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Parke Godwin's Address

Parke Godwin's Address image
Parent Issue
Day
3
Month
November
Year
1876
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

In responso to an invitation extended bya number of prominent New York merchante, irreepectivo of jiolitkw, Mr. Parke Oodwin rocently delivored tl e following address at the Cooper Union on the isur.es of the preuont campaign. Tlie Hpeech waH ÜHtened to by an immeusegal.beiing of represen tative men. Fellow-Citizens and Fmends : Ithinkthe nowspapers have confouuded two speocbeH, namely, one I propoaéd to givo on political topicu in general and oue I propose to deliver Hpecially lefore llic Youug Men's Democratie Club. I muf t thank you for this large gathering and kind greoting ; no doubt many of tlie facen iiere presont have boen attracted by the cheery brrozcñ f rem tho WeBt. Tlie Bpeaker then hegan a review of tlie political history of tho country dating from the war and tlu doption of tho constimtioniil amendments. Firet he wantod it ondentood that tho war eudod oleven yoarn ago, that as an isiuo it wa oudod, and ;hat new questions aud new intereet were now before the country. The questiou of this canvaus waf, 'Have tho party in power diechargod their dntics to tho country nnder the new aspect of affaire, orhave thoy evaded and -rifled with them?" "The Hepublican party" contiuuod tho peaker, "started, without a polioy, to meet tho exigencies of a particular criéis. So eager were tliey for moro ascendeney and not for true niaetory, 80 blind, so deficiënt in sagacity, that thia party choeo for üh leader a man wúo, to aay uo more, was quite ínexpenenced ín csvic measurea and quite Ignoraat of eivic issues. Tliis has been a party rathor of proinise thau of performances, more dovotod to partisan endn than to patriotic aims."' Mr. Godwin thon apoko of tue lackof fmancial policyaa displayed by tho Ilepublican party. lie expooed tUo exorbitant oxtravagance of the administration, and praised tlio Democratio House of IteprwsentativeH for reduoing tho appropriaüous by 130,000,000, or $120,000 for overy OoiígroijHional diatiict in tb. 5 country. "Oiir tariff," said lio, " iw a grent catalogue of exactiona, four or five thoaeand in numtoer, not leviod for revenuo, but to obatrnct rovenue and to aid oertain and spocific iutercstii. Merehants of New York, where aioyoiiriilipiierBliipu ? wlioro íh your tonnago? wnere aro your Btately titoamera? Oone ; taxed out of oxiutoncé by tho curso wliich Btnddlea your tihoulder, and wlíich will rciuam Bfl louy ns tho preaent administration remaiuH in power." Of tbocur roncy qncution, ivír. Cïmlwin rciul líopnblican tcatiuiony to the lack of titatoiriuiauship, and to the combined greed and ignorance of tluit party. Tiie Ropublicau party, lio eaid, (5i 1 not favor hard naouoy. ÍNOOMI'KTKNCY OF TUK KErCIiLKiANS. Tho Itepublican party, iu tlieir triadom, 1! dij;ht tlmt tlio rcraedy for a plothora of papor nionoy was - moro paper nionoy. Tho " Shorman Bham Honumptiou bilí " tho "s])oaker described a a tnb thrown to tho inllation wlialo. Mr. Schuiz domonHtratcd tho uttcr lioilowiiees Of tliiri bil), but yoted for it booauao ho thoufrlit it might bind the conuciencoa of his Repullican rriende - coimcionois ! Tiio dcmhlo-dealing and inc ínictoncy of the BepnbliOMia woro iu'xt hIiii.mi ni the matter nf olvH Hrvico. tíaid Mr. Godwin: "Mark Twain sí.id the other day of our civil-seivice ytem, 'It tbrowa a fellow into the Custom Houso who don't know a bilí of lading from 8 transit af Venus.' During Grant's administration tho oflice-holders Havo incroaaed. from 54,000 to 94,000. We hear of 'Conkling's' men or 'Blaine's' men, not the men of the ]eople. Those oftice-holdors are rotainers of tlio politieians, and when tliey put their finger too tur in, their protectors conspire to liido up thodofalcation for foar of dwaaging tho party. Theac ara the men who are fssessed