The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-04-07
A ROUSING SPEECH
William L. Taylor Sounds a Stirring
Note at Seventh District Convention.
Indianapolis Journal, April 8:

of the Seventh district convention
which nominated Congressman Over
street on Saturday, spoke as follows
on assuming the gavel:
Won Hoist. the great political his.
torian. says that political parties exist
as means to an end and not as an
end in themselves; that the moment a
party ceases to have fixed policy as
an end. that moment it's excuse fer ex-
listing ceases.
1.-THE Republican party has always
existed as a means to an erd; it has
always had a fixed purpose and has
always known just what that purpose
was. 1t has always been able to state
it and it has always had the ability and
the courage to transform it's principles
into positive laws. Those laws have
been tried and approved.
The Democratic party formerly was
means to an end. It formerly had
purposes and plans. Toda/ it has nei-
Their. 1t is leaderless, purposeless
mass. 1t is simply drifting with the
tide. Like ship without her rudder,
1t will wash upon the rocks this fall
Its only avowed end is to find some
landing place.. 1t has elected but one
president since 1856, and he has been
In exile for eight years. The conspic-
uous figure who has been at the head
for the last eight years is now on his
way to st. Helena. You cannot put
the pictures of these two leaders side
by side In any Democratic conve ntion
without starting a row. The Demo
cratic party today Is quaking lest the
new yellow peril yellow in journal
ism and yellow in money, should sweep
the Democracy from it's feet and Sc
cure the presidential nomination at
st. Louis. The Indiana Democracy is
violently agitated. 1t is trembling be-
tween hope and fear-hope that some
full-armed leader will walk out of the
wilderness; despair lest Hearst be
nominated.
How different with the Republican
party. Its platform could be written
by any schoolboy. Its leaders are al.
ready named by the common consent
of 100000 sovereign voters. Every
township convention In this country
that meets today can write a platform
that can safely be adopted at Chicago
The story of the Republican party
this year 10 an open book.
Every principle the Republican
party has advocated since 1856 has
become fixed fact in the laws of the
country. Every proposition the Demo
cratic party has advocated during that
time is as dead as the Caesars. 1t is
remarkable fact that the last avowed
purpose Of the Democratic party is the
first one it now denies.
The chairman of the Republican
state committee has invited to sit upon
the platform at the state convention
those men who participated In the Re-
These venerable patriots can read
upon the walls every proposition the
Republican party has advocated since
the first convention. They illumine
the first convention. Not a line has
been erased or blurred. These men
voted for Fremont and did not regret
it. Not one Of them bows his head in
shame over a single act of commits
sion or omission. They see the faces
of our great leaders looking down from
the walls and they are proud of them
all. Not a single picture is turned to
ba rn1l
we are proud Of them all.
How is 1t with the Democratic par
ty? Every line written by that party dur.
ing these forty-eight years of glorious
history has been erased. Every lead
er has been discredited. We LOOK hope
fully to the future. they look doubt
fully at the past. We know what we
are going to do and the name of our
commander; they do not know what
they will do nor who will command
them.
I'VE know that we are going to NOM
mate the capable, earnest and ener-
getic Jesse Overstreet for congress.
Some congressman talk and do not
work. Some work and do not talk
Jesse Overstreet both works and talks.
I'VE also know that we are going
to elect q Republican legislature this
year and that we are going to re-elect
the brilliant and capable junior SEN
ator. Albert ]. Beveridge. We know
that we are going to nominate and
elect as a successor to Lincoln, Grant,
Hayes. Garfield, Harrison and McKin-
ley, the intrepid. honest. brave, fear.
less and competent leader, Theodore
Roosevelt. We know that we are 60
ing to stand by the flag wherever she
floats, as we have always done We
know that we are going to stand by
the boy who wears the blue shirt of
the American soldier. in whatever
sun or cline he marches or sleeps.
We know that everywhere around this
world he will Garry the torch Of owl
lixation In one hand and the flag IL the
other. and that wherever he goes the
blessings Of civil liberty and civic
righteousness will follow
A Fitting Endorsement.
The resolutions adopted by the con-
vention contained the following para
graph: I'VE invite the attention of
the Republicans of Indiana to the can
didacy of the Hon. William L. Taylor
for the nomination for the governor
ship of Indiana. Able. courageous.
and widely experienced in the bust
ness affairs Of the people of the state.
We commend and indorse his candida
.cy for the ONCE Of governor, and ex-