Year: 1878

But II ia always on these occasions when great Interests
sre et stake, and the minds and the heul''
OF the people are awake to those INTERESTS
that II il the Rssembage itself, the great hA'o
OF the citizens that III the moving minu anu
spr OF the occasion make the speech and set AT WoA
the Influences that are TO be distributed Throughout t
wide land. 1t snoW twenty-five years since hdu .ne
honor 10 make speech OF the hrst kepuoh-
can meeting that held in the CITY OF Ne"
York. lApplause.l Even the place Whtre IL was ine'
has been Obliterated, ana has passed lrOm inc
minds Of many Of ctizens It was the OLD Iaoer-
nacle-not so spacious hall as this. and you may be
sure IT was not as well filed. Laugherl The vener-
able presiding officer Of that meeting, grown more ven
cradle since has but lately passed from our mdst-Mr
Bryant Yet no moment from that time to this has II
seemed to me that the unity the strength and the sue
cess OF the Republican party were not OF paramount III
terest in the welfare Of the State.


That then infant but herculean infant that sprang 10
rescue the honor safety of the country has grown
to he party held sway in the country now o
nearly twenty years And who is there that daTes point
OF one instance, moment Of It's possession OF
power where the safety of the country did not repose
upon that and whore the safety OF the coun
try was not AT peril If the Government shonld be taken
from its hands lApplausel / will not belittle the
great crisis Of counys history during this period Dy


assuming heroic proportions for the juncture OF our al
fairs which presses itself upon the interest ana upon
the duty Of the ctizens but will to you that this



end cur necessary duty though may be approach
ing that time when the politics Of the country shall not
make solcOus to the very being OF the Nation
yet the iuncture at which meet is one OF the
sees OF duties OF the Republican party which, unper
formed will leave the elimination and the safety OF the
arch which we have reared still in danger From the
time that there was first meditated revolt against the
authority Of 'he Constitution and partition Of our
country until now the existence the cohesion, the u-
selhshness the public spirit the absolute love OF eoun-
try and the absolute devotion TO its safety, were
essential keep foot the great abOrs aud the great
sacrifices that were demanded from the people who
should save tEeir country against so great danger-a
danger greater than any country yet was saved
from before danger greater than any country here
after be saved from, unless the record OF our
honor and our duty is made complete by saving the
record Of restored prosperity and public faith by the
maintenance Of the obligations which we assumed to
accomplish this object lApDlauseI


A GLANCE AT THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.


The result of the last election placed the Executive
power of the Government again in the hands Of the Re
publican party and made considerable gains IN the
popular house OF Congress over its predecessor But 1t
left minority in that house, and, we all know,
in the actual circumstances Of the election, imported
into the political topics OF difficulty and Of doubt
which are foreign to institutions and never should
have been imported into them. By q suppression Of
the right Of suffrage in many States OF the
Union the Republican party was deprived OF twenty
electoral votes that belonged 10 it. and twenty
brought into question. Patient, serene, law
abiding making threats itself and fearing no threats
that were made against it, the Republican party was
ready to receive the count Of that vote by whatever
Constitutional methods the deliberations of the Congress
OF the Nation should assign 1t did not invoke the at
tendance Of hundred thousand armed or unarmed cit-
zens because it knew that there in attendance,
watching that all over this country, millions
OF unarmed citizens that capable Of bearing
II necessary. How did know that's We had tried It.
uaughterl We had had threats against our Govern
ment We had heard it called rope Of sand. We had
heard that unity OF thrift and gain and commerce and
industry was not unity that could be relied TO
induce to take up arms for the9 liberties and their
country.


II didn't rufle hair OF our heads to be told so. and
we didn't take up arms until 1t was necessary Jap
plause.J Aud we didn't lay them down until it was
finished. IApplause And If anybody wanted TO break
down the Constitution Of the United States by force be-
there disputed election We were quito ready
that the Constitution Of the United states should be de-
Tended any disputed election, every thing else.
But by exhibition Of wisdom and courage by a COM
prehensve and circumspect estimate Of the gravity Of
the SITUATION the people Of the country exhibited
troll over themselves IN an emergency Of this knd-ceT
tainly unforeseen and wholly unprOvided for
that bespoke the greatness Of the Nation IN
civil capacity, the record of the civil war had
proclaimed It's greatness a military nation in the
nations Of the world connected with IN system Of
stress of that conflict Applause.J 1 do not
rxaggerate IT when 1 say that the civilization
had watched with wonder the great devotion
md the great power exhibited in the OF the Marion
were filed with even greater astOnishment when to
hose wished well and those wished III
alike, seemed II had met that final test and
trouble in the management OF vast suffrage when dis
puted election could find solution but in the passions
and the power of the opposing parties aud when both
sections, both parties resorted TO a method Of
An 1 o
Of reason, OF Judgment and of decision, the
unanimous applause alike OF the nations
that had admired our scheme OF free government ana
nations dissented from IT, up that the final


la OF the American people had carried them safely
through and hencefOrth, IN peace there
problem too great for them to solve. Applause Aud
nov TINS great ana peaeeiGI NaOn, & IepOeinS @ IN N 'a @
other OF It the determination OF the Executive power
ference with contempt all the idle schemes
10y which. in streams Of cOntumely and slaudcr tna
absolute stream Of the content OF the people has xt
gshod every hle that sought 10 be lighted by this
dark-laDtern conspiracy. tApplause.l


THE THREE GREAT QUESTIONS.


Now 1t so happened that, although the Republican
party was disappointed in the restOratIOn Of It's
thory over the House Of representatives, the interval
OF time that has passed since that election has not made
II Of very great Importance to the public interest The
three great questions that the and the
hearts Of the people, that found expression in the plat
forms Of the different parties that the staple of
discussions through the and at the hustngs dur
ing that election. the pacIhcaOn Of the country
in its fual moral submission to obedience TO the
Constitution the relation OF the public service and the
emancipation Of tho suffrage from the eniangling and
strangng connections OF personal and private interests
supplautnc and anticipating the public wants and the
OF The country in its finances and its com
the position which ITS numbers IT'S wealth.
its industry. its enterprise were entitled 10 ana al
these, you win notice the actual condition Of cgsla
ton, really needed only Executive action Congress
had already provided, wnile Republican party
possession OF all the Government, snch provisions OF
y,
effective tho amendments 10 the Constitution which had
provided for the equality aud the privilege OF the freed
men OF the South.


Laws had been passed which had provided for the
ion of fam nd