cause of the war.

The proclamation of emancipation was issued by President Lincoln, giving freedom to all the slaves in the Republic. It was then decided by the Government to place the freedmen in the ranks of the army, a policy at first unpopular in the army and in some parts of the North. Its wisdom, however, soon became apparent, for by the autumn of 1864, the army had been augmented by nearly 200,000 effective colored troops. Had not this policy been adopted and vigorously carried out, the services of 200,000 additional white men would have been required for the successful prosecution of the war. Although, often before commented upon, I think it not out of place here to say, that the lack of success of the Union army the first two years of the war, that caused so much anxiety and dissatisfaction with the people of the North, was in the end a fortunate thing for the country, for had the Union army met with the decisive success so much desired and expected, and a cessation of hostilities followed, peace would have found the Nation with the institution of slavery still intact, and before it could have been abolished, in all probability, another and more bloody and destructive war would have been necessary, ending in a possible disruption of the Union. It seems as if the hand of an all-wise Providence had directed the events of the war, in order that at its close the Nation might be, not partly free and partly slave, but wholly free.

In that long and bloody contest the patriotic hosts of the North, in saving the country from disruption and ruin, proved themselves worthy soldiers of the Republic. Untaught in the art of war, but actuated by the highest and noblest sentiments of patriotism, they fought valiantly, and by their efficiency and heroic endurance of hardships, won the undying gratitude of their loyal countrymen. All honor to the brave and patriotic soldiers of the Republic. Commanded by such able and intrepid leaders as Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, Logan, Rosecrans, Buell, Pope, McClellan, Hancock, Meade, Hooker, Burnside, and a score more, nearly as distinguished, they made a record of which any Nation might well be proud. After four long and trying years of conflict, with the loss of 500,000 brave men and the expenditure of four billions of money the war ended, and at Appomattox the great military genius of the age, our beloved and lamented commander and comrade, General Grant, formally received the surrender of the army of the Southern Confederacy. [Applause.] Peace with its ines

timable blessings came once more to our beloved country, and our great Republic stands to-day a perfect Union of States, the vexed question of the right of secession forever settled, free and prosperous with its 60,000,000 of people, the wonder of the world. After the war followed the reconstruction of the states recently in rebellion. With the accomplishment of this work closed the second epoch in the history of the great American Republic.

We are accustomed to congratulate ourselves upon having the best government in the world, with a people the most free, prosperous, and happy to be found. We may be justified in this, but the thoughtful student of history who believes that the past tends to repeat itself, is, if patriotic, troubled when watching the tendencies of our Republic. There are evils that imperil the future of our Government, and to-day wise and patriotic men all over the land feel a deep solicitude for its welfare and permanency.

One of the evils menacing it, is the rapid growth of gigantic corporations. Wendell Phillips said, "our greatest danger now in this country, is corporative wealth." Singly and separately these corporations may be harmless, but should circumstances favor a combination of their interests, their power in our National and State Legislatures would be irresistible and destructive of national welfare.

There is still a greater danger to the country in the aggregation of great wealth in the hands of a few to the disadvantage and injury of the many. Gradually the rich are growing richer, and the poor poorer. With increase of wealth usually come selfindulgence, pride, and extravagance. All history shows that wealth grows more and more ambitious, and that poverty in the same ratio becomes more restless and discontented. It is a remarkable fact that the great Republics of Greece, Rome, Carthage, Italy, and the Netherlands, that flourished and became extinct, all received their death-blow from the inordinate passion of its citizens for money, and from indulgence in all sorts of reckless expenditures. The rich citizen invariably began with great simplicity in his tastes and style of living, which in time gave place to extravagance, social excesses, and laxity in morals. The jealousies and animosities growing out of the greed of the rich. on the one hand, and the discontent and unreasonableness of the poor on the other hand, have been growing and spreading in the last quarter of a century. The conflict between capital and labor,

between the employer and employe, all over our country is a most serious evil, and is deprecated by all good citizens. It has stalked into our midst, and is at our very doors. When, and how this difficult problem is to be solved, if ever, no one has yet been wise enough to tell. The stubborn law of demand and supply of wage labor, comes into the problem, seemingly to mystify it.

A distinguished American statesman recently said, when speaking of our labor troubles: "It is quite true that labor is unable to give a scientific account of the disease which, it insists, now afflicts American society. It may be unable to name any remedy which may not be discredited as soon as named, but it is profoundly convinced, and nothing can shake its conviction, that something is radically evil in a social and economic system which, in twenty years and in a country of unexampled material prosperity, possessing empires of virgin soil, causes the mass of its citizens to sink into the condition of laborers with their hands for daily wages, while a very small minority entrench themselves more and more securely in the enjoyment of the fruits of the labor of the majority, and for the purpose only, in many instances, of living themselves, or enabling their children to live, aimless lives of selfindulgence."

