The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-07-16

an inspiration ana WHOSE CouLlSol9 III
gered in my ears when he was gone;
the spot where rest the ashes of
mother. as tender and true, as patient
as gentle, as loving as God in His in
finite love ever gave to man. | can |
not forget this home, nor these people, |
and can say no more to-day than |
to express in words, which if not elab |
crate, will be sincere, the deep and |
heartfelt thanks for these tokens and |
manifestation of good will
"There is an ideal plane3in politics |
and / believe we stand upon it here |
to-day. We differ in opinion. We diff
fer as to party politics, but we meet
to-day recognizing these differences
and net feeling a charity toward each
other We are all imbued with the
same spirit We all possess the same
ambition. We are all living to carry
out the same great purpose. We want
a government of the people by the
people, "and for the people," and
though we differ as to the means of
carrying it out we can differ as hon
est citizens, differing in judgment and
agreeing in purpose.
II thank the Republicans who have
! assembled here. | thank the Prohibi-
tionists. / thank the Populists as
!
! at last, my friends, when these ques-
! tfons which arise from time to time
| upon the surface and disturb the
| thought and agitate the people have
passed away. we all agree on those
great fundamental principles which
underlie our form of government. We
! believe that all men were created
equal, not that they 40 equal in tai
ents or in virtues or in merits, but
! we agree in this, that wherever gov
! ernment, comes in contact with the cit
| izen or wherever the citizen touches
| governments ali must stand equal before
the law. We agree that government
| can be no respector of persons, and
that its strength, it's matchless
| strength, must be the protector of the
| fortunes of the great and the posses
| sions of the poor and that it
| shall stand an impartial arbi-
traitor between all our citizens,
We must agree on this. We agree that
there are inalienable rights, the rights
which government did not give, the
rights which government cannot take
away. We all agree that governments
are instituted among men TO secure
and preserve these rights and to agree
that governments derive their Just
powers from the consent of the govern
ment. We know no divine right of
kings. The people gathered here and
in assemblages like this all over this
| broad land are the sovereign source
of all power These citizens are the
| substantial foundation upon which
rest our form of government. And
| while our citizens appreciate the re-
sponsibility of citizenship and strive,
each in his own way and according to
his best judgment, to bring ciyiliza-
tion to higher ground and make the
| government each year more fit eX-
preston of the virtue of the people
as long as this is desired by all, we
can agree in the fundamental princi-
pies, though we may differ in those
| minor points. which separate u.s. 1t
is hear that / received my first instruc-
ton in Democracy | do not use it as a
party name. | mean it in the broader
/ sense. that Democracy that recognizes
the brotherhood of man. Ii was here
that ! learned the truth Of the poets
| language, Honor and shame from no
| condition rise" The clothes do not
make the man and we all contribute
| to the nations greatness, all who have
| the good of their country at heart. 1t
matters not what their stand in life.
what their ancestry, what their sur,
| roundings. all must stand upon com
mon ground, and all are citizens. Cap
| plause.t
| 1T was here, too. that | learned that
| principle that must 90 hand in hand
with a broad Democracy, the freedom
| of conscience; that every man has a
right to worship God according to the
| dictates of his own conscience and
| that no government like ours can ar
| n bnl
| ship God. These are the basic prin-
| ciples upon which have been reared
| the greatest nation know 10 history.
| am believer in the progress of the
| race. Talk not to me about
| crises through which we can
| not pass. Tell me. not of dan
gers that will overthrow, obstacles too
great to be overcome. We have none
| such. brave, heroic, patriotic peo-
pie will be ready to meet every emer-
gency as it arises.
Each generation will be more capa-
bic under our institutions than the
generation which went before Abra- |
ham Lincoln. in that greatest of his |
speeches, said that we had an unfinish- |
ed work. Every generation receives |
from the preceding generation an un-
finished work. The works of man are |
imperfect. We shall labor on from age |
| to age, we shall not reach perfection |
but II we do our duty we shall leave |
| the world be Yer than it was when we |
entered it, and every generation will |
enjoy blessings bequeathed from the |
generations passed. My friends, with |
such a gathering here, and not here |
alone, but throughout the entire land |
from the Atlantic to the Pacific ana |
from the Lakes TO the Gulf. Of a peo- |
pie such as these. nation can look |
with absolute confidence for that wis |
dom, that intelligence, that patriotism |
and that courage to meet every hour
of danger. Enthusiastic applause) ,
But | must not talk to you Per- |
nit me again and again to thank you |
for what you have done for me, for the |
words that you have spoken and the |
kindly expression which see on every /
face. We know not what may be the
f 4