Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-10-15

tOuS campaign, JilaC, Dorm IN Jne DirthplaCe
Of the Constitution, he was privileged, by
All auspicious and beautiful coincidence, to
commemorate its seventy-fifth birthday, by
saving the capital of his country. But who
of us is not ready TO accept the omen that
1t Is still reserved for him who saved the
capital on that day to save the country itself
at this? cloud applause.)
And now, fellow-citiZens, you have not
forgotten that this was the last military SER
vice which General Mcclellan was permit
ted to perform in the defense of the Union.
You have not forgotten that, only few
weeks afterward, he was isummarily de-
prived of his command, and sent into that
retirement from which no patriotic offers
of his own, and 10 persistent solicitations
of his friends, have prevailed on the Adj
ministration to recall him. But the day is
at length at hand when the people of the
United States have the. constitutional OPP
pOrtunity and the constitutional right to
revise and reverse the DEGREES of the Ad-
mnistration; and most heartily do / hope
that this one of their DEGREES, If no other,
will be revised and will be reversed. Gap
plause.) Most heartily do | hope that, dis
regarding all consideration of parties and
platforms, and with the single and simple
view of restoring Union and peace to our
distracted land, the people of the loyal
vember next, to take upon their OWE
shoulders this leader whom the rulers have
rejected, and to bear him triumphantly into
that same White House from which the re-
lection has emanated. owe will, we will"
Cheers.) That, as ] understand it, is the
proposition before. this meeting; and for
one, certainly, gladly avail myself of this
earliest opportunity which has been pre-
sented to me to express my approval of it.
(Cheers.) Young men of New York, and
of the nation, will you not take it in spe-
cial charge and see to it that this is done?
("Yes, yes.") The candidate whom we sup
port is eminently a young mans candidate;
the youngest in years, / believe, that was
ever nominated for the Presidency; but
who has won more laurels in the field and
shown discretion and a wisdom in civil
affairs, which would have done honor to
the Oldest. 1t ought to be the pride of
Young America not only to see that he has
fair play and generous support but to Sc
cure him an opportunity of showing what
young men can do, and are destined to do.
In the high places of the land, as well as on
the field of battle. cloud applause.) And
yet let me not seem for moment, fellow
citizens, to put the great issue of the ap-
preaching election OH. any personal
grounds. The question before us is not
about candidates, but about our country;
not about the relative claims or merits of
Abraham Lincoln and George B. McClel-
Ian, but about the nations welfare, and the
nations life. (Three cheers for McClellan.)
In whose hands will that precious lite be
safest? That is the question; and do not
forget that it is a question of opinion, on
which every man has right to form, and
every man has a right to follow, his own
opinion. L do not forget, either, how
many honest and excellent men, in
my own and other parts of the
land, with whom l have heretofore
delighted to take counsel in private and
in public affairs, have come to different con-
clusions from my own. But have not been
able to resist the conviction, my friends,
that the best interests of the country, and
| the best hopes of restoring the Union of the
country emphatically and urgently demand
change of administration at the approach
| ing Presidential election. (Cheers.) lean
not resist the conviction-or certainly the
deep and earnest pprehenslons-thatif if the
| policy adopted and pursued by President
| Lincoln and his supporters during the last
two years is tob be persisted in for four years
to come, we shall find ourselves irretrieva-
bly, into the fearful and fathomless abyss of
disunion. can enter into no detailed dis
cussion of that policy on this occasion; nor
can it wisely be discussed, on any occasion,
in the hearing of our Southern enemies.
can only say, that in my humble judgment,
it has been a policy fatally calculated to
divide and weaken the councils of the
| North, to unite and concentrate the ener-
| gies of the South; and, beyond all question,
1t has accomplished that result, if no other.
Why, my friends, the all-important end OF
re-establishing the Union has been almost
shut out of sight; so mixed up and compli-
Gated has it been with schemes of philan-
| thropy on the one side, and with sche mes
of confiscation, subjugation, and extermi-
nation on the other. Instead of the one
great constitutional idea of restoration, we
have been treated to all manner of projects
and theories of Reconstruction. There would
almost seem to have been willingness, in
some quarters, to vie with our enemies
themselves in discarding and destroying the
old Constitution of our fathers. At one
time, we have had solemn propositions for
annihilating, whole States, whole systems
of States, and blotting out their stars from
the national banner. At another, we have
heard open declarations from the high
places of the land, that we never again were
to be permitted to have "the Constitution
as 1t is and the Union as it was" Good
heavens, what else are we fighting for ?
What other Union are we striving to estab-
lish? What other Constitution are we
struggling to vindicate? What other Con-
stitution are our rulers and legislators SOL
emily sworn to support? We might ex-
pect such declarations as these from rebels
In arms against the Government, but who
can listen to them from loyal lips, without
recalling the warning words of a great
English statesman and orator, when he
bade us "look with horror on those chill
dren of their country who are prompt rash
ly to hack that aged parent to pieces, and
put him into the kettle of magicians, in
hopes that, by their poisonous weeds and
wild incantations, they may renovate the
paternal Constitution and renovate their
fathers lifem Heaven save us from any
such regeneration and renovation as that.
Great applause.) D..
Fellow-citizens, we all know that it was
the success of the Republican party, with
its alleged sectional organization and Sec
tional objects, which furnished the original
occasion, four years ago, for that atrocious
and ungodly assault upon our Government
which initiated this gigantic civil war
(That's So" Applause.) We all know that
the secession leaders of the South, who had
SO long been meditating the movement in
vain, exulted at the election of Abraham
Lincoln at that day--and fully believe
they will exult again, If he is re-ohosen in
observation-disclosures it supplied the very
fuel which was needed for kindling this
awful conflagration. That assault upon the
Government can never be characterized in
terms of too severe condemnation and If
railing at the rebellion and its authors
would do any good this evening-if It
would he auy thing better than having Mt