Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1862-07-03
SPEECH OF HON. II. sECREsT.
DElIvERED AT.THE UNION CONVENTION HE'LL
zIS INDIANAPOLIS ON THE, 18TH OF JUNE.

erA : Esle 80 ~s
DELIVERED AT THE UNION CONVENTION HELD
fziS INDIANAPOLIS ON THE 18TH OF JUNE.
Mr., Secrest has always acted with the
Democrats. and has represented that party
several times in the State Legislature
ED. REP.]
feel very grateful to this audience aud
its presiding officer for the honor, of ad
dressing you at this time. 4 am unpre-
Fpsred, even ,withlnotes, to speak to yon;
bnt the heart speaking from its warm inn
pulsesto fellow hearts is probably the best,
as it is the freshest. converse we can hold
together. Ihave no speech TO make to
/ timid men. If there are any here who
doubt our capacity Cor republican govern
sment; who think there will not be vigor
land permsnence hereafter. "let him slide."
Laughter. / talk to men who love their
country, and would perish rather than see
il perish. lhave been partisan thirty
seven years.. have no regrets for it now.
l look back upon my career with pride.--
Mistakes have been made; but it is human
to err. But when /. look back, upon the
chisvements Of that man Of iron viii! and
incorruptible honesty who crushed the re-
belion in South Carolina, / have no re-
grets. The days of heroes. political he
roes. has gone by. Jackson, who was in
heart and soul aboye any other man ofhis
age, who had no kindred and placed his
country above all else, that man would
have stricken sthis rebellion down at once
with an iron hand. without calling out an
army of 500. 900 men.
My political education began under the
tutelage Of jackson. Nine of as who held
The first Democratic Convention in Indiana
IN 1887. are here TO day. They are for the
country and the Union and the triumph
of the laws. / have always supposed it
was the duty Of every citizen. without re-
gard to party. to stand by his Govern
ment. as the hi.aslends by its mother
This was the doclrine Of ancient Democra-
cy. This wss-the spirit imbued in me
when child. 1 sprang from that class
which furnished common soldiers in our
early war--men of the frontier. hardy and
undisciplined. but who would take bat
terry from the British. or chase the Indian
from the woods and swamps, wherever
duty called them. This origin implanted
in me bitter hatred of anti-war men. For
myself. I adopted the motto Of the lamen-
ted Decatur: "Iu time of war am for my
country. right or wrong" suppose this
was the doctrine of The Democracy. 1t is
true that no Demo cratic creed had provid-
ed for such an emergency. but | should
have thought that every principle of the
party, and even its animal instincts,
Qaughter) would have forced il to the
support Of the government In this war
If not, / would cast such traitor party
from me.
There might be circumstances when /
might fail to support my government. II
there was an attempt to establish des-
potism, to destroy the institutions that
protec. us. would fight against it. But
L would be an open enemy. would give
it a written release from all protection. and
ell claim to any right under it. and leave
it. l would never fight the battle of trail
tors on the soil Of the government Zap
plause) which protected me. II I were a
secessionist would go South. (Great
applause and cries of good"
It is said that the 9Th Of January Con
vention party is not an anti var party
They argue very illogically. In this coun-
try. and under every free government. it
is certain that any party which organizes
agsinst the government in time OF war,
becomes inevitably an anti-war party
The motive may be patriotic, at first. but
they cannot help drifting from opposition
TO the government into opposition to the
war. How has it been in this country?
Let the past speak. The old Federal par
ty was composed of men Of honor and
ability. who were patriotic and did good
service in the Revolution. but it attempted
! to dictate how the war OF 1872 should be
conducted. 1t was opposed to war with
Great Britain, but was 10 favor of one a
gainst France. In proposing to change
the direction of the war it drifted into an
} anti-war party. The Hartford Conven-
tion discussed the very questions which
were under discussion at the Sth of Janua-
ry Convention. Cheers and laughter.)
refer to a recent example in point. In
the Mexican war the Wbig party didn't
intend to be an anti-war party. But Folks
! administration had to be opposed, They
went on. and however tenderly they array.
ed themselves, and however slow they
changed, they placed themselves, at last,
in direct opposition to the war. l oppos-
ed them. l denounced Corwin as moral
traitor. l think so yet. AS the Federal
party died of opposition to the war of 1912,
so did the Wing party die OF ofopposition to
the Mexican war. 1t made an attempt
TO change its position by identifying itself
with the fame and name of General Taylor.
and succeeded for time. But when he
died it died. No party can array itself a.
gainst the government in time of war with
out writing its own death warrant at the
hands of the people.
Political parties always become anti-wal
parties. if party organization is kept up in
time of war. Even if the 9Th of January
Convention had nominated perfectly unex.
ceptionable men. would still oppose
J them, for will not consent to place my.
self in opposition to any Government in
time ofwar.
Isaid that some of my fellow Democrats
} were illogical in their opposition to the
Administra tion. / differ from them in
their premises. They assume that the Ad-
ministration is attempting TO subvert BY
the war the government of our fathers