The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1864-08-19
SERENADE TO HON. VIM. A.
RICHARDSON, OF ILL.
AlAReE CROWD IN ATTENDANCE
A TELLING SPEECH FROM
THE SENATOR,
Enthusiastic Cheers for Nc
Clellan.

OF the leading Democrats of this city last even
ing proceeded to the International Hotel, &C.
companied by the Great Western Band, for the
purpose of serenading Senator William A.
Richardson, of Illinois. When the Band
had PRAYED for some time. q crowd having col
lected on Seventh street that filed the street
along the whole front of the building, Hon.
John B. Brisbin introduced the distinguished
Senator to the people with the remark that he
had long been widely known as o flag bearer of
the uncorrupted and uncorruptible Democracy.
When the cheering which greeted his appear
ance had subsided, Mr.. Richardson said:
FELLOW CTTIZKNs-We are on the eve eff
one of the most important elections that ever
occurred in this country, wherein the issues
are 60 great-so vast-so mighty, that it
Is with hesitation proceed to give
my views upon the various questions entering
into the campaign. Let US approach these
questions with candor. Are you, is any one
satisfied with the present condition of the
country9 No man, not one of us. is satisfied
with the present state of affairs. No man who
loves his country but wishes its deliverance
Lincoln for our President over three years
Mr.. Lincoln, who is . candidate for reelection.
Groans. We have freely poured out blood and
treasure for these more than three years. and are
to-day further from settlement than when
we commenced, while the rebellion is more
powerful than it was on the ill-starred day of
the first Bull Run. If you re-elect Mr.. Lin
coin you will have four more years of war like
those that are filing his present term If
you re-elect him, you will have four years
more of waste and f0lly-your credit will be
gone, your money is gone, and all will be
fruitless sacrifice.
Turn back and examine what he has done.
His friends told you that if he should be elect
ed there would not be any rebellion-if there
before breakfast Then when he was elected
and the rebellion had broke out, they promised
to put it down in sixty days or ninety days.
We have given them now three years in which
they have been most literally sustained In
that three years We have spent more money
than 1t cost the country to support all
the other Administrations from Washington
to Lincoln. Yes, in three years Abraham
Lincoln has cost the people more than it took
to support the government from its first day to
his Inauguration. ask you to think of this.
How much of all this money was spent for
honest purposes do not undertake to say, but
they have stolen more than was stolen in all
the seventy odd years preceding their advent
to power and control Of the purse. VOICE.
Who stole it7 Democrats If you put DEM
ocrats in office to steal, you had no business to
do it. When we get into power we will bring
all these plunderers to trial and punishment
and if we fail in honesty. as you haye failed,
we will not accuse Republicans of our crimes.
Take the other view. This war was to be
then in ninety days. But the rebellion is
living now, after over three years. And how
many men has it cost? Mr.. Lincoln has had
nearly two million three hundred thousand
men. No emperor, no king. no warrior, no man
or State fhas ever had his power over the
purse and lives of people Why, then, have
you uot put down the rebellion? Why have
our armies been scattered in weak detachments
upon paltry pretenses? Why, but to CRAFTY
an almost Unsuitable lust of power and wealth
to multiply offices-to sieze cotton-to make
money-but not to put down the rebellion
which You said would never occur. A million
of men have been lost in this war from the pur-
country-forever, and this without success in
restoring the Union. Why all this?
When Mr.. Lincoln's administration com.
menced, q majority of the people in every
State, except South Carolina, were in favor Of
the old flag and constitution of our fathers.
Why this change that we see and know?
Why are jeff. Davis and his associates in re-
bellion 90 powerful? will tell you. Mr..
Lincoln has started out to free the negro and
drowned in applause and cries of approval.
Some one across the street denies this state
ment. What else does Mr.. Lincoln propose
but to free the negroes! In answer to him
in candor will treat the proposition to free
the slaves of the South. I would not myself
give the armies in the field, the living white
men who are perilling their lives in the war,
for NIL tho hat WI OH mt.
side of Africa. Applause long continued. Let
us make this issue distinctly. II you are for
Lincoln, you are for the negro and against the
Constitution. On this issue am for the Con-
stitution and not for Lincoln and the negro
[Great applause.
MIR. President Lincoln has started out
on an extraordinary mission-to elevate the
negro. The Almighty has made the negro in
all ages inferior to the white man. Where have
you the record or proof that the African race
have builded houses. or made mill wheels,
plows or looms? Where has the free African
commenced in the path of Improvement lead
ing to civilization? A voice" Lincoln will
learn them to split rails."l l am afraid he'll
use them to split the Union, too Wherever
| the white man has gone he has borne with him
the civilizing spirit of improvement which was
from the first implanted in him. But the negro
| remains the same as at Creations dawn, and
Abraham Lincoln has not got power above
the Almighty to make him equal the white
| man.
But, you say, slavery is all wrong. admit
1t. Are we to embark in war or remain
at war to put down all wrongs? There
are great many wrongs in the world that we
cannot correct. Our fathers were certainly as
good and religious as we-probably as intelli
gena IN matters of right and wrong-yet they
agreed to leave the negroes with those who
had them. And Abraham Lincoln swore tC
leave them there, too, when he took the oath
of office to support the constitution and main
tain the laws.
But now we have call for five hundred
thousand more. Five hundred thousand mer
to leave their occupatians their homes. thei
families-to save the Uniona Oh no. but tt
fight to free the negro. Applause ant
hisses. "a A I'll
Fellow citizeus, when you 20 away from
here. try and remember if any people ever We
maintained their liberties and their prosperity
after admitting to equality with them nu
merous inferior people The people who set
tied Mexico were at least as Intelligent as thos
. who settled in our country. At the time Q
the Mexican revolution, Iturbide proclaimed
) freedom to the negroes, and they have sine
intermarried there whites and Indians. FroI
- s.@'.aat -H - sd