It is sincerely to be hoped that some philosopher or statesman, or some party, wise, discriminating and cognizant of all the facts connected with this mixed and difficult problem, will suggest a remedy for this widespread and growing evil, and succeed in harmonizing the conflicting interests of the employer and the employed to their mutual advantage and satisfaction.

Another evident and grave evil is unrestricted immigration. [Applause.] We have as a Nation, in a most generous spirit, opened our doors to the poor and oppressed of all nations who desired to avail themselves of the benefits of a free and prosperous Government, where liberty and equality prevail, and where industry and economy have their sure and ready reward.

From an early period in the history of our Republic, the toiling and poorly paid laborers of all nations have come to us, have become of us, and have shared our freedom and prosperity. It must be clear to every intelligent and thoughtful mind that the time has come for our Government to guard with jealous care its portals, so that the pauper, the criminal, and all undesirable classes do not enter. [Applause.] Too long have the nations of the old world,

abusing our generosity, poured in upon us the scum and refuse of their population to fill our almshouses, our bride wells, and our penitentiaries. Self-protection, the first law of nature, should impel us to check this evil by wise and effective legislation. [Applause.] For a century past there has come to us from Europe and Great Britain principally, a class of immigrants who, as a general thing, proved themselves worthy of the boon we so freely granted them, and soon became good and law-abiding citizens. Within the past twenty-five years, however, there has come to our shores from the West, mostly from China, a people radically different from the European. For many years these immigrants were well received, all believing that they would prove a desirable class of laborers, especially in the construction of our railroads, and in working our mines. In time, however, it became evident that they were undesirable on account of the peculiarities of their civilization. Unlike other nationalities, they have never sought to become citizens, but on the contrary, have persistently refused to assume the responsibilities of citizenship. I have always opposed Chinese immigration, not wholly because, by their singular habits and manner of living, they have been enabled to work in almost every department of manual labor, for less wages than other classes, to the disadvantage and pecuniary injury of the latter, or for any other reason, except that they belong to a nonassimilative race, who as a class do not and will not become citizens. [Applause.] Our Nation can not with safety admit such a race of people. It would be reprehensible to take into the human stomach as food anything that will not digest, assimilate, and make blood. So with the body politic, it can not afford to permit a class of immigrants to come into it who will not cheerfully accept its conditions of citizenship and abide by its laws and

customs.

It may be said that our wide country, with its vast area of arable and productive soil, affords to the unemployed masses that may be crowded in our cities, or in the more densely populated sections of the country, a field, where with small means a comfortable home and comparative independence can be secured. True, this has been, and may be the case now, but this will not long continue so. Our great unsettled National domain is gradu ally contracting, and in a quarter of a century, when our population will have reached one hundred million, cheap and good

agricultural land will be difficult, if not impossible to obtain. The poor man will not be able then as now to locate, pre-empt, and buy government land at a nominal price. If, under all the favorable conditions of the present, we fail to prevent strikes and other labor disturbances, what will it be then?

The recent troubles growing out of the acts of socialists and anarchists prove that the generous conduct of our government in the past toward those seeking protection under the broad folds of the National flag has been abused. Prompt and effective measures should be adopted by the General Government to prevent the ingress of such classes, and by the several states to put down effectually all attempts to dictate to, or by threats to menace the peace and safety of any citizen. [Applause.] The past indifference of our citizens and the laxity and inadequacy of our laws have made possible the terrible scenes of bloodshed witnessed not long since in Haymarket square, in the city of Chicago.

The growth of cities, and the present system of governing them is another great evil. In this age of improved and rapid intercommunication, large cities increase in population faster than the rural districts, with their villages and towns. Fifty years hence, there will be in all probability in this country, a half score of cities with a population of one million to five million and at least a score more with a population of one hundred thousand to one million. Fifty years ago only one in twenty-five of the people in this country lived in cities with a population of over ten thousand. Now, less than one in six are found in cities of that size. In fifty years it will probably be reduced to one in four. It is a well known fact, that large cities attract the worst, as well as the best, elements of our population, and they are especially attractive to the worst classes of immigrants; hence large cities are becoming more and more difficult to govern. The government of all large cities in this country are notoriously corrupt. It is the firm conviction of many of our wisest and best citizens that the only thing that will effect a cure and give our large cities good government is to curtail the elective franchise. Their idea is to treat a municipality with a population of say fifty thousand and over as a corporation, by which and through which taxes are levied and collected to be expended, for the benefit of all its citizens. The only persons therefore who have any direct or real interest in the corporation are the tax-payers. [Applause.] Hence, at all elections.