Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-09-28
DEMOCRATIC MASS CONVENTION
AT ASHLAND.
GREAT OUTPORING or
THE PEOPLE.
THE SOLDIERS AGAIN IN THE
FIELD.
The Issues of the Day Discussed.
HON. GEO. BLISS
GEN. GEO. w. MORGAN.
THE SOLDIERS AGAIN IN I'll
FIELD.
The Issues of the Day Discussed
The Soldiers Greet their Old
Com III u der.
IOorrespondence of the Plain pealer.l


correspondence of the Plain Dealer.l
Notwithstanding the short notice given of
the meeting and the unusually busy season
with our rural population, this day, (Satur-
day, the 10th of September presented the
appearance of one of the old-time demon
strations of the people, giving the strongest
Indications of the aroused feelings of the
country in relation to the absorbing ques-
tions to be settled at the approaching cleo
tion.
At an early hour of the morning the cit
izens from various parts of the county com
mcnccd pouring into town, and long before
any ofthe regular delegations had arrived
the place was crowded with substantial den
liens of the country, anxious to hear dis
cussed the condition of our common coun-
try and the measures proposed to be adopt
ed in order to bring us back to the united
and prosperous state which so lately was at
once our proud boast and the envy and ad-
miration Of the world.
About | o'clock the delegations which
had halted to form, on the outskirts of the
town, began to move in processing through
the streets. Truly were they IAN army with
banners. The time honored Hickory
boughs seemed as if Burnam Wood was
moving on DunSinane, aud we wot that there
was quaking among the usurpers who for
the last four years, have deprived the peo-
pie of their rightu sovereignty, and at
tempted upon the ruins of popular govern
mcnt to found military despotism.
A very noticeable feature in the process
sion was the number of soldiers in attend
ance. To the Band wagon, from Hayesvie,
was attached twenty horses, each carrying
one of the ''boys in blue" Among the
notices carried by these brave defend rrs of
our nations life and flag were some evinc-
ing the deep feeling entertained by them of
the proclaimed design of the Republican
party to make negro equality and negro
suffrage the one issue of the day: 1--WE
know our friends; they are not those who
would degrade us to a level with the negro"
I'VE vote for Morgan and the Union -
1--WE fought for our country, and not for
negro suffrage" "We fought for the Con-
stitution and the Union, not to drive white
men from their homes to found negro
colony" "None but white men on guard
tonight" These and many kindred mot
toes borne by the soldiers show their deter
animation to give withering rebuke to the
base calumniators who have charged that
our white soldiers were le IS fitted for the
duty of guarding our lines, and less to be
relied on than the ignorant and degraded
plantation negroes of the South.
At one o'clock the procession moved to
the grove, northwest Of the town, where
staging and seats had been prepared to ac-
commodate a vast multitude, but which
were found to be insufficient to seat the
great crowd who bad repaired thther in ad-
vance of the procession. Crowded under
the overshadowing branches of the forest
God S FIRST temple-the vast concourse await
ed the coming orators Never have we seen
an audience which seemed 50 strongly iu-
pressed with the importance of the occasion
calling them together No trifling repartee
or funny anecdote would have satisfied the
stern earnestness with which they waited to
hear the causes of our unfortunate national
difficulties explained, and the remedies pro-
posed. Every eoUntenance seemed to say
that the presest was no time for tritiing dis
QUESTION or humorous sallies. A million
new made graves, a thouSaad fields sadden
ed with the blood of kindred and friends
the sombre hahiiments of every fircside IN
the land, called for grave thoughts and sober
counsel.
OF the speeches of Judge Bliss and Gen
Morgan we do not propose, indeed, ou,
notes are too imperfect and mcagre TO en-.
able us to give a full report. The reader,
of your paper on the Reserve are too vel
acquainted with the distinguished late Rep
resentative of the 18th Congressional Dis
trict not to know that any effort of the
Judge would be marked with distinguished
ability, and the frequent demonstrations of
applause made by the audience showed thai
his eloquence and mastery logic were wei
appreciated. five shall devote what space
we claim of your columns to a more lengthy
notice of Genergal Morgan's remarks, it i,
because his position as the standard beare,
of the Democracy of Ohio, gives peculiar
force and value to his utterances. We are
sorry that we cannot clothe the General
ideas in his own eloquent and forcible Ian
euage, and above all, regret that in our im
perfect sketch will be wanting the remark
ably ingenious and manly department O
the orator, carrying conviction to his hear
ers, not only by the force of his logic, bu
by the manifest honesty and sincerely of hi
deductions.
Gen. Morgan alluded to the pretended
devotion of the leaders of the Republican
party to the Union of the States and showe'
by the speeches of their orators and tn
writings of their pubicsts that there ha
never been time since the organization O
that party, from all the isms of the da
agreeing only in their dislike to Democrat
principles and tendencies, that those VIII
control the destiny of the party would no
have sacrificed the Union of the States b
accomplish the one idea of their organiza
tion-the emancipation of slavery. Tn
''irrepressible conflict of Seward, the 'cov
enant of death and league with hell' o
Garrison, the Union sliding proclivitie
of Banks, the ''blood letting prescription
of Chandler, all proclaimed, trumpet
tongued, the determination of these leader
OF a sectional party to accomplish their ends
even if necessary at the expense of tn
Union. The prescription of men, actin
with them at the ballot-box, who would no
prostitute the powers of their official posi-
tion to override the requirements of tn
Constitution of the United States and tn
enactments of the national legislature, a
ticket of Judge Swan in 1859, evinced vince thu, tina
fealty to party was regarded as of NOR
binding import than either love Of tn