Year: 1871

The speech Of Newton Booth, at Platt's
Hall, San Francisco, on the evening of the
2lst, is one of the finest efforts of that
gentleman. In dealing with the ques-
tions which are Low before the people, his
views are such as cannot but meet the ap.
proval Of the masses of the people, while
in speaking of the relative position of the
two parties, he gives utterance to sen
timents which cannot fail to awaken a
responsive thrill in every Republican
heart. What is more true than this:


The true statesman is not necessarily the
man of the most powerful intellect. but the
man who is best in accord with the best ideas
and impulses of the time whose will is en-.
erglzed by the popular will, and whose course
Is directed by the peoples instructive sense
IF right"


And again, speaking Of what the Re-
publican party represents, he says:


That which is often said as reproach to
the Republican party, we accept as an honor
it has no leaders. 1t has ideas 1t repre-
sent the average sense, conscience and pa
triotism of the people. 1t was the vaor and
patriotism of the people that fought the war;
their conscience and sense of right establish
ed reconstruction The people have risen
to the hight of every emergency. They have
tested every suggestion by the principles of
individual freedom and national union, the
center and circumference of Republican doe
trine, and they have laid the foundations of
r.. ! i
its enemies admit the work is imnregnable'


If there were any who could have been
looked upon as leaders of the Republican
party, when it had brought the nation so
grandly through the frry ordeal of the re-
bellion, President johnson and Secretary
Seward had certainly the strongest claims.
Yet the moment these men, eminent as
statesmen and eminent as true and tried
members of the party sought to force legis-
latlon, contrary to the general sentiment
Of the people, as expressed by their direct
presentatives, that moment they lost the
esteem of the party, and could look for the
support of their new theories of govern
ment enly y among those who had heretofore
been their most bitter adversaries The
Republican party, composed in great
measure Of the intelligence and patriotism
Of the country, does not follow bIind.y the
counsels of any man or sett Of men, who
presumes upon the national reputation he
or they may have acquired, and attempts
to direct public opinion to sustain measures
Of governmental policy which there is good
reason to believe to be wrong. 1t is the
party which has successfully met and crap
pied with the new questions which have
came into existence since was founded,
and when one of those new questions was
presented for consideration, it was not
done until after it had been discussed and
its adoption demanded by the masses of
the party.


Mr.. Booth was singularly happy in
speaking of the purposes and claims of the
Republican organization 1t was born in
a desire to preserve the Territories of the
United States sacred to free labor and free
men. Its impulses have been ever faith
iul to the principles in which it was found
ed, and to those progressive principles
which have been called into being in later
years. We regret that our limited space
will not permit us to give his remarks
upon some points in full. We have room
for but single extract more


What we clai n for the Republican party
is, that it has endeavored to direct the cur
rent of events in the channel Of right. That
it has championed the great IDEAS of human
freedom, and progress. and national integrity.
That in the dark days difficulty and danger
it was true to duty. and that its past is the
hest pledge of its future 1t would be
strange if it bad never committed a mistake :;
but while its instincts have been right. any
error IN Judgment has M more changed It's
general direction and tendency, than curve
in a river prevents its flow to the s,a. Re-
viewing the past twelve years, their crowded
difficulties ard dangers-the new and vital
questions constantly arising. it is strange the
mistakes have been so few-so few that their
memory should be lost in the contamination
of that policy which was inspired by patriot
ism. led by valor. consecrated by marfyrdom,
and crowned by victory


Il