Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1866-08-08
The olymsr Soldiers Convention.

The Ulymer SOLDIERS OonVenLlon.
In accordance with the published cail,
the Clymer Soldiers of Pennsylvania assem-
bled in the Hall of the House of Represen-
tatives at Harrisburg, on Wednesday. Au-
gust lst, 1866. From the published reports
of the Conventions, it would seem that the
gathering was rather slim affair. The
Harrisburg Telegraph, of August I'd, in
commenting on the Convention, says:
1T is not our intention to consume any
more room than is barely necessary to ex-
pose the utter and complete, if not really
ridiculous failure Of the Clymerites OF Penn
sylvania to make political capital at the ex-
pense of the men who they reviled during
the war and have misrepresented since they
crushed the rebellion and thus ruined the
hopes of the Democratic party OF the coun-
try There were not three hundred men,
delegates to, or in attendance at, the Con-
| uention The procession which was formed
in marching to and from the Capital did not
contain over two hundred men and boys.
The house of Representatives will not con-
tain FIVE hundred people. At no time dur
ing the session of the Convention was that
half full-so that. taking the Clymerite sol
diers from abroad. and the Copperheads OF
Harrisburg, this mighty demonstration did
not number, in all its hosts, five hundred
people-clid not contain, IN fact, three hu,e-
dred uotes for Hester Clynaer! We sub
NIT these facts to our contemporaries or the
State With Berks county within two
hours ride of Harrisburg-with the Cop
perhead counties of the Cumberland Valley
just over the river-with York county close
at hand-only three hundred roters could be
induced to rally for Hester Clynaer an a
State Soldiers ConUentionl OMINoUs y
In giving the proceedings of the Conven-
ton the Telegraph says that "a committee
was appointed to wait on Hester Clymer
and invite him to address that body-that
he 'flatly refused to go to the Capitol and
address the Convention and that ''he
assigned no reason for his refusal to speak
to his soldiers constituents; but, it is pre-
sumed, he ''shrank from sharing the re-
sponsibility of the ''fzzle. -
After the adjournment of the Convention,
however, the crowd not being satisfied
with Mr.. Clymer's refusual to address it,
proceeded to the Balton House and called
him out The Telegraph refers to his
| speech, thus:
Mr. Clymer Degan MS Harailgue Win an
| lily concealed emotion of modification and
shame He wanted it distinctly understood
| that he was not an object of consideration in
this campaign-he must be keep entirely
| out of view-he was not to be voted for-it
| was the party-that wonderful Democrat
part (which as Wing he once spat upon,
but which, from its comfortable local majori-
| ty in old mother Berks, he now adored)-
| that wonderful Democratic party which now
eats dirt at the feet of whipped rebels, must
now be sustained Still, asserverated HES
ter, he was ready to take any responsibility
which would make him Governor of Penn
sylvania. He endorsed the platform of the
party which nominated him for Governor,
and that platform adopts the resolutions
passed at Chicago when Mcclellan was
nominated for the Presidency, wherein the
war was declared failure, the national tax
| alton and debt fraud, and by implication
| at least, the cause of the South held up as
just and honorable. Mr.. Clymer endorses
all this He made this endorsement before
Democratic Soldiers and they applaud
ed him. That's enough. We can afford to
let Hester stand on this record for the
| present.