Year: 1877

Great applause. Nobody should be
paid out of the public money for guess
ing at this world or the next. IRE.
mendous applause. l say we want
non-sectariau education, and plenty of
it, plenty of 1t, and then it will not be
lpng that you will have to talk about
some educational standard for voting.
DO you know that ] don't fear honest
,norance half rs much as | do the
rascal that has got much better edu-
cation. Applause. And in these
schools we want to educate not only
the brain, but the heart. Teach the
scholars honor; teach them justice !;
teach all the sciences, and teach some
thing that is of some use to know,
something they can sell just ss soon as
they get out, and so make themselves
useful to somebody else.


One other thing: don't think it is
Of any great Importance, but there are
lot of old theological mummies that
have been dead to my certain knowl-
edge for 1000 years Laughter who are
holding conventions about tins country
in order to get a theological addition
or amendments to the Constitution of
the United States. They say that the
Lord ought to be complimented with a
clause; that His name ought TO be put
in that instrument, and that really
He feels slighted because it isn't
there. Laughter and applause.
Now l am opposed to any such amend
ment. What god are you going to
put in? The Catholic god or the
Methodist god Who2 What one2
Another thing-you should never
put anything in the Constitution that
you cannot carry out and enforce at
the point of the bayonet. Applause.
That is what the Constitution is for
to be carried out upon occasions. Now
suppose they get this theological
amendment in there, that there is a
God, and that the Bible is the word,
and suppose after that there is some
body who denies it! What are you go
ing to do about ill Great applause.
If it is dead letter it is certainly IA
very small compliment to the Deity,
and l say here tonight that if til y do
put him there, there won't b; any room
for folks left, no room for liberty or
anybody else. ! never wish to see the
day when any church or any sect con
trolls this country. Never. Applause.
When our country was founded there
was no church strong enough to con-
troll it. None. And our government
is the first government that said, ''man
shall have little government of his
own, and If you have got any business
with the Supreme Power, transact il
without the assistance of the Legisla
tire" Laughter and great applause.
Our government said that, and it said
at the same time to every sect, " Do
the best you can; make all the converts
you please; build all the churches you
like. We will respect your ideas, aud
respect your doctrines and your places
of worship. You shall be free. You
shall not be disturbed. You may
preach, and you may sing, and you
may pray, but let this government
alone. 1t is for all the people. 1t is
for humanity. 1t is not for any sect
whatever. 1t is for all. Tremendous
applause.


Now | want every man to just think
of it. There ought not to be a secta-
rian in the world without sufficient
confidence in his doctrine to say that
it stands supported only by reason,
and needs no assistance from any gov
ernment whatever. All we want is
government of the people, for the
people and by the people. / am in
favor OF the largest liberty for every
man. There is room enough in our
air for every wing that wants to float.
There is room out on the grand ocean
of thought for every boat, and let
everybody do his own thinking. / be.
lieve the intellectual tendency of the
future, like the land of Illinois used
to be, is open to pre.emption, and the
man that gets there first, 1t is his.
believe, say, in the utmost freedom,
| but l never want to see our country
ruled by any church. l never want to
see our schools ruled by any church.
want science to be free. / want science,
like the sun, to shine for all and upon
all. l want governmental science To
shine upon and for all, and not to be
controlled by any sect or clique what
ever. Applause.


And now, my friends, if we can only
make up ti.is matter with the South,
if they will quit, If they will be good,
| will be satisfied. Then we can go al
something else besides these old ques
tions, and when we have a campaign,
will not be obliged to go through the
whole war, beginning at Bull Run and
ending at Appomattox. We won'i
have to tell that old story over and
over again. There will be other ques
tions to talk about, such as free trade,
protection, the question of finance, oI
education, the question of annexation,
whether our country shall grow great
and grand and take in the surround
ing land, and hundreds Of other ques
tions, SO that we can let the old past
bury itself out of our sight. lAp
plause.


Let us try to enter upon an era oI
prosperity. We will have good timei
yet. Everything has been shrinking
in this cOuntry-been paying our ma
uonal debt. The land that was wortt
so, 900 years ago is now down t6
$2500, and the trouble is that $7JO(
have been paying the national debt, 81
TO speak. The soil is just as good a
it ever was; it will raise as much corr
or wheat as ever. The cattle will grow
Just as well as they ever did. We car
have Just as much ctnn and beef and
grain and pork as We ever had. WI
have good muscle and brain and fre'
labor all over the United States, and j
now we can settle this question, ",
will be brothers once more, We viii
have a united country once more, ant
bslieve that We will enter upon al
era of prosperity such as we have neye
seen before.


All ask Of the Republicans 5outl
and North is to try the policy, and
it don't work / will be the first maj
70 turn against il; now you see if
don't. Laughter. II isn't accept
ed in good faith, am through wit
the reconciliation business. Laugh
ter. Mr.. Hayes has walked half wa
to meet them. Let them come q fey
steps; let them shake hands with him
but If they throw it aside; II they tea
this olive branch 10 pieces and seattle
il 70 the wind, then / say that recon
ciliation il gone, and there can be none
and nobody knows how things wIl
come out. Nobody knows what disaS