The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1865-08-30
Democratic state Convention.
Democratic state Convention.
The Temporary Organization.
-VALbANDIGHAM's SPEECH
THE
THE LATFORM.
SPEECH OF
GEN. MORGAN !
&c., &C., &c.

in the A~theneum, in the city Of Colum'
bus, oil Thursday, August 24ta, 1865,
and we're called to order by JOHN G.
THOMPSON, Chairman Of the Democratic
State Central Committee, at precisely half
past ten o'clock A. NJ Upon motion Of
DR.. Fries, of Hamilton, Hon. y. L. VAL
LAND1aHAM, Of Montgomery, was elect
ed temporary President of the COnven'
ton. Having been conducted to the
chair, he spoke as fellows:
SPEECH OF HON. @ L vALLANDIGHAM.
GENTLEMEN OF TUE CONVENTION =
In accepting and thanking you for this
honor, 1 desire to ray that it is only for
service during the temporary organiza-
ton Of the Convention, as l shall have
duties elsewhere to discharge as a mem
Der. But I avail myself Of this, the
earliest occasion, to return my thanks also
to the Democracy Of Ohio for the nomi'
nation conferred upon me two years ago
-[upplauso]-a nomination which l ac-
cepted then and recognize now, not as a
mere compliment, not simply as the re-
suit of an impulse Of sympathy, but in
vindication of the great principles of the
Democratic party and especially of free
dom Of speech and Of the press. Zap.
plauso.1 Circumstances beyond my con.
troll, as you are aware prevented me from
being present in person, as l am here to-
day by the grace of God and my own
free act and will, to make the fitting &C.
knowledgement. Applause.
An immediate duty Of this Convention
is the r~e-afirmation Of the ancient and
t~ime-honored principles of the Democrat.
10 party. What those principles are it is
not necessary for me to repeat. They
are known to you all. Another duty Of
the Convention is to announce q policy
with reference to the new and momen'
tous issues of the day.
Foremost among these is the question
Of the Union Of these States. A direct
issue on that question is rendered be-.
tween our adversaries and ourselves. We
arc for "lmmediate Union J" they are for
Union, remote and contingent. We are
to-day the immediate Union party Of
Ohio [applause]; they are the disunion
party Of the State-if, as proclaimed by
the leaders Of that party, reunion is to be
in fact remote and contingent. He who
tells you that he is against the return or
restoration of the seeded States to the
Union for five, ten, fifteen or thirty years,
an indefinite period is q disunionist, and
ought to be denounced as such. Zap
plause.
Connected with this closely, if not in
separately, is the living issue, South and
North, coming home to us directly as cit
liens Of Ohio, more remotely as citizens
Of the United States, having a common
interest the question Of Negro Suffrage
and Negro Equality. 1t is part Of the
ayowed policy Of the leaders Of the party
to which we are opposed, to insist that
the negroes just set free to the number Of
three or four millions in the South, shall
be clothed Immediately with the preroga'
tive Of suffrage there, through the instrl'
mentality of the Federal Government and
in violation Of the ~plainest, the funda
mental principles Of the Constitution o.
the United States. II is avowed further
that here in our own midst the Constitu
ton os the State shall be so amended al
to strike from it the word "white" which
formed q part Of the Constitution a
amended in 1870 as to confer upoI
the negro race in our own midst the RICH
of suffrage, to be followed by the right II
participate in Office and other politica
T privileges, to be followed finally by thu
a, unclean thing-miscegnation. Laugh
ter and applause. The other importau
duty Of this Convention is the nomination
Of fit candidates to be presented on be
half Of the Democratic party Of Ohio
for the free and unintimidated, suffrag
of the white people Of the State. [Grea
applause.
J, The Convention will now come to or
der.
+ Upon motion Of Judge A. G. Thurman
AMOS LAYMAN, Of Franklin, was elccte
e temporary Secretary. Col. ]. s. GRAIL
, of Richland, was then appointed Assis'
: ant temporary Secretary.
s The Secretary then called the severt
i Congressional Districts, when the follow
: ing Committees were ann junced by th
respective Delegations, and confirmed b
the Convention
COMMITTEE ON CREDENTIALS