Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-11-18
SECRETARY SEWARD AT AUBURN
His speech on the Eve of Election.

Secretary SEWARD made speech TO his
fellow townsmen of Auburn. New York, on
the evening previous to the election. Though
relating in part TO the contest which has been
decided at the ballot box, much of it is still
OF general interest, especially in view of the
circumstance that ii is the utterance of
leading member of the Cabinet
After stating that he had not entertained
any intention OF entering the political can
vass as a debater, and appeared before the
audience rather by accident than design. he
proceeded to refer to and defend, what he
has sometimes been criticised for, his ha
bitual
HoPEFULNEss AND CHEERFULNEss.
| Will forget myself as well as can while
| utter some sentiments Of cheerfulness and
hope concerning the condition of our country
and Its cause. do not forget that cheerful
! ness and hopetulness, habituaI cheerfulness
and hopetulness, give offence in certain quar-
tiers. have class Of patriots who deride
them, who insist upon having the political
skies obscuTed and the political moon through
out ali her changes presented under eclipse
do believe IN cheertulness and hopefulness
As IN religion so IN politicS-it is faith and
and scales the heavens, The General who
harranguing his army on the eve of battle
should express fears of defeat, would he sura
to be defeated The statesman who annre-
| hended that dlsunlon Is inevitable, would be
sure TO produce dissolution. The Christian
who believes that he has committed the nm
pf.rdonable sin will never work out ms saliva
ton. He who lmpatiently rejects the coun-
ellis OF hope IN political action because he
does not see all his expectations immediately
realized, Is as bad a citizen as he is a bad
Christian who waivers in his faith because a
hundred generations have passed away, and
All these things are not yet fulfilled"
THE ELECTIONS.
After predicting the success of the Union
cause at the ballot-box, Gov. S proceeded:
There are 100000 American citizens in
arms in the Southern States against their
country. They look TO the election of to-
morrow with more soIicitude than they do 10
the defence of Charleston or the siege of
Chattanooga. If you could pass the ballot
box through their camps, every man of them
would vote for the Administration of this
Government by HoratiO Seymour and Vallan-
dIgham, and against the Administration of
Abraham Lincoln. You have enemies in GER
tain classes all over Europe They are fitting
out navy and prIYateerS tor the American
insurgents. If the balIot-box could be open
ed at Lairds ship-yard Ill Liverpool, or in
John Slidelfs house III Paris, there would be
a unanimous vote for Seymour and VaHandig-
ham, and new irOn-clads would escape from
under the broad arrow, in armor impregna-
bic, in array innumerable, and you would
have superadded to this terrible struggle upon
land more tremendous contest than the
world has ever seen upon the high seas. The
instinct of enemies is intallible
You have friends in arms at home defend
ing the Government and the country. Every
man VINO meets the enemy in battle knows
what he is fighting for. He is fighting for
the country. Pass the ballot-box through the
Union camps, or give the soldier a pass to
reach the ballot-bOX at his home and he votes
as he fights, for his country and for the Ad-
ministrauon, which he sees is identified with
his country. You have friends in Europe
The great mass of society on the Continent,
from the White Sea to the Mediterranean.
from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, are the
friends of the United States. The great mass
of society in America, from the Rio Grande
to Cape Horn, are the friends of the United
States. Send the ballot-box through all those
regions, and the votes would be counted ten
thousand to one for Abraham Lincoln and
against Seymour and Vallandigham. The in
stinct of dispassioncd, disinterested friends is
infalliblc.