to carry eieetions or turncd out as broad-andbutter brigades. Boys In Blue ! Why, most of tbc Boys in Blue I havo neon must have been infanta in aims during the war." [Laugliter.] Mr. Oodwin noxt describod the cifil-.iervico reform hunibugs of Mr. Cnïtis and Mr. Eaton. Tho nepotiam of Grant was touched upon, and the speaker cxplained that Oongress could hardly bo f Xpoctod to reform when it stood o mueh in ned of reform itself. Oftho Kepnblican reformers, Mr. Godwin had the testimony of Mr. Hoar road, showing tho shameless and ëoloesal corruption of Iho administraron, and askod : u How ai-e you going to get cleanliue8 out of snob, a aty as that ?'" Mr. üodwiu quoted tho eayings of Messrs. Schurz, Cox, Sumner, Adam, Greeley, Trumbull, and others, showing the unalterable depravity of the Republican party. That depravity was shown by dospoüsm, abuso of power, shocking frauda, disgracoful corrnptions all known four years ago. But, said the speaker, the Repnbücan party four years ago was an angel of Hght comparod to what it has become piuco. It is since then that tho nioiety contract farmed out our reveuues to a pack of sleuth-houuds who worried the morchants of New York aa thoy used to worry the slaves of the Southern swampB ;'it is since then that the army of tho United States ha been sent into organized States to uphold tho frauds of adventurers to overturn governments erected by a clear vote or the peoplo ; it is since then that such men aa Mr. William M. Evarte, William O. Bryant, Wihiaai E. Dodge, Peter Cooper, and hundreds of others in public meetings have condemned their acts as acte of usurpation and violence, and as teaching to our uowmade citizons of the South that party ends were to be carried by force ; it ís since then that were made the disgraceful revelations of the whisky conepiracy which defrauded the Government of hurdrèds of nnllion of dollars, which had íta representativos in botb houses of Congress, and which bas been traced in ite rottennoss to the very household of the President ; it is siucs thon that an o!d ally bas been insultod by the presence of an Ambasaador who lont his name and credit to a mining speculation that has taken its name in history as among the most prodigious swindles of the age ; it ia since then that a Cabinet oflicer haa been impoached for his complicity with traitors who robbed tlie poor soldiere of the frontier, and on bis trial ho instrueted or allowed hia counael to defend him on the ground that the taking of presenta by high public officera was so common au affair that it did not conatitute a criminal offense. The Spoaker of the Ilouae showed that he was the friend and correspondent of jobbers wiipso stocks he peddled, and from whom he claimed consideration becauso of hia rulings as Speaker. FBÜ1TS OF RETrtïMCA KOTJE. Pension frauds, Poatoftice frauds, contract franda, building frauda, grarestone frauda and Freedmau's Bureau frauis wero next doacribed as fruits of Ropublican rule. To provo the widespread corruption the spoaker appealed only to Republican authoritie. Mr. Woolsoy, Cari Schurz, clergymen, editora, merchanta, called together to try and stop this widoapread and aimost universal political decay, originated and devoloped during the past ten years. Said Mr. Godwin, "Some say this is not Uepublicanism but Grantism. Tbis is Hke the Bishop who cursed, and said be cursod as a man and not as a Bishop, and some oue aflkcd wbat would become of lbo Bishop whou tho man was damned ? If Orautism is damned. what bocomoa of Rspublicanism ? Wben have tbo Eepnblicans denounced Grant or Grantism? Whon one newspaper or one reader spoke trutb of him he was excommnnicated liko Sumner." Tho speaker tben roads tho opinions expreseed in Kopublican conventious of Graut and his adminintration, whieh were sahitod with peala of laughter. " Was Granlism discarded at üincinnati ? No- for ail that was said tbero Babcock migbt havo been an innocent babe