Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-09-25


After Colo ei Campbell had finished
reading the rcsolntions Of the convention,
Gcncral Geo. l.. Este read TO the assembled
delegation the following
ADDRESS.
f'silow soldiers ami Sailors o, ~ Army
md Nory:yMe Union.
More than fifteen months have elapsed
s'nce You were released from sesvicc and
permitted to return to your homcs, with
the assurance Of The country that ycnr work
WAS done. and that the rebellion WIS sub.
sinn,,aliy suppressed. For four years. on
the ocean and in the fields stretching from
Gettysburg 10 New Orleans. YOU had fought
in order to restore the integrity oil the ns.
ton, and you rested from your tolls with
tho conviction that i, only remained for
state smen to rivet the broken bands you
had laid together. You knew that III cir
task required wisdom and elaboration but
you had right 10 expect that, like your
own, II would BE- taken Up promptly and
conducted with singeness ofpurposc. You
had yourselves left party ties behind when
YOU marched to tho field. and thencefos III
knew Only your country. You had h right
20 demand that, in the peaceful sontempla-
ton Of your work. they would follow your
example. You expected that those who
had called upon you 70 suppress. net only
revolution, but the spirit Of revolution, and
TO vindicate the violated law, would set a
new example to the nation, by q stii let adj
hcrcr &C to their own conatitu .ional 70 xers,
u revival Of the old spirit Of sacred obedience
l..
the hour Of temptation. lOu expected, and
after tho Performance Of such services, you
had . peculiar right to dcm ind. that your
successors IN the work Of rss.OsaGi0n should
not only devise measures which should be
Just. but propose them q ssason when
they should be prsc icabls, and that by
means Of these measures, ths people Of tho
South should long since have lIssn suhje-ss
ed TO oil the penalties which the vindicAticn
al the law demanded, and brought back 10
the performance of eli thcir duties % this
nation, and to real participation in its
LIE.
For more THAI year you have looked on
in silence. and the work for which you pro.
vided The crI"~tunay, hss not yet been
done. Your success0rs hsse acted neishsr
Wisely nor IN sesso,. That which might
have been we'll and justly acc mplished, if
proposed at the proper time, has bssn inside
imp'aciicsblc by delay and c.ndition.
winch il would haze been Of Doubtful Wis
dom 10 iupose At any time, is At last ,mpos.
ed when Il - NJ late. Amer you bed 6ssa
withdrawn from the field because you had
annlh,latsd the p,scr Of your opponents to
disc ,cy their 0bvernment ~ entire year
vac added TO sh il already long sssrange-
mont from Il, before any conditions Of re
turn we're offered to them and when there
conditions were At last announced, they
contained terms which proposed TO make
the estran cement VI large part Of our pop
ulat'on perpetual. The youth Of the South,
who Ind never known when the rebel ion
commenced. what II vas 10 share IN he du.
ties aud business OF national citizens. have
grown TO msnaood and i.hucnce IN IT. af-
fairs. and still are strsngcrs in their cvn
land, excluded from the instruction VII, oh
might make them patriots. The Union Of
these States, FOR which there par,is.ns
deemed your hives not too great prlzs, is
yes - incomplete as when you marched
home, and by tacir measures its restoration
- ssi!l indefinitely postponed. They say 10
yous III our terms are not accepted b. the
South VIC can wait" 1t becomes. ahere.
fore, your peculiar duty, since YOU prepsresl
the e ound for this 6nal work, to inquire
how il hes been done, and CONSIDER whether
il is wise or safe 10 wait. Meantime, while
you determine whether 10 wait or move on
i 10 indispensable irst 70 ensrsrch your
seivss Ia poeitica Of 'mpssgsabl,
sess s4.