
before the people For the same considera-
lions which lead you to support the national
ticket will lead you to support that. l also,
my fellow citizens, ask you and ask the
people of this state who may read my
words to stand by the Republican con-
gressional nominations. for there never was
time in the history of the Republican
party, perhaps not in the history of the
11niOn. when fhQ congressional election was
of such overpowering Importance.
>. With these preliminary remarks let me
go into my subject IN the perfectly plain
way in which promised to consider it.
My friends. the American people in their
great tribunal Of elective jurisdiction are
going to determine the questions which are
submitted to their consideration by the
platforms of the various parties. They will
listen to argument on all sides, and will,
as is their habit in later years, weigh every
consideration WE'LL And in addressing any
audience upon this subject, OF in consider
ing it, it is we'll for us to look back Of the
surface Of this campaign, back of the loud
sounding assertions of politicians and the
glittering generalities Of things and see just
exactly where we stand, what menaces us,
and what we ought to guard against. For
things have had a wondrous change within
the last year. In former presidential cleo
tons where the two great parties arrayed
themselves against each other upon issues
of contention which were q generation old,
well understood and well defined, however
acrimonious the debate, however earnest
the convictions, and however, for the pur-
poses Of discussion, dire the prophesies of
disaster in case one party of the other
should achieve success, the American peo-
pie knew and felt instinctively that which
ever party prevailed the great securities OF
governn ent, the great foundations of prop
erty, the obligations Of contracts which
bind man to man, the currency itself, were
safe and would not be irreparably en-
dangered.
It is not SO to-day. For the first time
since the election next preceding the great
civil war, we are required to guard the
very foundations and bulwarks of national
stability, commercial honesty and financial
honor The Democratic party, which con-
avened at Chicago suffered wonderful
change in that convention. The old oracles
and leaders Of the party were rudely turned
aside. That convention was occupied and
Economically possessed by a spirit which
has not raised its head in the political con-
yentions of either party for thirty years.
II there was any one result which the two
million Of men who went out to defend this
country thirty years ago thought that they
had entirely secured when they returned, it
was that the malign doctrine of state rights,
which lay at the bottom and was the i'm
petus of the greatest rebellion which ever
reared its head against civilized govern
ment, had been exercised forever. Lo, and
behold! in that convention, coming from
the State of South Carolina, as of yore, you
find the declaration of the same state
rights, in the same spirit as in the ancient
}time, and appearing in a connection which
must arouse the resentment and rcpugnance
Of every liberty loving and country loving
man. Every one who knows anything about
me knows that / am not political nd.
mirer Of Grover Cleveland; but Il there wa
epy one act Of his administration, which,