Year: 1876




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SPEECH OF EX-GOVERNOR SEY-


MOUR AT UTICA, NEW YORK.


| am impelled, by the deep interest
| feel in the pending election, to attend
| this meeting at the sacrifice of my
health, and against the protests of my
| physicians. feel an intense anxiety
| for the election of the Presidential,
and of the State and Congressional
tickets presented by the Democratic
party. | am moved by higher than
mere party considerations when come
before you at this time, to speak of the
condition of our country in this CEN
tennial, when our minds are instructive
ly turned toward Its past progress, or
to its future prospects. That man
must be dead to duty who can sink all
patriotic feelings in desire for mere
partisan victory. But our pride in the
success of the past and our hopes for
the gloiies of the future are chilled by
the moral and material condition of
our country, and we are forced to turn
our thoughts from the past to the fu-
ture and to deal with the great prob
lens of to-day. In country blessed
beyond all others in its material ad-
yantages we see pervadIng distress
which can only.be charged to errors in
Government and to a low standard of
morals in all that relates to public af-
fairs. 1t is said that the clouds which
have darkened the homes of our peo-
pie, the fields of industry and the marts
Of commerce begin to lift up and let in
CLEANS of light, which show brighter
prospect in the future. l pray that
this may be true. But the fact still
remains that at this moment there is
more want, suffering and anxiety in
American homes than has been felt at
any other period. The coming winter
is looked forward to with dread by
many who have never before felt the
fears of cold or hunger. | know of
nothing which so moves our sympa-
thies as the sight of man willing and
anxious to labor, with an honest pride
In his independence and manhood, who
finds that not only himself but those
depending on him are threatened with
want. But, worse than all, that in this
his manhood may be broken down by
the necessity of an appeal to the assist
ance of others. Are there none such
in this audience before me? We
know that our land has millions of
citizens who suffer these pangs of anxi-
ETY. and humiliation. There is no right
minded, true-hearted man who does
not feel, in view Of what he sees around
him, that the duty of the day is to give
all our thoughts to the causes of these
evils, and the remedies which shall re-
lieve them. [ tell you, my fellow cit
izens, that he who can stand before an
audience like this, and who shall seek
to turn away the minds of his hearers
from their own conviction and that of
their country, is man who has a guilt
to hide. He who will try to divert your
mind from the first great duty of
American citizens life does so because
discussion will bring to light that
which will discredit his past actions,
and defeat his hopes in the future.


MORAL DISORDERS AND MATERIAL DIS


TREss.


There are two aspects of our co1n-
try which demand our attention-its
moral disorders and its material dis
tress. My strength will not allow me
now to speak of these. | trust shall
be able, within few days, to show why
the industry Of our country is depress-
ed. 1t is my purpose to speak to
gathering of my immediate neigh
bors upon this subject. Before small
leraudience | can discuss it with full
ness which my health will not permit
on this occasion. | hoped, when the
Republicans sent away the sensational
speakers who offended the sober judg-
ment of their party by appeals to pas
sion and prejudice, and when they in
vited Governor Boutwell, to speak to
their audiences, that they were about
to discuss the problems of the day and
to turn their attention to the duties of
the hour. He has been the Governor
Of State; he has been a chief fnan-
cial officer of the Government; he is
leading man in the Senate of the
United States; no man in our land has
had better means ofknowing the causes
of the evils which affiict our country,
the remedies which can relieve it's suf-
ferings or the policy his party has to
pursue in the future. My personal ac-
quaintance with him is but slight. But
we have all held favorable opinions OF
his integrity. When such man came
to our State to speak to our people, at
time like this, we had a right to ex-
pect calm, Thoughtful, patriotic, bust
ness-like addresses. appeal to men of
all parties ifthey we're ofthat character;
if they touched the duties of the day;
if they threw light upon the problems
which disturb mems minds; if they
told US what his party would do in the
future, except that his praises of its
past intimated that Republicans would
do hereafter as they had done hereto
fore. will say no unkind thing of
this Republican leader. | will not
only look upon his speeches as proof
of the stress which must have been
brought upon such man before he
made the addresses printed in the Re
publican journals. They did more in
Justice to himself, TO MS party and to
his State than to the Democratic party.
On our part we have sought to meet
the issues of the day in fair spirit.
[ only repeat what | have said hereto
fore in this place, on like occasions,
when | say | will do no injustice to the
party which now governs the country.
| admit that the same spirit of extrav-
agance which marks its expenditures
has been shown by every State and
and municipal government, without
regard to the party which controlled
them, since the close Of the war. The
American people have lost much of
their former habits of industry, econ
omy and public virtue.


WHERE THE TROUBLE Is.


Our troubles spring in great de-
gree from public rather than from po-
Iitical decentralization. tits a sad truth
that we must confess that all branches
of government represent the spirit of
speculation and the efforts to gain
wealth by other means than by indus
try and economy. We cannot correct
these evils, we cannot get back our
people upon higher plane Of morals
and 'habiis by partisan abuse. Reform
must begin with each man in his habits
and those of his family. Political par
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