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Golden Words

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Parent Issue
Day
5
Month
May
Year
1876
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

peevh of Gov. Seymoitr in tlio AVic York Damooratte Convention- - A. Clear, Vonrlue umi JKImjurnl Statement of the J.imie.i of the Vay. It ia now more than ten years sineo peace ' as restored to our land after a bloody war. ' t lof t us then worn out and weakened by the ' orteat. Our land was filled bymany green raves ; thero. was mourning in our hornea ; ' et in tho midst of all that sadnesa thoro hd ' eon displayed virtnos by the American pooplo lat made u proud aud lifted us up in tho stimatiou of the nationa of the world. Never ( eforo had we atood so high in the opinión of ' nen of other places, or in tho opinions of overnmenta unlike ours ; and we lookod fornard with hope to the future to close the wounda that war had made. Wo looked forth with confidenoe for renewed prosperity. Ten years havo rolled around, and wo find our oountry moro dopresaed than it has ever beeu n ita history ; more care and anxioty in ita iolds, in its workshops and in its business circles. Nor is thi all. During the laat ten yoars the courso of political ovante has been auch that to-day ia a day of ah ame and aorrow a those who love tlieir country, and its ;lory and ita estimation in the oyes of the world. [Applauso]. Peace kas toought to ua more that has made us aad and sorrowful, more that has been hurtful to our national charactor, more tht has anppressed lioneat labor and thwarted the interests of those who attempted to build up our national proaperity than evor war did with all ita sufforiiigs. It ueeds no Bpirit of prophecy to teil what the future historian, when ho tella the eventa of the past fifteen or twonty yeara of our country, will dweil upon when he comes to this period. He will warn all nationa that a people may live againat armed rebellion. It will teach the lesaon that forcé canuot destroya governmout when it is atrong in the affeetions of a peoplo, and it will teach the other groat leason, that corruptiou in refereuco to public virtue and greed for gold will dostroy those inatitutioua that wero powerful to resist all outward prossuro and all bolligoront attacks. Now. I do not stand horo in thia hour of our ahame and disgrace in mauy respecta, in thia last year of a ceutury of ourexiatenco, to apeak to you in a more partisan apirit. I admit that the diih'culties which now aurrouud ua have grown out of a lack of virtue on tho part of the whole American people. I admit that wo have lost sight, without regard to mere party diatinction, of those virtuea which did abonnd when our institutions were formed and when wo started out in that great and glorious careor which kas made us ao powerfnl among tho nations of thft earth. While I will, thoroforo, aay to our Iïepublican friends that a part of the blame reata upon ua as it doea upou them, yet another thing is made truo by all thia, and that. ia that abuses and corruption have como becauao we havo lost sight of the principies of thoae who formed our Government. [Applause.] The national Treasury would not have boon robbed if a false natioual feeling had not opeued the doors of that Treasury to schemea that wero unconstitutional and averso to the very genius aud spirit of our institutions. [Applause.] The great lessou that we are loarning uow ia not that one party is superior to another in its morality - we are all but human and may fall by tomptation - but that party that upholds right and principié, that that party cloaes the door of the Treasury against corruption, that party inaista that the Government shall keep itaelf withix rightful bonnda, ia tho only party that can safely be trusted. [Applause.] We do not say to you, my Rcpublicau friendn, that you do not love your country. Wo do not wish here to say ono word that shall reflect npon any class of tho American people ; but wo do imploro you, in view of the present condition of our country, to conaider why it ia that thia ehame has boen brought upon it - because you have foraaken the wisdom of your fathers, bocauae yon have overetepped your conatitutional righte, because you havo bronght thia Government into action which (lid not rightfully belong to it, and in so doing not only corrupt ia the quostion of the day, and what we are to moot ? What brings this assemblage horo, comprised, as I aeo it is, of men more than ordinarily thonghtf ui, at this time ? Why have there been, as it is said by our opponenta, less of that frivolousnoss of spirit that ia sometimes shown tipon such occasions. It is becauee we all come togethor at this time, made earnest and thoughtful by the condition of the country, and by the great problema we have got to deal with. We hoar it frequently said that this ia a day of deveiopment, that we are discovering now, from time to time, great malfeasanco on tho part of the different departmenta of the Government. When wo havo been in power, and wherover wo have boen in power, we have come to look at the?o dovelopmeuts and these exposures as affording a hope that wo are to have a bettor future. It is not merely the deveiopment of fraud and wrong-doing. We have known theae thinga for ten yeara. It ia not that there haa been aomething diacovered that was covered before. It ia becauso for tho last ton years tlte American people did not care to see these acts, did not care to hoar the proof s of wrong-doing. It means that all of us have been stultified by a greed of gold, by unhealthy 