Excerpt from Speech of Gen. Lew; Wallace on the Democratic Party and the Solid South: Delivered on Occasion of a Rally Called by the Ben Hur Republican Club at Whitlock, Montgomery County, Indiana, October 23, 1888 Fellow-citizens - There is no office or nomination for office in your gift which I want. If then you ask what I am, and why here, this is my answer - I am an American of the class which believes our country the greatest that is or has been - the class which does not allow a day to pass without thanks for birth and life in the United States. There is no country like our country; and in anticipation of the election, the morning of which may be almost seen in the sky, I am here to speak for it regardlessly. I Wish to be brief, and for that purpose, after not a little thought, have determined to confine myself to one topic - the Democratic Party and the Solid South. I was once a Democrat of the straitest sect. For thirteen years as a Democrat I made battle with every ism that showed a hostile pennon in the opposite horizon. Recollection of those years, and of the many who were my friends in that time, some of them now dead, will keep me in respectful Speech. While indifferent to politi cal honors, I beg you all to understand that I am a candidate for the good will and respect of everybody. I remember also that at giving consent to speak on this occasion, it was on condition that my old Democratic friends should be. Especially invited to come and hear me. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.