Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-08-03
Garfield to Young Men.
An Appeal TO Them Not 20 Lend Their
Forces to Dead Issues.
From speech delivered by James A. Garfield


Forces TO Dead Issues.
From speech delivered by James A. Garfield
in Cleveland, Oct. II, 1879
Now, tell you, young man, do not vote
the Republican ticket just because your
father votes it. Do not vote the Demo-
cratic ticket even if he does vote it. But
let me give you this one word of advice, as
you are about to pitch your tent in one of
the great political camps.
Your life is full and buoyant with hope
now, and beg you, when you pitch your
tent, pitch it among the living and not
among the dead. If you are at all inclined
to pitch it among the Democratic people,
let me go with you for a moment while we
survey the ground where hope you will
not shortly lie. 1t is a sad place, young
man, for you to put your young life. 1t is
for me far more like a graveyard than a
camp for the living. Look at it 1t is
billowed all over with the graves of dead
issues, of buried opinions, of exploded the
cries, of disgraced doctrines. Here are the
tombs of Squatter Sovereignty, the bred
Scott Decision, Slavery, the Rebellion,
State Sovereignty, Secession and opposi-
sition to the war. You cannot lie in COM
fort in such a place. But before leave
this graveyard must point out to you a
new made grave, little mound-shOrt.
The grass has hardly sprouted over 1t, and
all around it l see torn pieces of paper
with the word "fiat' on them; looking
down in curiosity, and wondering what
the little grave is, l read: "Sacred to the
memory of the Rag Baby; nursed in the
brain of fanatism; rocked by Thomas
Ewing, George a. Pendleton, Samuel
Cary and few others throughout the
land. But it died on the first of January,
1870, and the one hundred and forty mil
lions of gold that God made. and not fat
power, lies upon its little body to keep it
down forever"
oh, young man, come out of that CAMP
That is no place in which to put your
young life. Come out, and come over into
this camp of liberty, of order, of law, of
justice, of freedom, OF all that is glorious
under these night stars.
Is there any death here in our camp?
Yes Yes. Three hundred and fifty thous-
and soldiers, tle noblest band that ever
trOd the earth, died to make this camp a
camp of glory and of liberty forever. But
there are no dead issues here. Hang out
your banner under the blue sky this night
until it shall sweep the green turf under
your feet 1t hangs over our camp. Read
away up under the stars the inscription we
have written on it, lo these 25 years.
Twenty five years ago the Republican par
ty was married TO liberty, and this is our
silver wedding, fellow citizens. A WORTH
ly married pair love each other better on
the day of their silver wedding than on
the day of their first espousals; and we
are truer to liberty today and dearer to
God than we were when we spoke our first
word of liberty. Read away up under
the stars, across our starry banner, that
first word we uttered 25 years ago. What
was It? "Slavery shall never extend over
another foot of the territories of the Great
West" Is that dead or alive? Alive,
thank God, for evermOrel And truer to-
night than it was the hour it was written
Then it was hope, a promise, a purpose;
Tonight 1t is equal with the stars-immcr-
tai history and immortal truth.
Follow the glorious steps of our banner.
Every great record that we have made we
have vindicated with our blood and with
our truth. 1t sweeps the ground, and it
touches the stars. Come here, young
man, and put in your young life where all
is living and where nothing is dead but
the heroes that defended it. think these
young men will do that.