The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-08-16
TEIEGRAPHIC NEWS.
THE CONVENTION.


large number of ladies were also present
Gen. Dix in the chair, Rev. Mr.. Hol,
singer, of Tennessee, opened the proceed
ings of the Convention with prayer
Gen. Dix then said that the reports OF
the committees appointed yesterday was
the first business in order.
Mr.. Blair of Maryland here rose and
said:
Mr.. President, am instructed by the
committee on permanent organization
to make the following report: For Presi-
dent, Senator Doolittle, of Missouri.
The announcement ofthe name of Mr.
Doelittle was greeted with storm OF
cheers.
One delegate from each State was APP
pointed Vice Presidents Thomas
Sweeney was appointed from West Vir
ginia
General Dix at the conclusion of the
| above report introduced Senator Daolit-
tie, who was received with marked en-
| thusiasm,
Mr.. Doolittle, on taking the chair,
| said: .-f
| Gentlemen-Oa being called upon to
preside on the deliberations of this Con
vention, sincerely thank you. | have
wished that its responsibilities had
fallen upon another. Depending upon
! that courtesy and generous confidence
which has called me to the chair, com
mence upon its duties with an earnest
desire for the success Of the great cause
| in which we ale now engaged. Among
| the great events OF our own day, this
| Convention will prove to be one OF the
greatest for peace and happiness; her
| victories not less renownedithan those OF
the war, [applause,] ] and this Conyen-
| ton is one of her victories-may not
say crowning victory. [Cheers For
| the first time, National Convention
representing all the States is now assem-
bled. Six long, weary years; Is | look
| back what an interval-it is blood and
agony and tears During that period
we have been engaged in the
most gigantic civil war that
the world has ever seen /;
wasting our resources, drenChing a
Thousand battle fields in fraternal blood
| and carrying to fraternal graves our
| fathers, our sons, and our brothers by
hundreds of thousands, but, thanks be to
Almighty God, the war is over. Cheers ]
Peace, blessed peace has come. The as
surances which we have witnessed tell
us that peace has come, and come to
stay. Loud cheers. Oh, my fellow.
| citizens, if the whole people of the
United States could sec what we now
witness, the North, the South, the East.
and the West, joining hands as friends
and fellow citizens, our work would al
ready be done Cheers ] If they had
seen. as we have seen, Massachusetts
and South Carolina, Applause by
their full delegates, coming arm in arm in
TO this great Convention, enthusiastic
applause and if they could have seen
this body greater in numbers and Ia
weipht of character and brain than ever
has assembled on this continent under
one roof, melting to tears of Joy and
gratitude to witness this commingling,
there would be no struggle at the polls
| in the coming elections. Applause.
| When l remember that it was Massa-
cbusetts and South Carolina that in the
| Convention which framed the Constitu-
! tion voted against the abolition OF the
| slave trade; it was Massachusetts III le2l
| which threw some of her new taught
| doctrines of notification which South
Carolina resisted; When | call to mind
that South Carolina fired the first gun
in 1860, and the veins of Massachusetts
poured forth the first blood in that
terrible struggle; and when call to mind
all these memories and at the same
time ask the people of the country to
| look in on this Convention and see these
! two old States of the Union coming here
| in traternal embrace, ready to make any
sacrifice for the common good say
again. could the whole people witness all
| this, there would be no further work for
MS to perform. Loud cheers. II the
people of Massachusetts, could have wit
Messed it, not single member would be
returned to Congress from that State
great applauseJ until he had given
most sacred pledge that he would do all
| in his power to recognize the equality
| and dignity of all the States under the
| constitution cheers including the sa
| cred and inallenable right of every State
upder the constitution to representation
| in both Houses Of Congress. Cheers.
Gentlemen of the Convention, l shall go
into no argument on this OCCASION:
Cries of Go on" The distinguished
gentleman who preceded me General
DIX said all | would desire to say
much better than l could say 1t,
| endorse all that he has said, sentence
by sentence, word by word Fellow cit
liens, unfortunately il may be that the
whole people of the United States are
not here to witness what is now trans
piring, therefore the greater work still
rests upon us. We should be unceasing
| In our exertions to see to it that the
next Congress, if this shall continue to
refuse the sacred right Of representation
to equal States that the next Congress
shall recognize that right When that
| is done the Union is restored, and when
| Union is restored we shall he prepared
| in my judgmsn to enter upon higher
and nobler career among the nations OF
the earth than has ever set been Occu
pied by any government upon which the
sun of Heaven has ever shone. Loud
cheers. We shall stand in the van
guard of liberty aud civilization We
shall lead the way by the light of our
example for all the other nations Of the
earth. lGreat applause Gentlemen.
without OBTAINING you any longer, l
shall enter at once upon the duties OF
office. st.E
The Vice Presidents and Secretaries OF
the Convention werethen invited to take
their seats upon the platform While
they were doing so the band played sew
. eral airs
: General Steedman, Chairman of the