Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-08-20
Saturday Nights Report.
THE PHILADELPHIA CONVENTION
TO The PRESIDENT.
ARRIVAL OF THE COMMITTEE AT
THE WHITE HOUSE.

WASHINGTON, August I8.-About one
o'clock the committee, headed by band of
music, reached the White House. They
were conducted into the east room by Mar
shal Gooding, and so arranged as to form a
circle. The delegates to the convention
were then ushered in and took position
in rear Of the committee. President Johnson
soon appeared, accompanied by Secretaries
McCull0ch, Wells and Browning, and Post
ss.ssts-G~ oss-Sp sal.s ~.
Hlittee.
The Hon. Reverdy johnson then ad-
vanced and said
MR. President We are before you as a
committee of the National Union Conven-
tion, which met in Philadelphia on Tuesday
The I4th inst, charged with the duty Of
Of its proceedings.
Before placing it in your hands you viii
permit US TO congratulate you that in the
object for which the convention was called,
in the enthusiasm with which every State
and Territory responded to the call, in the
union and harmony of its deliberations, in
the unanimity with which the principles
it has declared were adopted, and more es-
pecially in the patriotic and constitutional
character Of the principles themselves, we
are confident you and the country will find
gratifying and cheering evidence that there
exists amongst us a public sentiment which
renders an early and complete restoration
Of the Union as established by the Consti-
tuition certain and inevitable. Party fac
ton, seeking continuance of its misrule,
may mOmentarily delay it, but the princi-
pies of political liberty for which our faith
crs successfully cOntended, and to secure
which they adopted the Constitution, are so
glaringly inconsistent with the condition in
which the country has been placed by such
misrule, that it will not be permitted much
longer duration.
We wish, Mr.. President, YOU could have
witnessed the spirit of concord and brother
ly affection which was manifested by every
member Of the convention. Great as your
confidence ever has been in the intelligence
and patriotism of you- fellow-citizens in
their devotion to the Union, and in their
present determination to reinstate and
maintain it, that confidence would have be-
come positive conviction if you could have
| seen and heard all that was done and said
on the occasion. Every heart was evidently
full Of JOY, every eye beamed with patriotic
| animation. Dependency gave way to as
surance that our late dreadful civil strife
was ended, that the blisslul reign OF peace
under the protection, not Of arms, but of the
Constitution and Laws, would have sway
| and be in every part of our land cheerfully
acknowledged, and in perfectly good faith
| o5eyed.
You would not have doubted that the recur-
| renee Of dangerous domestic insurrectiOn il
future Is not TO be apprehended if you could
| have seen, sir, the men of Massachusetts
| and South Carolina coming into the eonven-
tion on the first day of It's meeting, hand il
| hand, amidst the rapturOus applause Of the
whole body awakened by heartfelt gratif-
cation at the event,flling the eyes of thous
ands with tears Of JOY, which they neither
| could nor desired to suppress.
You would have felt, as every person
present felt, that the time had arrived whe1
all sectional or other perilous dissensiOni
had ceased and that nothing would be heard
il the future but the voice of harmony pro
claiming devotion TO q common country
and pride in being bound together by com
mon union existing and protected by form
of government proved by experience to b.
| eminently fitted for the ezigeneies Of eithe
war or peace.
In the principles announced by the Con
vention, and in the feeling there manifested
we may have every assurance that harmon,
! throughout our entire land viii soon pre-
vail. We know, as in former days was elO
quently declared by Webster, the nation
most gifted statesman, that Massachusett
and South Carolina went shoulder TO shOal
der through the revolution and stood hand il
hand around the administration Of Wash
ington, and felt his own great arm lean o.
them for support. So will they again, wit
like unanimity, devotion and power, STAN
round your administration and cause yol
to feel that you may also lean on them 70
support.
In the proceedings, Mr.. President, whic
We are to place in your hands, you Will fin
that the Convention performed the duty i'm
posed upon them. By their knowledge {
your devotion to the Constitution, an
, the interests Of our country, as illustrate
| by your entire presidential career, de
clare that in you they recognize a Chic
Magistrate Of the nation equal TO the grel
r crisis in which your lot is cast. And
making this declaration it gives US unmixe
pleasure to add, we are confident that tn
, Convention have but spoken the intelligeI
5 and patriotic sentiment Of the country.
l. In the measures which you have adopte
for the restoration of the Union, the men
bers of the Union Convention saw only
continuance of the policy which, for II
\ same purpose, was inaugurated by your IN
, ! mediate predecessor. His reelection
the people after that policy had been full
indicated and had been made one of Il
issues of the contest, shows that those
:. his political friends who are now asssiliI
. you for sternly pursuing it, are forgetf
L or regardless of the opinions which the
support of his re election necessarily i
n ! volved. Being upon the same ticket wi