Year: 1871

Useless ). Grant Compared with Useful
H. Greeley.


I supported Gen. Grant for the. Presi-
dency because believed that, coming as
he did into the party from his Democratic
associations, he would put himself in
! charge and under the leadership of those
| talented men who were competent to ad
minister the government, who had proved
| themselves patriotic by lives of devotion
TO principle. But he did not do any such
thing. Born poor and struggling with
adversely, he seemed to have conceived an
inordinate passion for the displays and
magnIfcence of wealth and he associated
around him wealthy men, and those men
made him presents, and he turned around
and put those men in Office Laughter
and applause.


Well, now, there are great and sacred
| principles handed down to US from our
ancestors; the right of the people peaeea-
bly, to assemble and elect their represent
atives, to organize parties, and to do what
ever else they may do in carrying out the
will Of the people. Our fathers decreed
IN the Constitution that these assemblies
shall be free and untrammelled, not terri


fed by official power. And yet what do
we see Gen. Grant do? In that same
/
the public buildings of the Republic; he
stops the ordinary process of commercial
and civil life he brings an armed militia
ry force, and be places them at the place
of assemblage of the people The result
was, as they say, and as | believe, that
they were overawed and intimidated, and
turned out of the place Of meeting, and
suppressed in the freedom of speech and
the freedom of assemblage and the very
vital principle, without which no republic
can last day, was overthrown, violently
| overthrown, In the State of Louisiana by
the President of the United States.


i Now, fellow citizens, what is the rene
| dy? 1t is very simple if we can get you
to do it. Notwithstanding he may take
his Calling guns and bayonets at New
Orleans; notwithstanding he may bring
troops to New York where he had no more
power to bring them than into my house
to-day; notwithstanding he may be arm
with dictatorial powers, I do not fear him :;
| you need not fear him and if you have
the will you have the remedy, and that is
to turn him out of Office in 1872, and put
an honest man in. Applause


Well, Republicans, there is man who
began with the Republican party a man
of the people; born poor, but honest and
industrious a man that came to New
York with all his clothes tied up in a
handkerchief on stick, without perhaps
fifty cents in his pocket, who acquired an
Independent subsistence man who from
that day to this has sympathized with the
laboring man; who honors industry !;
| wherever there is an act of charity to be
/ done, there you find him present, aiding
and assisting the distressed who desplses
| popularity who catches the inebriate by
the hand, and lifts him to higher level,
to save the wife, children, and family from
ruin, whatever demagogues may say
against him; who goes to agricultural
meetings and Joins his knowledge and
reading With skill and experience who
goes to the workshop where the sturdy
mechanic ls engaged in his varions indus
tries, and takes him by the hand and
gives him word of encouragement, that
he may be elevated to higher level; a
man who loves the Constitution; a man
who makes no war upon wealth, knowing
| that wealth IS accumulated labor who
with great oppoi tunIties for wealth dares
to be poor; who with an immense yearly
revenue gives 1t away 10 friends and OBJ
lects Of charity, because he has within
him nobility greater than the surround
! lngs of wealth can ey,r give him. You
know who this man is 1t is Horace
Greeley Of New York, Loud applause
A man who has more brains and intellect
in minute than Grant would have in the
time that it would take Tor the light to
come from the remotest planet [Great
laughter and applause


Don't he know more about the political
history Of this country than any man in
it; about parties and about men; about
dates, measures, and laws; a perfect al
manac himself, and the best maker Of an
almanac-which is very good book, as
Franklin thought [Laughter,l Indeed he
is the modern Franklin, and very Justly
so. Though his intelligence. his huge in
tellect he has overcome the baser passions,
for his good and the good of humanity


Why don't you take him2 [ApPIause.]
Let us run such a man as that against
Ulysses S. Grant Let the Democratic
party forbear to nominate candidate
Take up that man; elect him, and you can
do it. | believe as much as 1 do in my
existence, that if you could fairly appeal
to the people of the United States, with
out distinction of party, and without the
influence which party patronage brings to
bear on the Government, that at leas-
three -fourths if not five-sixths of the peot
pie of the United States will say Grant
shall abdicats the dictatorship which he
has assumed. [Applause ]