Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-11-24

baaot-boz, or tbe night Of the 10Th A larg
crowd assembled in 'front.' Of the President
mansion. Alter patriotic music by severa
bands, the President appeared at the window
over the main entrance and addressed then
as follows:
l. 1t has long been a grave question wbetEe,
any government not too stronz for the liber
ties OF the people can be strong enough tc
malntall Its own existence in great emergcn.
eleS On this point the present rebellion
brought our republic to a severe test, and :.
PRESIDENTIAL election occurring in regular
course during the rebellion added not a little
/ TO the strain. If the loyal people united
were put to the utmost of their strength by
the rebellion, must they not fail when divided
and partially paralyzed by a political war
! among themselves? But the election was a
necessity. We cannot have free government
| without elections, and if the rebellion could
! force Us TO forego or postpone a national
| election, 1t might fairly claim to have already
| conquered and ruined US. Tie strife of the
| election is but human nature practically ap-
| Ps'ed tc the facts Of the case. What has oc-
cure "A this case must ever recur in similar
| eases. Human nature viii not change. In
any future great national trial, compared with
the men OF this, we shall have as weak and
as strong, as silly and as wise, as bad and as
good, Let Us, therefore, study the incidents
OF this as philosophy to learn wisdom from.
and none of them as wrongs to be avenged.
(CheerS.) But the election, along with its in
cidental and undesirable strife has done good
too. It has demonstrated that a peoples
government can sustain national election in
the midst Of a great civil war. (Renew-
ed cheers.) Until now it has not
been known to the world that this
was possibility, 1t shows also how
sound and how strong we still are.
1t shows that, even among the candidates of
the same party he who IS most devoted to
the Union and most opposed to treason can
receive most of the peoples votes. CAP.
plause.) I shows also, to the extent vet
known, that we have more men now than we
had when the war began. Gold is good in its
place, but living, brave and patriotic men
are better than gold (Cheers and other
demonstrations Of applause.) But the rebel
lion continues, and now that the election is
over, may not all having q common interest
reunte in a common effort to save our com.
mon country? (Cheers.l For nay own part
have striven and shall strive to avoid
placing any obsta Gle in the way. (Cheers0
SO long as l have been here [ have not will
lingly planted a thorn III any mans bosom.
While | am duly sens;ble.ro Tie nigh compli-
ment Of a re election, auL daily eful as I
trust to Almighty God for having d'rectcdmy
cOuntrymeu TO 4 right conclusion, as | think
for their good, 1t adds nothingtO my satislac-
ton that any other man may DE Disappointed
by the result. (Cheers.) May I ask those
who have not differed with ne to Join with
me in this same spirit toward those who have?
And now let me close by asking thrce hearty
cheers for our brave soldiers and seamen and
their gallant and sllilful commanders.
At the conclusion Of t49 speech, which
elected frequent cheers and applause, the
crowd proceeded to tue residence of Sacre-
thry Seward, who, in response to the e Il Of
the multitude, said: - .-
SECRETARY sEwAHD's sPEEeH
FELLOW CITIzENs-Y ouremember th~t once
Paul, IN his own country, took On appeal 10
Caesar, and went from Judea across the Aedi-
terranean to follow out his appeal to Cesar
After being shipwrcckel, and after. h wing
encountered all manner Of dungprs at Malta.
and elsewhere-dangcr by sea aud I,ua--ne
at last reached the coast Of Isaiy, Iar,El- 1T
the Hot Springs, near Naples, From there
he proceeded up towards Rome, and when he
got within about eighteen miles Of Rome Le
came to a place called April Forum, or the
Place OF Three IaVerns and 1t Is recorded in
Scripture that the brethren, when he got
within the suburbs Of the city, came out to
meet him.. Thereupon Paul tuank ed GCd and
took courage Sol think that, having been
tossed about on this tempest Of secession auL
revolution for three and half years, | have
at last got to Appii Forum (aughter)- |
Place of the Three |ivcrns. Although there
is not hotel on his street. laughter at
all events | am sure the brethren have come
out to meet me-Q aughter)-and thereupon
[ do now here tonight, with all my heart,
and in all reverence and humility, thank God
(Cries of "Amen.") Amen. We all of US
thank Him, and 1 hope you will all take cour-
age for the rest Of the way, which [ think
will be short journey. (Cheers.) Fellow
citizens, our old brethren Of the South, who
used to meet Us up here in the Capitol, and
with whom we used to have such pleasant So
cial times, have pretended to set up apOor, rick
ETY. Congress and government OF their own
And you know what they did it for? They
did it because they were afraid we would
abolish slavery. They met in Richmond the
first Monday of this month; and what did
you think they met for? They met to abol-
ish the slavery of two hundred thousand ne
groes, to put them with the army, that they
might fight to keep all the rest Of the negroes
in slavery. Uaughter) Well, we have got
our old fashioned, regular Congress, where |
there are seats kept open for them yet, and
it meets on the first Monday in December
| am much mistaken if we do not show our |
old friends down South trick worth two of
that they are practising. My impression is |
that, instead of aboliShing the slavery Of two |
hundred thousand negroes, they will do the |
much better thing of setting the constitutions
al stamp on the Presidents proclamation Of |
1862. cloud cheers) Why, you seem to be |
very unanimous about that. (Cheers) Wei, |
[ will tell you what is more curious than all |
that Within three years from this time they |
will be Just as unanimous about it in Rich |
mond as you are here in Washington.
Well fellow citizens, We have all got to be |
friends [Cheers We have got to be friends |
with Democrats who have been voting against |
us aud we VIII balance accounts by saying |
that we voted against them; and if, now that
the election is over, they conclude TO be quits, |
we will agree to be alFUnion men hereafter,
and we will acknowledge that our party, as
daughter and applause. presume that |
four years hence we will be in perfect har- |
mony, not only throughout all the free States, |
but in the whole Union.
And I will tell you why think that will be
so. l came on this stage Of action rot long |
ago-some years after the Revolutionary |
War-andI used to hear n. parents, and the |
men and women Of that age, talk about the I
vast number of tories who were opposed to
the government of the United States ii the 4
Revolution: and what surPrisedIne above all /,
things was, that at the expiration Of thirty /
yp9rs af+arvvards there WAS not Il tOrV to De !