The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-07-14
THE PARTY And ITS
2 BIRTH.
Secretary Hays Address. Achieve
ments of First Importance.

AT Jackson, Mich, on Wednesday,
on the occasion Of the celebration OF
the semi centennial of the Republican
party's birth. Secretary Hay made an
extremely interesting address, The
following extracts are stirring pref
ude to the Republican canvass of 1904:
"A century is but moment of his
try it has often happened that several
of them have passed away, since men
began to record their deeds, with little
change in the physical aspect or the
moral progress of the world. But at
other times - of intense action and
spiritual awak ening-a single genera
ton may form an epoch; and few pc
RODS of equal duration in political
annals have been so crowded with
great events as the 90 years we cele-
brate today. Under the oaks of Jack
son on the 9th of July, 1874, a party
was brought into being and baptized,
which ever since has answered the
purposes of it's existence with fewer
follies and failures and more magnifi-
cent achievements than ordinarily fall
to the lot of any institution of mortal
origin. And even the beginning of
the end is not yet. This historic party
is only now in the full maturity of its
power and its capacity for good. We
look back upon past of unparalleled
usefulness and glory with emotions
of thankfulness and pride; we confront
the future and its exscting problems
with a confidence born of the expert
ence of difficulties surmounted and
triumphs achieved in paths more
thorny and ways more arduous than
any that are likely to challenge the
courage and the conscience of the gen.
GRAFTON which is to follow us.
'If there is one thing more than an
other in which we Republicans are
entitled to legitimate pride it is
that Lincoln was our first President
that we believed in him, Loyalty sup
ported him while he lived, and that
we have never lost the right to call
principle avowed by the Republican
party today which is out of harmony
with his teachings or inconsistent
with his character. We do not object
to our opponents quoting him, prais-
ing him-even claiming him as their
own. If it is not sincere, it is still a
laudable tribute to acknowledged ex-
cellence If it is genuine. it is still
better, for even Nebraska populist
who reads his Lincoln is in the way
of salvation. But only chose who be-
lieve in human rights and are willing
to make sacrifices to defend them ;
who believe in the nation and its
beneficent power; who believe in the
American system of protection, cham
pioned by long line of our greatest
and best, running back from Mckinley
to Washington, and, as Senator Dolli-
yer is truthfully said, "to the original
sources of American common sense; !"
only those who believe in equal JUS
tice to labor and to capital; in honest
money and the right to earn it, have
any title to name themselves by the
name of Lincoln, or to claim moral
kinship with that august and veneer
ated spirit.
81 admit it ould be little less than
sacrilege to try to trade upon that
benignsnt renown, whose light folds
in this orb O. the earth But we
who have always tried to walk in the
road he pointed out cannot be deprived
of the tender pride Of calling ourselves
his disciples, and of doing in his
name the work allotted to us by Provi.
dence. And hope l am violating
neither the confidence of a friend mol
the proprieties of an occasion like
this when 1 refer to the ardent anc
able young statesman who is now, ant
is to be, our President, to let yor