East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-10-14
speech of II. HI. Esn an ons.

During the session of the Union Stat
Convention at Jackson, Mr.. III. III. En-
mons, being loudly called upon for |
speech, addressed the Convention a!
follows:
| have frequently said | did not at
tend political conventions. In my whole
life l have been at but one party cancus
| do not deem this enthusiastic occas
ion an exception in the 0M meaning
of that now degraded word, political
in the sense in which statesmen use il
to signify the science which teaches
how to secure and protect the peace, the
prosperity, and the lceaLth of nations,
trust this is political convention
That such are its objects | believe; that
such may be its consequences | most
sincerely hope.
In the outset, / apprise you that No
minute argument will be made. "A ref
erenco TO the general objects of our
gathering is all which will bc attempt
cd.
On this same stand, "a few weeks since
| made some statements which | then
believed, and still think to be unques.
toned facts, which have been post
grossly misrepresented. | have them
from sources the most unquestionable,
and from those who personally know
what they speak beg of the report
ers present that they will not again mis-
taks my remarks. With my argu
ments they may be free in comment.
State what say as | utter 1t, and | will
6e content.
/ beg the convention 10 believe that
what am now to say is not spoken in
unkndness, nor to find fault with the
actors in what | describe. 1t is not
without its logical purpose. aiirm
that the leaders of my own party were
in favor of submitting this question of
Union movement to tie people, as we
have done, and then, like patriots and
good citizens, yielding to that decision
when made. l will prove this most
conclusively. Let me not again be mis-.
VI derstood, if gentlemen dib miSunder.
staRd me before What | assume to
prove is, that the leaders of the rrpub.
llcan party, those men who have long
been acknowledged as such, and who
have acceptably controlled its move
ments, neu OF integrity aud of honor,
were in favor OF laying before their
party tue generous and patriotic cffer
made by the democratic State commit.
tee. [Applausc.
Although this convention may not
deem tho opinions of great value, these
facts will also show quite clearly that
the unauthorized minority of the repub.
lican committee, who committed the
republicans to party nomination, bc
lIeved, as We now know, that if the
question had been fairly laid before the
people of Michigan, they would, with
united voices, have declared fer a union
of oil parties in support of the govern.
mcnt. [ApPlause.l
i invite your attention, then, to the
partisan history that has made this
gathering necessary, and but for w..ich
history should have been to-day en-.
gagged in the private labors of my pro.
tession instead of fatiguing you with its
detail and protesting against its tyranny
and It's consequences.
The leaders of the democratic party
gathered OH several occasions for con.
sutation. What they deemed tho ex
tremc measures of the party in power
were discussed. The abolition of slavery
in the District of Columbia, the ques.
tion of the public lands, the Wimot
proviso, the conhscation bill, the hdbeaS
corpus, and threatened action for the
future, We're all reviewed. 1t was ai:
firmed that it was untimely and ungen
erous, ia this hour of trouble and dis
tress, for party, temporarily dominant,
to force through Congress the most cX
treme measures which had divided the
country. They considered wei! the
power of appeal, which our enormous
taxation, the military draft, the disturb
ance of our commerce, aud all the con
fusion which this war must inevitably
bring upon us, would give them before
the people But when they looked in
the face tho consequences of such ap
pNdtSj @lii tNdb lCSS tldu ~
completely united North could success
fully struggle with the rebellioa, with
great unanimity they determined to al
wise the State committee of their party
TO tender to the committee of our own
the manly and noble offer which, by tho
most unwarrantable assumption of au-
thorty, was SO unwIsely rejected.
When this tender was made to our com,
mittee, instead of that consultation
which, IN such circumstances, was so
omiDently the duty of those who recciv.
ed it, it was summarily disposed of, as
| will describe. Ono member of tho
committee, Mr.. WIN. A. Howard draft.
cd a response, in which, substantially,
he dlscaimed all power to bind their
party to the action proposed, but rec
commended that the democratic convcn
ton should be held at the same time
and place with that proposed by the re.
publicaus; that this question of union
should be discussed in tho primary
meetings; that delegates be elected with
reference to it, and then tho two con
,ouV,N,., ,N.,.iu.. fr.eh f.n,,, a., ,.Nu,