The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1866-09-20
THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS IN
CONVENTION AT CLEVELAND
OHIO.
CLEVELAND, sept. To-
THE PLATFORM.

The flATfOhM.
Hon. y. Campbell, from the Committee
on Resolutions, reported the following plat
form; which was adopted with immense
cheering:
The Union soldiers and sailors who served
in the army and navy Of the United States
i'll the recent war for the suppression Of the
Instruction, the maintenance of the Consti-
tuition, the Government, and the flag of the
Union, grateful to Almighty God for his
preservation of them through the perils and
hardships OF civil war; and for His mercy in
browning their efforts with victory, freedom,
and peace; deplorng the absence from their
midst of many brave and faithful comrades.
who have sealed with their Likelihood their
devotion to the sacred cause of American
nationality and determined now, as hereto
fore, to stand by the principles Tor which
their glorious dead have fallen, and by which
their survivors have triumphed, being assem-
bled in National Mass Convention in the
city Of Cleveland, Ohio, this 18th day of
september, 1866, do resolve and declare
First. That we heartily approve the reso-
lutions adopted by the National Union Con
vention, held in the city of Philadelphia, on
| the l4th day of August last, composed Of
delegates representing all the States and
|
Second That our object in taking up arms
to suppress the late rebellion was 10 defend
and maintain the supremacy of the Consti-
tuition and to preserve the Union with all
the dignity, equality and rights of the several
States unimpaired, and not in any spirit of
oppression, nor for any purpose Of conquest
and subjugation; and that whenever there
shall be any armed resistance to the lawfully
constituted authorities OF our national Union.
either in the South or III the NOrth, in the
East or in the West, emulating the selfsacri-
iicing patriotism Of our Revolutionary fore
/ fathers, we will again pledge to its support
our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor,
| General Este, from the same committee,
reported lengthy address, which was re-
ceived with enthusiasm and adopted with
waving of flags cheers, and singing Rally
round the Flag, boys"
ADDRESS
/ More than fifteen months have elapsed
since you were released from service and per.
mitted to return to your homes, with the as
surance Of the country that your work was
done, and that the rebellion was substantial
/ ly suppressed. For four years, on the ocean
and in fields stretching from Gettysburg to
New Orleans, You had fought in order to re-
store the integrity of the nation, and You
rested from your tolls with the conviction
/ that it only remained for statesmen to riyet
the broken bands which you had laid to-
gether. You know that this task required
wisdom and deliberation, but you had a
/ right to expect that, like your own, it would
be taken up promptly, and conducted with
singlcness OF purpose. You had yourselves
left party ties behind when you marched to
. al, halI ,,I hn,,,aI.,l "a
country. You had right to demand that
in the peaceful completion of your work they
would follow your example.
You expected that those who had called
upon you to suppress not only revolution,
but the spirit of revolution, and to vindicate
the violated law, would set new example
to the nation by strict adherence to their
constitutional power and II revival Of the old
spirit of sacred obedience to law You cN.
pected and after the performance of such
services YOU had peculiar right the demand,
that your successors in the work Of restora-
ton should not only devise measures which
should be just, but should propose them at
the season when they should be practicable,
and that by means Of measures and the sym,
pathies of the North the people OF the South
subjected to all the penalties, should long
since have been brought back to the per.
rormance of all its duties in this nation, and
which the vindication Of the law demanded
to real participation in its life. For more
than year you have looked on in silence
and the WORK for which you provided the
opportunity has not been done. Your sue
cessors have acted neither wisely nor in sea
son. That which might have been well ant
wisely accomplished, if proposed at th'
proper time, has been made impracticablt
by delay, and condition which II would
have been Of doubtful wisdom to impose a
any time is at last imposed when it is toe