Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-07
precipitated- the floating anti-slavery senti'
nlent II the country.
Feature Of Campaign.

Feature Of Campaign.
Yet the most wonderful feature OF that
extraordinary campaign which then began,
and which never ceased until the land was
purged OF its deadly sin. was that even in
the very tempest and whirlwind of their
passion" the great leaders Of the repuon-
can party kept their agitation strictly WITH
in the limits of the Constitution and the
law. There was no general demand FOR
even an amendment to the organic instru-
ment. They pleaded for the repeal OF un-
just statutes as inconsistent with the Con-
stitution. but did not advocate their VIOLA
ton. Only among the more obscure ana
ardent members Of the party was there
any demand for the abolition OF slavery,
but the whole party stood like rock ior
must be content with what 1t had already
got, and must not be allowed to pollute an
other inch of free soil.
On this impregnable ground they made
their stand: and the mass convention Wnfch
assembled here In 1854, while the vibrations
of the thunder of the guns and the snout-
ings of the birthday of liberty yet fingered
In the air. gave nucleus ana ha!he ~
the new party, destined to great ana
beneficent career. Before the month endeo
the anti slavery men of five more grea.
states adopted the name republican, anu
under that banner Congress was carried
and two years later a national party as
sembled at Pittsburg and nominated Ere
mont and Dayton, who failed by rev
votes of sweeping the north
Two Incidents Of Long Battle.
have no right to detain you at this
hour in recounting the history of those
memorable days. Two incidents of the long
battle will never be forgotten. One was
the physical and political contest for the
possession of Kansas, carried on with des-
perate courage and recklessness OF con
sequences by the pro-slavery party on tne
he nth
England farmers whose weapons OF aggres.
sion were Bible texts and the words OF
Jefferson, and whose arms or de1ense were
Sharpe's rifles. With words that ring even
new when we read them, like the clashing
of swords, the slave state men clalmeo
Kansas as their right and the free state
men replied in the words OF the propheS
before Herod. 1t Is not laW1ui Ior YOU "
have her And when the talking sharpened
to the physical clinch, the praying men
fought with the same ferocity as the men
who cursed. 49,
In the field of political discussion the
most dramatic incident of the fight was
the debate between Lincoln and Douglas.
Not many of you saw that battle OF the
strong, where each OF the giaolators i.o
an adversary worthy Of his steel Where
the audiences were equally divided, wnere
the combatants were fairly matched IN oe-
batting skill and address, ana Where INC
superiority of Lincoln was not SO muc, p ss.,
sonal 1t was In the o'er"hei''ne
He was fighting for freedom and coulo
say so; Douglas was fighting for slavery
and could not avow 1t. The result ol INC
contest is now seen to have peen lheHitapie
Douglas was reelected to the Senate, put
had gained also the resentful suspicion OF
the south, which two years later dlsowneo
him and defeated his lifelong ampition.
Lincoln became at once the foremost re-
nublican of the west and little later the
greatest political figure of the century.
oP HiSfOrv
AS we are removed further and 1urlhef
from the founders of our party and their
mighty work, their names and their ian"e
rise every year higher in the great per-
spective of history. The clamor OF hatreo
and caumny dies away. The eHorts Ihaue
to weaken the hands of Lincoln and ms
associates are forgotten. The survivors Oh
those who so bitterly attacked MIN ana ms
cause, which was the cause OF the COUNT -
are now themselves astonished When con-
fronted with the words they then uttered.
Rut II was against political opposition
not less formidable and ehclent imam .he
armed force beyond the Potomac that the
Union men of that day and theIr Fresioehl
had to struggle. ,..,o
the waste of our wealth, the precious piooo
of our young men. that hlled Lincoln
heart with anguish and made MIN oio We
fore his time, but it was the storm Oh pal-
filing the air with ISLANDERS and th"aruas
lis most earnest and unselhsh eHerts loI
the countrys good. But In spite OF IL az
he persevered, never for moment tehip.eo
NV fhe vast power he welded to any acton
not justified by the moral and the organic
law. have always liked the INSCRIPTION
on the medal which the workmen OF IahIe,
by one-cent subscriptions, caused 10 pe
struck after his death: Abraham Llncoih,
the honest man. Waged war. Aponsheo
slavery. Twice elected President Without
yelling the face OF liberty.
Career of the Party.
Tot mo hurriedly enumerate a few Of the
.verts in the long and fruitful career OF
tho republican party which seem to us 10
en+itle IT to the confidence Of the country
and the final approval of history. After the
NOR was ended and peace re-established
With no damage to the structure Oh tie
government, but, on the coh.iaiy' w
added strength and with increased guar
anties of its perpetuity, 1t remained TO De
$3.50 uhether the power and success OF the
ranuhIican party were to be permanent OF
whether, born of crisis, IL was n.teo ~
cone with the problems of daily nationai
life. 1t had DESTROYED Saver ted tbe con.
5itions by which slavery had comWitteo
II the absence of this great adversary
could the party hold together against the
N
lie life of modern peoples-the evlis OF
Ignorance, corruption. avarlce ana la"
iessness. the prejudices of race and OF
class the voices of demagogues, the cum
hing of dishonest craft, the brutal tyranny
of the boss the venality OF the mean
think it Is not too much to say that the
last forty years have given an answer,
full of glory and honor to that question.
The republican party. in the mass and In
detail. has shown it's capacity to govern
Nv the homestead law, with equal gene
rosity and wisdom. 1T distributed the Inn
mense national domain among the citi-
zens who were willing to cultivate 1t and
Who have converted wide stretches OF
wilderness into smiling homes.
Railroad and Financial Interests.
It built the Pacific railroad, which has
bound the Union together from east to
west by bands of steel and made the
states beyond the mountains among our
most loyal and prosperous common
wealths.
1t redeemed our paper currency and
made all our forms of money OF exactly
eouaI value and our credit the best In the
world. By persistent honesty In our
finances-in the face of obstacles which
might have daunted the hardest states
men-it has reduced our interest charges
SO that in any mart on earth we can Dor
row money cheaper than any other peo-
r. tha 6DapciaI reyulSionS to which