Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-04-17

not rise again. But our nearest duty con
cerns the assassin. He must be arrested,
and then tried and punished by law. This
crack. Drained man should have fair trial. F!
his deed is the work, not of the rebel gov
eminent, but Of q mere idle VagsDond,
whose mind has become 6istemPered, and
broken By intemperance and passion
Still the result of the act is the same as If
the President had fallen at the hands OF
jeff Davis.
Our next duty is to go on with the great
work. We must give our earnest and undl-
vided support to Andrew johnson, who has
succeeded to the responsibilities OF the
Chief Magistracy.
Here the speaker enlarged on the char
acter and h story of President johnson, and
bespoke for him the hearty and universal
cooperation of all citizens, irrespective of
party. loud cheers.)
At the close of Gov. TOd's speech, Hon.
R. P spalding came forward with series
of resolutions which were read and adopted
with perfect unanimity and enthusiasm.
sPEEcH OF HON. r. P. sPALDIEG.
He prefaced the reading of the resolutions
with the remark that we have this day sus-
tanned an irreparable loss. Our President
has been taken from US by the hand of Vio-
lence. The assassin shouted "sic semper
tyrannis " as he committed the fatal deed,
so little did he know of the character of
his victim, who was the least obroxious
man in the nation. Mr.. spalding continued
in this train of reflection, but we have not
space for a further abstract. He closed by
reading the following resolutions:
RESOLUTIONS.
In view Of the awful calamity that has this day
fallen upon our natisn in the violent death Of ifs
Chief Magistrate. the loyal citizens of Cleveland,
here convened, adopt the following resolutions:
/. That, while we submit with humble resigns
tion to the dispensations OF an eversracious Prov
ideuce, We can / ever ceass to lament the sudden
aud heart-rending privatioD that has clad the na
tion in the habiIimenss Of woe.
q That in the dsa b Of Abraham Lincoln, the
people United States have lost an nc nest and
sagscious executive officer truly loyal and patri-
ot.e citizen, and the cause Of humanity an Ardfnt
and uncom promising friend.
g. That the hand Of the assassin, in depriVing US
of our beloved President at a time when his ubtir-
ing efforts dir cted to the n st ration OF the
rebelliOus States upon terms as little obsc tionable
as possible to themselves has written, in enduring
characters for our admOnition: " Be cautious Of
compromises trih trdhOTs :!
a That we urge upon all in authority the iastant
use Of all practical means now in the hands o the
nation to crush the rebellion and TO bring to the
halter the leading traitors, in common with mid
night assas ins.
Cleveland on the day that shall be selected for the
funeral obsequies Of President Lincoln, to close
their places Of business, al drape them and their
dwellings in suitable emblems Of mourning.
After the adoption of the resolutions,
Gov. Brough was introduced and spoke as
follows:
ePEEcH OF GOVERNOR BRoUGH.
FELLOW CITIZENS l have no voice nor
heart to speak to you to-day. l weep, even
as the heavens weep. feel not only the
calamity of the nation, but l cannot tell
you the personal feeling of loss that presses
upon my own heart. Fifteen years ago, as
the representative Of corporation, 1 was
the client of Abraham Lincoln, then known
as q first-class lawyer in the State of ILL
nois. I then learned to esteem his noble
integrity, his purity, his kiHdliness and
his goodness. During the last sixteen
months have been in almost constant COM
munication with him ,ocoasiOned by my rela-
tions as Governor, but our acquaintance have
had less an official character than that of
personal friendship and fellowship. IhaVe
of policy, but l do not know of single
case in which l have not been convinced
by tho movements Of the time, that l was
wrong and he was right. SinceAndrew Jack
son, have followed no man with the i'm
plicit confidence which / extended to Abra-
ham Lincoln. 1 gave it not because OfpGrti-
zan motives, but because knew his integrity
and conscientieusness. Even when he was
in error he always believed that he was
doing right. We have not enough such
men in the natiOn-we cannot afford TO lose
them by the hand of the assassin.
have not the charity of my friend and
predecessor in office. Perhaps know more
than he of the criminality and Wickedness
of the traitors who lead the rebellion.
do not know, save by sight, the man who
committed this act. But he Wss no more
responsible for the deed than the tiny
weapon which he held in his hand. This
is not the first time that attacks have been
been made on the life of Abraham Lincoln
and the most beautiful thing about the
whole is his comparative Indifference to
them. Four years ago, when on his way
to the capitol, he went through Baltimore
in disguise. Since then, to my certain
knoWledge, at least two conspiracies have
been organized to take his life-one as late
as July last, the strings of which fell into
the hands of police officer on the morn
ing on which it was to be contaminated.
Their plot was to attack him in his caTri-
age on his way to the Soldiers Home.
Stanton heard of it, and kept the President
at his office. The assassins were baked
the conspiracy was at an end. Riding
with him in his carriage that night could
not help being struck with the fact that
on the very evening ofthe attempted assas-
sination, the President was traversing the
long avenue of the city with only his driver,
his outrider, and myself, with him. Ire
marked on the fact, and he replied al do
not fear assassination. l should have gone
to the Soldiers Home this morning, but
Stanton wouldn't let me-"
Yes, these assGssins were not only the
legitimate offshoot of the rebellion but the
hired instruments of the leading traitors.
TCries, "Hang every man of theml'l Their
plot was ripe for action. Il had been in
tended to consumate it upon the fourth of
March, but this plan failed, through the
tardiness of one of the conspirators. Dis
patches received since you met here show
that this conspiracy was intended to include
secresary Stanton also, and that the mes
sengers who apprised him Of the attack on
Mr. Seward found the assassins lurking at
his door. [Sensation.l Undoubtedly Grant
also was aimed at, but, just as Grant didn't
90 to Richmond to glorify, he didn't go TO
! the theatre TO he stared at and shot. Public
business called him elsewhere, and he went.
The conspiracy was perfect. And yet how
worse than crazy-how more than maniac
the man who imagined that the murder of
the President and his entire cabinet could
check the mighty onward movement of the
nation for single hour. There is but one
educstion-the education ofslsvery-which
conId make such demons Of men as would
nerpetrate this work. 1t was the natural of
sboot ofrebellion and of the instinct which
lies at the bottom Of rebellion. These men
have themselves made the turning point OF
their fate. They have struck down their
best and kindest friend on esrth IN Presi-