8pcculntion, by a desiro to avoid honest labor, and havo forgotteu the great principies .that lie at tho foundation of all good government, and that the time haa come for uo to cultívate the virtues of simpl.city, honeaty, economy, and patriotism. It is that that malíes a peoplo ; not political patronage, but tho going back to the simple virtues of our f athers. [Applause.] Tho deveiopment which gives me the hope which aniniatcs me as I speak is a devolopment that the American peoplo have had the scalos fall from tkeir eyes - their eyes aro oponod, and wo are now to hae a rcnewal of integrity, patriotigm, and virtue, boforo which fraud and corruption will fade out of sight. [Applause.] The deveiopment ia that which I soe before me in the faces of this audieuco, that laying all aside, has come together to-day in a thoughtful, earneet epirit to eave our country and to niake it a great and glorious commonwealth. Perbaps it ia not profitablo that wo should dweil too mach upon the exposuros that have been made upo the part of our political opponents. Whilo it is our duty to oxpose wrong, whether committed by our own fiiends or by thoue from whom we differ, and while I respect the labors of thoso who have been eugaged in such developmeiits, wo are to take care that we do not fall into another error. This great Democratie party does not proposo to regain power, simply because its oppouents are unworthy, but because wo are fit to exerciso it. [Applause. J Wo mean, in common with them, to punish all wrong-doera, and we invite them to go with us in this effort ; but wo proposo to enter into the contest of a higher and more glorious character atill, and we say to our political opponents : We will forget tho past if you will only join with us in the great issue that we mako now - which party shall have the highest aim ? Whieh party shall tand upon tho highest plane of patriotism ? Which party shall out step the otber in the groat aud noblo rffort to roBtoro, to etand up aud nmke onr oonntry glorieus? Applauso] Now, what in ie brings this tu.lience here to-day ? Wly is it that men who have jiot always attoudoJ our convantioiis have loft thcir homes mul havo come here on an occas on when there are uot the ordinary influentes t work ? We aro not now about to elect a ticket. Wo do uot have, as wo ordinarily have at ourconventions, a choico of men to put into offices of honor and proöt. Yon como here for a purposo liitíhor, broador and inoro gonoral than this, aud I thin k I can speak ior each ono of you when I say Ihat you wero impolled to loavo your homos bocaune you feit that there was a condition of public afl'aira which mado it your duty as good oltizens to come out upon thin occasion. [Appluuse J lainproudof tlio State to which I beloug. I am proud aa a New Yorkcr that thi Stato led the wliole column of Democratie attaok upon wrong doiu and corruption, whether tho blow feil pon friends or onomies. [ ApplKuse. ] l am proud tlmt the Governor of our Btate ' Htimcirt aB tlio formoat Champion of thi sprint of reform. Wo do not bear to day tbo ordinary considcrations which are advanced in regard to candidatos. Tho quostion ia no lougor a question of popularity or unpopulanty. That whioh i on tho mind of (svory "xan beforo me is this. Wbon I go down to tbo next contest eau I aay of my candidato : "He bas donework for reform, and I represent more than a man. I represent the principie of houosty." fAppIauee.] We tbrow out tlio challengo to the Iïepublican party : "Wo intend bo far as we can to lay bare all that bas been done wrong in your ranks and all tbat bas been done wrong in our own ranks, and eXpect yotl to unite with us." I boliovo that the Eopnbiican larty in its make up in the great body of its organization ia as bonost aa our own, but ita members havo held principies that bare provod, and proved more strongly than the wisdom of our fatbers could have proved it, that that Government has outsteppod its limits. That Government which from a great central polnt undertakoB to intorforo with local affairs, that Government which opeus the door of the Troaaury to ten thousand schemes of fraua cannot eurvive. In oonclusion, I say once more to the Democratie party and to our Kepublioon friends, wo propose to enter into this conteat, not for the purpose of showin; whicb party is the moet ignoblo, not morely for tho purpose of bringing dincredit upon them, not with tho view of gainiDg a victory beoauae they have gone wrong - I scorn sucb a victory on tbe part of the Democratie party - but we intend to win this victory, bocause wo mean to show that we aro more fit to bóld power ; we have the better claim, not bocause you are so bad, but becan8e we have tbe positivo virtueB to enable us to carry on tbis Government, and until we do show tbat, I, for one, pray to God that we may uever come iuto power. It is because 1 believe that now we have this revival of public morality and this refreshing of the purer sontimonto of tbe pecple, and an enlarged intelligonce with regard to the evils of bad governmont. that I ntand beforo you at tbis moment, buoyed up with tbe conviction tbat for many years to come we oro to havo a botter government, a bettor people, a botter condition o( tbings, and a more active and earnest patriotism, and that is to be brougbt bont because wo have returned to tbe principies which the Democratie party bas over upbeld. It is in this view I do congratúlate you most earnostly upon tho succeas wbioh, I believe, will at t ene our offorts. [Great applause.]

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus