Daily national Democrat., 1861-07-25

ii there were any truth in them; II either in
spirit or in substance they deserved the oonsid-
GRAFTON of honest or honorable men, say most
frankly and freely to you tonight would be
undeserving OF the suffrages of yourselves or OF
any other portion of my fellow citizens. APP
plause.l 1t has been represented that stand
identified with schemers, with men leagued to-
gether for the purpose of plundering this great
city, taking away its Inheritance, and depriving
its citizens of their property and the means of
their material wealth. What truth there is in
these accusations, bear q while with me
this evening while / dscusss. | would
have been glad, fellow citizens, to have
given the burden of my brief discourse
to you this evening to other topics; and
before / close | will endeavor to make
other references than of the class l am
now about to engage in. But it has become
necessary, not simply for the viudcation of my
character, but for the vindication of the party
that have generously put me forward as their
candidate for high and distinguished station,
that | should at least set myself right, and if
am bameless in deed, act, or intention, that it
should be known; and it is particularly due to
them that here, where those viperous wretches
reside should fix the brand of condemnation
upon them. [VoICE:-" Good!" Great ap-
plause.]
-Four times have been honored with a seat
in the Legislature of your State, the first time
reaching as far back as 1858, period of
time when there was little of permanent resi-
dence in this State, and little of permanent in
terest considered; time when nearly all of us
yet thought of going home, either by the next
steamer or by the next season; time when
public men were tried, because there was moth
ing to bind them to contemplation or proper
conception of carrying out the public interest,"
except there was virtue in them. During that
session QS53) one of my colleagues upon this
ticket-the Hon. JOS C. McKibbin-was also a
member of the Legislature. To him. nay, to the
citizens of your city, to your John Shines who
| ,l,a hat fit,,a IN mar I
for what my record was then in connection with
public measures. Only q few days since, but
running on through weeks, paper published in
this city, called the Alta California, having no
regard for truth or history, having nothing but
a malignant desire to play the assassin upon
character, has represented me as iavoring what
is known as the Extension Scheme, to extend
this city into the harbor; scheme that
thought then and think now, in its turpitude and
the extent of its conception, outdid any meas
American Union. [Appause.l During that ses-
sion, QS53) while that measure was pending, it
is but duty to myself to say, that was one of
its fercest opponents. Upon no occasion did
let the opportunity slip to retard its progress
Nay. the next day after it passed the House-of
which was a member by four majority, of
fered resolution asking the Senate to return it
to the Assembly, charging that it passed that
body (Assembly) by corrupt means. ! demand
ed committee Of investigation, and offered to
prove the truth of my charge. | scarce hoped
for the passage of my resolution, but / advo
Gated it for the purpose, if nothing more, of
stamping the measure with the infamy which
thought it deserved Yet, running through
period of weeks, as soon as my fellow citizens
saw fit to choose me as a candidate Tor office in
| the State, this paper to which have referred
which ought to be high and dignifed medium
| of communicating truth and fact to the people
publishes and republishes that was one of
the leading advocates of the Extension Scheme.
| and one of the prominent plunder mongers Of
| that session of the Legislature QS53) What
regard, | ask you citizens of San Francisco,
what regard can you have or pay to journal
| that will thus, by intent, falsfy the record for
| the purpose of maligning citizen Applause
| | expect no favor during this canvass from that
| class of hyenas of the press. [Cheering.1 l ask
| from them no quarter; and let them take care
| that | shall not have power, for if have, and
| they shall still lie and malign, so far as that
| power may be lawfully and consttutionally eX-
ercsed, they shall have no quarter. [Great ap-
pausel They will call these expressions bitter;
they are in the habit of doing so in regard to
me. 1t is bitter to speak manfully and plainly,
but it is honest and decent, and the part of
| fairness, to play the assassin upon charac-
ter by making that great agent, the Press, the
great right arm of civil liberty everywhere,
when properly and fairly conducted, the me-
| dunn of attack, vilifcation and the spread of
| false ehood
They did not stop here. Not only have they
| placed me in friendly connection with the eX-
tension measure, but | have been published,
wherever their papers have circulated, as man
identified with corrupt and speculative legisla-
| ton. | challenge them to prove that record.
| | challenge them to the proof, sir. The contrary
of their assertions is notoriousy the fact, that
| the worst enmities of my life, the strongest op-
| position to me in the recent Convention at Sac
ramento, came from men whose measures had
| mpeded, believing at least, that was engaged
| in the protection of the public interests. [Ap-
plause.l
| Another newspaper published here, which
modestly sets itself up as the only medium of
| integrity between the intellect that writes and
intellect that reads, has been unnceasing in its
| vtuperative attacks upon me. / will not follow
| it. Its attacks have not simply reached me
| alone, but they go to the 654 citizens of your
State who met in the recent Convention at Sac
| ramento. While the conductors of this paper
advocate the election of Leland Stanford as Gov
| ernor of the State-wbch they have right to
| do-they put it on the necessity of sustaining
| an honest man for public station. While they
| thus advocate his election, listen to how they
| speak of the Democrats of your State. hold
in my hand one of their issues. | will not trouble
you by reading much from it; but as there are
in all probability many delegates to that Con-
venton here, and as what shall say this eve
ming will perhaps reach each of the 654 gen.
tlemen who composed it on its assembling at
Sacramento, / desire the Bulletins opinion of
them to go with the Bulletins opinion of
me, that they may see that they have no
quarter from this other hyena of the press.
read from the Bulletin of the 9th of July The
editors commence a leading article intended for
| the intellectual stomach of the citizens of San
| Francisco, thus:
| "The great mass meeting OF pou.house poll
| ticians which has been holding daily carousings
at Sacramento since the Fourth of July, has
brought its labors we'll nigh to a close
! will read no more A VOICE: "D-n them;
they are liars, sir" Applause and laughter
The Union Democratic party of your State in
each of the forty.odd counties selected delegates
to attend the State Convention-and they have
selected nothing but "pot.house politicians !"
These papers find it convenient to attack the
candidates, attack the Convention, to illuminate
these charges and circulate them. And now
upon what pretense, or shadow of pretense, do
| they hang all this Simmer it down, reduce it,
and you find it to consist in the fact asseverated
by them over and over again, that John Con-
ness, the candidate of that Convention for Gov
| ernor, In 1860 voted for the Bulkhead bill.
stated TO the Convention which presented my
name for this office, before received the nom
inatlon, the motives and reasons which guided
my vote for that measure. But do Won think
that these newspapers have ever presented that
| statement OF mine to their readers? No That
| is not their purpose. Their schemes are better
carried out by concealing that statement from
| the public. Now, fellow citizens, let me saw to
you in all candor, in advance of what shall saw
on that measure-and shall say it to the people
wherever go-that if there be one among Won
who believes, even much less suspects that |
gave that vote, or any other vote, with C orrupt
motive, or with any other motive than motive
OF high public interest, let that man vote against
me. lGreat applause.] Give me no office at the
| hands OF the people, unless | can be proud
| nf Ann