North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1866-03-07

sustain its friend and the friends of consti-
tutional liberty [Great cheering.]
Ny fellow citizens, have detained you |
much Logger than / intended {" Go on; /
60 or" but We are in great struggle, and
am your instrument, and l have thought
it best to express myself frankly. When,
aak you, have | usurped authority =
Who is it in this country that / have not
toiled and lsbored for? Where is the man
or the woman, either in private life orpub-
lie life, that has not always received my
attention and my time? Sometimes it has
been said (pardon me for being little ego
tistlcsl, but we are engaged in a friendly
and familiar conversational ''That man
johnson is lucky man, Laughter They
car never defeat him." Laughter Now
will tell you what constitutes my good
luck. 1t is in doing right and being for
the people. Great applause.
The rcople, somehow or other, although
their sagacity and good judgment are very
frequently underrated, and under-estima
ted, generally, get to find out and under
stand who is for them and who is against
them Thee do it by instinct, if in no
other way. They know who is their friend.
They know in whom they can contide. So
far, thank God, can lay my hand upon
my bosom. and say with heartfelt satistac-
ton, that in all the positions in which |
have been placed-and | have been placed
in many that were as trying as any III
VIII ch mortal has been placed have
never deserted them. nor do believe they
will desert me No, no, and applause. =
Whom have | betrayed What princi-
pie have | violated! What sentiment
have swcryed from? Can those who
a>sal me, put their finger upon any one?
+! No, no In all speeches that have been
made no one has dared to put his finger
upon single principle ever asserted
from whicn have deviated. Have you
not heard some Of them, At some time, at
tempt to quote my predecessor, who fell a
martyr To hi. countrv's cause, but they can
give no sentiment of his that is in opposi-
! tion or in contradiction TO anything that |
have done. The very policy that | am
now pursuing WAS pursard by me under his
administrator, having been appointed by
| him in particular position for that very
purpose An inscrutab!e Providence saw
| proper to remove him from this to, trust,
better world, ard came into his place
and there is not principle of his, in refer
ence to the restoration Ct the Union. from
which have departed. None.
| Then the war is not simply upon me,
but it is upon my predecessor also. have
! tried to do my duty. l know that some
are envious and jealous and speak of the
| White House as having attractions for the
! President. Let me say to YOU, the charms
! of the Whit House have as little influence
upon me as upon any individual in this
conntrt, and much less upon me than upon
those who are talking about it. TIE lit
tie THAI eat and wear, does not amount
to much, and the difference between what
is enough to sustain me and nv little fam
| ily-it is very small; f"r am not kin to
many folks by consanguinity, though by
affinity am akin to evcrybody-thc differ
! ence b-tween the little that suffices for nv
stomach and back and more than enough
has no charms for me. The proud and
| conscientious satisfaction Of having per-
formed my duty TO my country, to my
children, and to the innerman, is all the re
ward that l ask. Great appIause.l
In conclusion, let me ask this vast con-
course ere to-day, this "sea of upturned
faces, to come with me or will 90 with
! you-and stand around the Constitution of
our country 1t is again unfolded. The
| people are invited to read and understand,
to sustain and MAINTAIN it. provisions. Let
lis stan bv the Constitution of our fathers,
though the heavens themselves should fall
| Though faction NAV rage, though taunts
and iccrs may come, though abuse and Vi
tupci alton NAV be poured ont in the most
virulcat form. mean TO be found standing
| by the Constitution Of the country. | be
.eech Won to stand by the Constitution as
the chief ark of our safety, as the palladium
OF onr civil and our religious liberty Yes,
let us cling to il as the mariner c!ings to
! the last plank when the night and the
tempest close around him.
Accept my thanks. my countrvmen, fer
! the indulgence YOU have extended to Inc
while submitting to you exiemporaneously,
and, perhaps. incohprentlv. the remarks
! IidNc uDN Lei I'D ~ away
forgetting the past and looking only to the
future, resolve! to endeavor to restore our
Government to its pristine purity. trusting
in Him who is on high. but who controls
all here below, that er, long onr Union
will be restored and that we shall have
peace not only with all the nations of the
earth. bnt peace and good will among all
parts of the people of the United States.
| thank you for the respect you have
manifested to me on this occasion. and if
the tim" shall come during the period of
! my existence Shen the country is to be
| destroyed and its Government overturned,
/ if you will look ont You will find the hum
/ bic individual who stands before Won there
with YOU, cndeavoring to avert its final de-
I struction.