Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-11-19

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 it is the utterance of a
leading member Of the Cabinet.
After stating that he had not entertained
any intention of entering the political can
vass as 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 ba-
bituaI
HOPEFULNESS AND CHEERFCLSEss
| will forget myself as well as | can while
l utter some sentiments of cheerfulness and
hope concerning the condition of our country
and its cause. L do not forget that cheerful
ness and hopefulness, habitual cheerfuIness
and hopetulness, give offence in certain quar-
tiers. We have class OF patriots who deride
them, who insist upon having the political
skies obscured and the political moon through
out all her changes presented under eclipse.
do believe IN cheertuIess and hopefulness
As in religion so in politics-it is faith and
not despondency that Oyercomes mountains
and scales the heavens. The General who.
harranguing his army on the eve of battle
should express fears of defeat, would be sure
to be defeated. The statesman who apnre
hended that dlsUnlon is inevitable, would be
sure to produce dissolution. The Christian
who believes that he has committed the un-
pardonable sin will never work out his saliva
ton He who impatiently 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 had
Christian who waivers in his faith because
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 solicitude than they do to
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
y
insurgents. # the balot-box could be OMEN
ed at Laird's ship-yard in Liverpool, or in
John SlidelPs house in Paris, there would be
a unanimous vote for Seymour ami ullandig-
ham, and new iron-clads would escape from
under the broad arrow, in armor impregna-
BILE, IN array lnnumerable, and you would
have superadded to this terrible struggle upon
land a more tremendous contest than the
world has ever seen upon the high seas. The
instinct Of enemies is infallible.
You have friends in arms at home defend
ing the Government and the country. Every
man who 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 pass to
reach the ballot-box at his home, and he votes
as he fights, for his country and for the Ad-
ministration, 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 Fallandigham The in
stinct of dispassioned disinterested friends is
intallible.
THE SOLDIERS VOTE.
But [ must not forget that opponents OBJ
ject to allowing soldiers to go home to vote.
The objection is disloyal as we'll as migrate
full, and is therefore a crime. If the soldier
ought not to be allowed furlough to reach
the ballot-box, why did Gov Seymour refuse
to allow the ballot-box to go into the camp
He answers that is unconstitutional. Why
then object to the soldiers going home to vote:
that is not unconstitutional. They do not
mean to quarrel with the manner of the sol
diers' voting; they seek to deprive him of his
vote altogether. They allow the soldier to
fight for his country, because they cannot
help it, but they seek to deprive him of the
privilege of voting for it, because by clamor
they think they can prevent it. Who are
these soldiers that have come home to vote
Every man of them is a citizen and an elector.
There is not an unwilling or involuntary SOL
der or conscript among them. They are your
sons and brothers and mine, as intelligent, as
well trained as we or their opponents, better
entitled to vote than you or |, for they have
gone forward to the battle, while we have
been content with staying at home and max
ing contributions, meritorious in themselves.
but nevertheless contributions in money in
stead of blood. Not allow the soldier to vote
for the Government? You saw what came of
it by refusing to allow him his vote last
year. You voted the Government down in
his absence, and then were obliged to call the
soldier from the front, i'll face of the enemy.
back to the state to restore peace, order and
safety at home. Not allow the soldier to
vote? Has the soldier only the right to Ian
guish in the hospital, to die On the battle
field, and to be carried into captivity? Is
this the sum Of the soldiers rights I tell
you no. tell you that the soldiers of this
war will vote, some thousands of them to-
morrow-many more thousands every year
hereafter-and they will sit in Judgment upon
parties in this country throughout two gene
rations, and determine the verdict of poster
ity in regard to them.
THE CONDITION OF PEACE
What if through battle and suffrage. the
President who was elected in 1860 should. by
his opponents, be kept out of the Presidency
of the United States until another election :?
What if they then should succeed in electing
President in 1864, against the majority who
elected Abraham Lincoln in 1860? Can that |
majority be expected to acquiesce, without |
voting and without bloodshed, in the election |
of Jefferson Davis, or John C. Breckenridge,
or Horatio Seymour? Certainly not; and |
then you have perpetual civil war, which is |
nothing else than perpetual anarchy.
Let US not be deceived. Abraham Lincoln |
must be President of South Carolina and |
Georgia by virtue of his election of 1860, or
not only the peace of the Union, but the
Union itself is forever lost. Peace comes