unborn, and liolknap'ii ghoat, which must havo stalked among theui. (italkod unrebuked ! Grantism discarded ! Conkling and Morton, Blaino, Chandlor, Cameron and Logan are the very Ajaxoa of the campaign." IIAYES' MEDIOCBIIY. "Tlie Eepnblicans' campaign talk," said the spoaker. " is bat one long war-whoop. They dig up iasuea from tho rottonness of the grave, and in regard to personal buao thoy aro bevond compare - for thoy have all the resources of billingsgate at their command." Mr. Godwin next spoke of Mr. Hayee, tho Eepublicau makcahift, and eaid there was but very moager prospect that ho will turn out a Hercúlea to clean the Angean atablo of the dominant party, notwithstanding that he was the candidato oi that ref ormer, "Cameron. who reproaents the dirtiest politics of the dirüest political State in the Union." Ol Mr. Hayes Mr. Godwin would aay nothing, for the same reason that some one gave for not tightiug a duel with Johu Randolph- that thoro waa not enough of him to shoot. He was an excellent specimen of mediocrity, and iu reading hia biograpby, the speaker, betwocn fits of slcepmeaa, could not help thiukiug that biography a lame attempt to canonizo a nobody. Mr. Godwin next" addresned himself to the question of whether tho Democratie party would do botter than tho Republicana bad done. He aiid that, failing athirdparty, thero was only ono organized force which could be relied upon for reform, uuless it wai proposed to giye tbe Republicana an eternal lease and nnhmited power, and that was the Democratie party. Mr. Greeley and tho Tribune and all the Liberáis advocated the Democratie cause four years ago, and were willing to trust it with power. The Democratie party bas not doteriorated since, it has improved ; it redeemod itoelf absolutely at St. Louis. The Democratie party has recrtütod Adamaes and Curtina and hundreds of others of the beat heads and hearta of the other camp, and will rocover ita prietine vigor and eclipse ita prístino brilliancy. COVfiltNOR TILDKN's ltECOBD. Of Gov. Tilden, the fi]eaker said that ho knew nb man now iviug botter fitted for the position for which he is a candidato. I Immense applause.] Ho had Unown him from boyhood and knew ]iim to be as pure, as upright as ftoy maa living. Loud cheers.] He was known for forty yeavs as a laMíj'er, a citizon of uusullied ropute, who bas gono in and out before us for a lifetime without a spot upou bis namo. [Applause. ] A.f ter summarizing ail tho charges againot Gov. Tilden publishedby papers "combining tho cbaractoristics of the bravo and the t'uihwife," the speaker contiuued : "The dirty dogs '. - [Yella of laughter and applause] - if all the things they yell after him were trno he wonld still be better by f ar than many a man tlioy want to keep m ollice. But I do not beliove that Gov. Tilden, the pupil of Wright, Hoffman and Flagg, tbo friend of Sedgwick, Bryant, Öeymour, Kent and Brady, i the man to bo iesecned in tho nublic oeteem bv such calumnies.1' Speaking of Qov. Dix, Mr. Godwin eallod him "the amiablo but of late gory-minded Dix." After montioniurc the Times, the name of which waa rectived with hisses, Mr. Godwin said, driuking a glass of water, "I must wash my mouth after tliat.'' In the next place Mr. Godwiu 8aid that even the testiinony of liepullicans liko Mr. Goo. W. Curtía ahowed tliat Ml'. 'Tilden was the very man for the time, the very man to restore eecarity aud honesty to the Goveromeut and country. In conclusión the speaker guvo a very funny doscription of Eepublican Southern campaign Btorics, and exploded the cock-anlbull torics about paymeut of Southern debta and restoration of lavirj-. On this hoad ho referred his hearei-s to the letters of Prof. Bumnijr iu the Worltl, and said: "Tako away these vulturous adventurers, aud tho Bouth would nmrcli side by aido with comnion iuterssls, and uo longor would eumity and distrust be engendorcd."

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus