The mountain Democrat., 1864-10-29

tby General Leslie COombs of Kentucky
RAi~~ ;~t~cAA~~@ 49, --%a
: Fellow citizehs-I hope for few mo.
ments only to have your attention. An
old soldier asks It Of you in good cause,
for | think | have right to cali myself
an old soldier. have not spoken here
since years Hgo, when the lAmented Doug.
las Was here, and the Mayor Of Cincinnati
was here, and said then what say now,
that ! was here first in my boyhood, when
the State of Ohio was q frontier State,
Een the Territories Northwest were Dor.
def Territories and your Chicago creek,
| remember-it is q river now and q
few buildings were in the place of your
city, Il was when our boys for the first
time crossed the Ohio river, and came 10
the relief Of the men Of Ohio, Michigan,
Indiana and Illinois. So distinct are my
recollections Of those days, that it seems
almost that ! am speaking Of somebody
else, or that am still boy.
Il saw this country when there were
but few-a settlement here and there
and now come and behold the city full
The Queen Of the West on the Father
Of Waters-and this, believe, they call
il, the Queen Of the Lakes. Having seen
these things; my fellow citizens, you can
imagine how it weighs upon my heart
when turn me to contemplate tonight
those dark scenes Of strife and bloodshed
that now shroud our whole country in
gloom. Alas, that should live to see
these evil days, to think that our South.
ern brethren should draw the sword !
told them in the beginning of this strife
Of sections, that they were throwing fire
balls to ambitious devils that would turn
them on our own house, and that they
would not care d-n if it we're set on
tire. Laughter
But, sir, allow me TO say that shall
live-old as AMI shall live to see this
strife ended {; I shall live to see the bonds
OF national fraternity again united | shall
live to see this paper money abated; this
gunpOwder currency, which would not
use for wadding to kill prairie chicken,
abated and turned into gold and silver
lApplause. And that can be done only
by removing this abominable Administra
ton. | state fact; when Mr.. Lincoln
entered upon his high official duties, |
went to him and told him this: Mr.. Lin
coin, you were born in the State Of Ken
lucky. and Mrs. Lincoln also. | believe,
and you cannot be indifferent to the pros
perity Of Kentucky, and that Of the whole
country, and if you will proceed to ad-
minister the Government U on the prin-
cipleS of the fathers; upon the principles
Of the Constitution, and for the proSper-
~ Of the whole country. will support
your administration. He told me be would
do so. But what followed?
] was in Washington at the time Of the
first Bull Run fight. There was the call
for rs. 900 men-then for the great armies.
Then rivers Of blood did flow. and have
been flowing ever since Hundreds of
thousands have fallen. Almost ever house
in the land is in mourning, and yet there
is no prospect of ending the sad strife. -
Has not blood enough been shedS [CrieS
Of "Yes, yeS."] have furnished. from
my own family, two; one has had two
horses shot from under him, and the 9th
er commanded at Shiloh. have furnish
I'd nv full are Of help. and now pray
to God that this war may terminate. |
am tired Of the lamentations iE my ears
all around the.
tell you. entlemcn, you know moth
ing Of the horrors Of this war here. II
you could see guerrillas pouring into your
villages and every part Of the State, and
citizens flying, as have seen them in my
town, Lexington, you would know some
thing of the horrors Of this war. And
when but just now left my house, my
town was guarded BY negroes. no white
man left nth the priv lege of gun in his
hand. ! am not a STAKEHOLDER. Eight
years ago set mine free. emancipatrd
them myself, for did not intend to let
any other man emancipate them. APP
plause So left my family in the hands
Of emancipated slaves, for my negroes
would not leave me. tell you, have
seen those guerrilars charging down
through town when it was rather delicate
looking out Of the windows, because You
could not know where a bullet might be
coming. left my family under COM
manders that think the negro little bet
ter than the white man, and they account
all disIoyal because we think The white
man little better than the negro. In
such a condition left my family-the
guerrilars prowling around, and they tell
us if the Government takes our negroes
they have q right to take our horses.
Fellow citizens, address you with the
freedom Of an old soldier, and | felt that
| might regard myself as o watchDan on
your towers. And could desire. when
you ask me Watchman, what Of the
night =" that could answer "All's well i;
sleep on; let your babes rest in quiet."-
now, since deSpotism has taken charge Of
the country, and everything is disregard
ed except the will of one man, if am
asked now, Watchman, what Of the
night ?" must answer "All's ILL.," Yes,
sir, tell you all's i'll now, unless We
arouse ourselves before the dawn Of day
to the defenses of the principles of civil
liberty, it will be i'll with US, and those
sacred principles will be lost forever to
US. Therefore it is that come here to
speak to you Of the principles of constitu
tional liberty, and to denounce the ad
vance Of despotism in the administration
Of one man. More thaN eighteen hun
dred years ago Rome was governed by
three men in the end of that Republic. =
One was Augustus Caesar, another
Mark Anthony, and the other noble Ro-
man. They were all noble blood. And
we, too, have now our triumvirate Lin
coin, Stanton and Halleck; but, unfortun-
ate neither Of them can boast q very high
descent. A laugh speak with pro-
found respect Of the powers that be-
Laughter continued But the parallel
was further. There succeeded to Rome
an Emperor that could fiddle and dance
when their city was burning. We have
also our Emperor. Lincoln, that can tell
his stale jokes whilst the land is running
| rad r.,;th tha kIocI oe n,r hrokhoIc and