Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-01-09
TIE b|AETAILIC CLUB
Elected Officers at a Well Attended
Meeting Held Last Evening.
Az Excellent Address on Andrew
jackson Delivered by Nj. L. Nc
Laughln After h g Business
Meetsng-Addre Made by the
Retiring Presiding Officer and His
Successor


Retiring Presiding Officer and His
! Successor.
Yesterday was Jackson Day. The
anniversary Of the birth Of this ster-
/ ling Democrat is generally celebrated
by Democratic clubs. The Bimetallic
Club of Wheeling held their annual
election OF officers last night, and lis
| tened to an admirable address on
! Jackson by NJ. l.. Mclaughlin, Esq.
1t is the intention in the future to
more generally observe the anDivef-
sary. The election Of officers last
night resulted as follows:
President, w. c. Handlan.'
! Secretary, Geo. w. Robinson.
Treasurer, James Mckinley.
Vice Presidents- Washington, First
ward, John S. Ritz; Fulton. Henry
Stein; Madison, Island, R. S. kinche-
Toe Second ward, j. w. P. Crawford;
Clay, Henry Nau; Union, Wilson
White; Centre, C. w. Seabright;
Webster, Louis Albright; Richie,
James Nichol Triadeiphia, L. ".
Blayney: Liberty, James NJ. Farms;
Richland, Sherrard Moore.
Mr.. NJ. F. Tighe made brief ad-
dress in giving up the chair to his
successor, and Mr.. Handlan also made
few appropriate remarks.
The address Of Attorney M. L. Nc
Laughlin was listened to with close
attention throughout. He spoke as
follows:
"Gentlemen:-I deem it a great pleasure
as we'll as a great privilege, 10 have the
opportunity OF talking to SO many people
as there are here present, upon the sub
ject of what L think constitutes great
man.
Great men are said to be epoch max
ers. and they generally belong to that
class called radicals, because their ideas
are in advance OF the age in which they
i've They are generally men in whom We
find love. honesty, self-reilance, physical
and moral courage, judgment and energy
all in proper quantities. History is full
of names of men called great. Some are
given that title because they are orators,
some because they are warriors, and 9TH
ers because they are statesmen. Greece
| had her Socrates, Perlcles and Demosthe-
mes; Rome her Cicero and Cato; France
! had her Mirabeau ana Napoleon Eng
| land, Cromwell and Gladstone; but Amer
lea had her Washington, her Lincoln and
her Jackson.
While history proclaims them all great,
! She sometimes fails TO distinguish be-
| tween the hypocrite and the sincere be-
tween the deInagogue and the patriot, be-
! tween real greatness and imitation. We
have in this country to-day two parties,
| the same as we have had in all other
| countries in all stages Of civilization. and
! IN all ages of the world. The one is call
| ed the conservative and the other is call
| ed the radical. The conservative prldes
| itself on being aristocratic the radical
| conservative party is sure to meet de-
at when the truth is unfolded. The
| radicals only trouble is to unfold the
truth. Rome had the Patricians and PIE
| beians, but years ella psed before she
| placed the Plebian on equal footing with
| the Patrician.
! The highest merit we can ascrbe to Co
| lumbus is that he was a radical. lie set
at naught books and traditions. ana
| spoke not what men thought and said,
! but what he thought. Moses, Plato ana
| Milton were anything but conservatives
| What does that word mean, that we
| hear 50 often, "Conservatiye?'
| 1t means anything but what its So
| called possessors would have it mean. 1t
means to follow the footsteps. of his, IA
Their; it means going backward, Tor there
| is no such thing as standing still Life is
! like river-pull on the oars ana you
ascend but slack pulling and you drift
with the current. You cannot be as good
! as your fathers have been; you must be
| better or worse. You cannot stand still
| on this river of life. The conservative
now defends everything, that is in exist
| ence. whether good or bad. He clutches
| the first fact that he finds with death
! grip, and at the same time closes his eyes
lest he might see better fact. lie sets
| at nought the inventor and the prophet
! He is all memory against judgment po-
! etry, invention and prayer. He is a mega
| tive force against innovation, which is
positive.
To ride in a coach and four from Wheel
ing to Washington would be conserya-
! tive, against the lightning express, which
is innovation and reform
The stone which lies in the river bed
and wears away by the action of the cur
rent is conservative It o gTow ;;, smaller at lie,
The mighty oak with its branches reach
ing heavenward. that has borne the
storms of centuries, the cultivation OF
flowers. fruits and grain. becoming more
and more perfect represents the ra0lcaIS.
The building of railroads and ships. the
development Of countries and states the
extension of commerce ana peace anoilS
the nations of the world, the establishing
of international Law. are all acts OF lnno-
walton and due to the radical. The Cru
saders who crossed the continent OF Eu-
rope, who opened commerce with the
east and who caused the downfall OF
vandalism by the building of cities, Were
all radicals. They were the feformeTs OF
the middle ages The AryanS who left
their homes in Asia, built up the states
of Greece and Rome, of France and Ger
many. of England and the United States,
We're the radicals of ancient tunes. -u-
Their. Stern, Malancthon and the NaZarene
might well be classed among the radic2ls
But why does the young man pride NM
self on being called conservative? Is it
because he admires China. the most con-
servatiye nation on the face OF the e2rtn !:
Is II because ne WISHES 10 20 bdCfAN "a u :.
Is it because ne wishes to appear aristo-
cratic or is it because he IS an imitator?
The man who sits quietly by at the con-
yention makes no demonstration, but
finally endorses and defends everything
that is put in his party platform, is very
conservative man. But the man VINO
fights for right and Justice who advances
theories that he deems beneficial to the
masses but is outnumbered. who finally
goes to another party advocating some
of his reforms, is a. radical. The man
who says the income tax is UNJUST be-
cause Il is not III his platform. is conser-
vative. But TIE great statesmen that
! we all admire. regarQle IS OF party, inc
great men In all the walks Of life are
| ing ears. hear; men who see the poor and
| the rich alike. hear their voices with the
/ same ear and speak to them with the
same ton2ce are the men VINO deserve
| the title Great"
| Great men are men Of character: men
| of ideals. Shakespeare was radical: lie
! had an accurate ideal of love. hatred ana
! fGelity 1t was Pinkuey's ideal OF nation
| al pride. of patriotism. Of honor, Of JUS
| tice that gave birth to the undyng. un-
/ bending expression, Millions for defense:
| bat not one cent for tribute. lie satd
more in that single sentence than was
! ever written before in volumes.
| had an ideal of what constituted patriot
| ism when he gave his life ana his army
! to the Persans rather than return 70
| Sparta g defeated man. He was radical
| But what was Jackson? An American
| patriot and statesman not so-cal!ed. hui
! real not an imitator but born great
! He was not a made scholar like Adams,
| he was born with intuitive judgment.
! borseStv phxsicnl and moral cOura sc. en-