Year: 1871

anu even win lDat III was ut
terly impossible to hold their
party upon it.


Fellow citizens, the real
strength of parties, the real
strength Of politics rests at last
upon a few simple qualities Of
human nature that the hum.
blest man can judge of as well
as the proudest, and one of
those qualities | call your at
tention to an instant. If there
be one thing upon this earth
that mankind love and admire
better than another il is a
brave man-it is a man who
dares to look the devil in his
face, and tell him lie is the
devil; [laughterl who dares to
tell what he believes he ought
to do, who dares to take fate
by the horns and say, Il go
down with this truth rather
than survive with one lie."
Ard Ii the Republican party
be not the most magnificent
example Of that kind Of truth |
don't know where to find it.
And if the Democratic party
be not the extreme opposite of
that truth, in the last ten years,
| don't / don't know where you
will find the CoIlraries. Think
for a moment Of some gigantic
question we were called TO
meet and handle. We came
into power few and young, in
the minority. We were q par
ty of destroyers; wo were the
hook and ladder company Of
the Union, tearing down the
whole fabric of slavery and the
Democratic party. We had
not yet learned to hold up and
maintain, as a majority in pow
er have to do; but weak and
young and hopeful; strong in
heart, we hardly got into pow
CT until this gigantic rebellion
came on with the old leaders
of the Democratic party con.
rrontod us and shook It's spear
in orr faces.


But without a fear, without a
falter, without a step back =
ward, the Republican party
gathered its might and man.
hood about it and plunged into
the awful chasm, and came
through glorious, came through
bloody, OH the farther shore Of
victory. I Applause And they
were not only called upon TO do
more than to meet the men in
arms, but were met with a tire.
mendous power OF prejudice.
These men of color, and four
millions like them, who had
been so long trampled down by
the prejudices Of twenty>soven
millions OF white men, were
stirred to the very depths
against them. When the Re
publican party saw themselves
confronted by that gigantic
question, they said, wo will do
justice; we will perish by the
side of these black men, or we
will triumph doing them justice


Aud if you have known any
braver act in history than that
by which we espousei the
cause of the humble and lowly,
and dared to die in trying to
elevate him, then | know not
where you will so in history to
find it. And when that great
triumph was achieved, up came
the keen, sharp, gnawing tooth
ofprejudic9 and selt-lnterest to
devour and destroy it; the the.
ories of Pendleton and similar
theories that told you how to
pay your debts by cheating
and deception ; appealing to
the pockets and the avarice of
the American people. The Re-
publican party weighing VIC
tory on one side and justice on
the other met these prejudices
eye to eye, and said to the peo.
pie: "Bearthe heavy burden of
taxes, and save your honor as
honest men, and save the hon
or OF the Republic, Or follow
these people to an early death
and indecent burial" and when
the appeal was made to the
great American conscience,
thanks be to the God of Justice
and the honor of the American
name, our people Sprang 10 the
rescue, and stepped on that
platform, made a few weeks
ago, and there is not single
plank III it left to Pendletonism
and reputation in any form.


Aye, fellow-citizens, every
time when we have been con.
fronted by these gigantic ques-
tons our party has brayely
met them. and q brave. pener,