Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-12-07
MIR. WARDS AUBURN SPEECH.

"Ide-Awakes marched in procession to the
house of Senator Seward, and called him out
for speech. He answered as follows:
Gentlemen, WIde-A,cakes, Fel5o1e- Citizens,
Friends and Nagh6ors;
This is not exactly
according to contract We parted last at
midnight, you remember; it was at the
Court House. The day the 9th of this month.
Doubtful, perhaps, whether it was not the
nth. We were receiving election returns.
The First Ward, Republican Second Ward
Republican; Third Ward Republican; Fourth
Ward, astounding Republican. [Cheers-
Hurrah for the Fourth Ward. That is right.
The Fourth Ward deserves it. Give the
" ard three more. Three more were given.
Now think of 1t, the First Ward deserves as
many. Six cheers were given for the First
ward. Well. then came the news from the
several towns, cheering, glorious magnificent,
and the scattering returns from other towns
Counties and States. | told you the State
was Republican by 30, 600 that Abraham
Lincoln was President that you would not
need me to rejoice longer with you. prom
lsed to leave light burning in my library
and that if you should have bad news,
would come back to you if called, and
you promised me not to come unless
the news should come in rather blue. We
did. That's it, Well the news didn't come
in blue, but all right and cheering. And yet
you are here again. Laughter. Cheers.
That's fact] And what aggravates the
case is that the news is altogether too cheer
ing for you to enjoy it alone. Laughter.
Well, | suppose one must not insist on
strict performance of engagements in these
times especially with Wide-Awakes. 1t is
in their nature to be uneasy, and to make
other people so. They would not let their
adversaries sleep before the election. Their
friends must no; expect to rest undisturbed
after the election. [Cheers and laughter.
Fellow-cihzens, you have a right to re-
ioce | remember that thought it an oc-
casion for rejoicing, when the good cause we
now maintlin, carried one ward in the city,
one or two,o three towns in the country and
the State Of Vermont alone in the whole
country. But now who Will deny our right
to rejoice when it carries all the wards in
the city, all the towns in the county, all
the counties in the State where its argu-
mont is fairly heard, and practically all the
States in the Union which allow, in fact,
free speech, free debates, free ma Is, and
fee and universal suffrage. It is the earnest
d its universal acceptance. Cheers.
But there is still greater reason to rejoice
IN the manner in which this success has been
won. 1t is the verdict of a People for a
Principle-the Republican Principle-the
true Democratic principle Of Equal and Ex-
act justice to all men. Cheers 1t Is a
verdict rendered purely On conviction,
hon Nh D.
lcan vote in the United States has been pro-
cured through terror, not one by bribery or
corruption. Nay, every vote has been given
in resistance of intimidation and corruption.
Cheers / do not charge that the Fusion,
votes or other opposition votes were largely
given under such appliances. But the record
of the canvass remains, and bears Its teStl-
mony that the main argument of those par
ties was their menace Of DiSuni0n, and last
reliance was money at the Polls Cheers
That is sol Who will now libel the Ameri-
can people? Who Will deny their vlrtue3
But this demonstration of yours has its
meaning-its meaning in various relations
1t recalls the Past, and tells that the GRO
neous national policy Of forty years has been
retraccd, reconsidered, reversed, condemned
and renounced Let, then, the passions and
preiudces be buried with the errors Of the
Past. 1t bears on the Future. 1t assures Us
that hereafter the policy Of the country viii
be the development of Its resources, the in
crease of its strength and its greatness, by
the agencies of Freedom and Humanity.
ICheers Dismiss we, then, the future, un-
til some new election call you again to your
council chambers, to renew your efforts IN
obedience to the principle that Eternal y igi-
lance is the tax we pay for Enduring Liber-
ty TCheers.
The immediate question is the bearing Of
the occasion on the Present. What Is our
present duty? 1t is simply that of magma
nimitv. We have learned, heretofore the
practice Of patience under political defeat.
il now remains TO show the greater virtue of
moderation in triumph That we may ID
this let US remember that tits only as figures
of speech that the use of the martial terms,
such as defeat and victory obtain in
our system of elections. The parties engaged
in an election are not. never can be, never
must be, enemies or even adversaries. We
are all fellow-citizens, Americans, brethren.
1t is a trial of issues by the force only of rea-
son and the contest is carried to its c0nclu-
sion, with the use only of suffrage.
An appeal lies from the people this year to
and determined in the same way and So on
forever. This is indeed long way to the
attainment Of Rights and the establishment
of interests. Ii is our way, however now as
it has been heretofore. Let it be our way
hereafter. [Cheers If there be among US
or IN the country those who think that mar
shalliug armies or pulling down the pillars
of the Republic IS a better, because a shorter
wav. let us not doubt that If we commend
our way by our patience, our gentleness, our
affection towards them, they will before they
shall have gone too far, find out that our
way. the old way, their old way as well as
our old way, is not only the shortest but the
best.
Fellow citizens. l should do injustice to
YOU. and violence to my own feelings, IT l
did not recognize in this visit q warm and
most generous demonstration of your per-
sonal kindness to me. You know how deeply
I was committed to the triumph of this Pres
idential ticket more than to any other IN
times that are past, and to its triumph moro
distinct and emphatic, if possible, here than
anywhere else. How the eyes OF friends IN
every part Of the country were anxiously
fixed on this State, on this country, nay even
on this town, to learn whether we were true
in this crisis to our cause, our county and
to ourselves This lent new and intense
earnestness to your efforts, and our success,
therefore, has exceeded all that we dared to
promise, though not what we dared to hope.
The year 1860, how many acts of home kind
ness has it brought to me from all my neigh
bors. My welcome from abroad-sympathy
with me in my labOrs for the country at
Washington-the rescue ofmy dwelling from
fire during my absence-co-operation with
me, so earnest, 50 devoted, so effective in Sc
curing the ascendency Of the Republican
cause throughout the Union, these congrat
ulations on its success-l feel them all more
deeply more gratefully, than dare express.
May you all find your reward in the increas-
ing happiness and growing greatness of our
country.
And now we part again. You to lay aside
the emblems of your political association, at
least for time and to return to your indus
trial pursuits and social enjoyments. l to
return to the theatre of public duty at the
National Capitol. May kind Providence
spare all your lives and continue all the bles-
sings you enjoy, and when we meet again in
the coming spring season, when these now