The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-24

| the affairs of the same department., the
whole navy under his command was
one vessel, with five guns-SptEed.
TLaughter.1 Mr.. Tousey was only a
representative of the last Democratic
Administration that ever Will govern
this country. [Applause.l Think, too
for n moment of him who was the heao
OF that party Mt that time. Anold man,
broken with the cares sand storms ofstate
.-Tlaughter1-who said that the South
had no right to secede, but he had no
mower to prevent secession. TheyyWere
all wrong, he said, but he could not
help il: secession was unconstitutional,
to be sure, but then it was unconstitu-
tional to put it down. tLaughter.l II
was in this maudlin condition that the
Democratic party lay down in its grave
and was buried out of our sight; when
ali of il that was vital Joined the great
Union party which took for its stan
dard the Flag of our Country, and bore
il in triumph through our ever memor-
able war. [Cheers.l 1 need not at
tempt TO describe here the spirit that
sprung to life among us when the Flag
was fired upon at Sumter. You all
know that solemn ana universal en- en-
thusiasm seized upon the minds OF the
American people; all true men of
parties felt the blow that had been
Struck ut the Flag not merely as a ma
tiOnaI hut also as n personal insult, anu
they swore in the bottom OF their hearts
that that insult Should be wiped out If
it cost the blood of every traitor in the
land. But as soon as this spirit had
partially subsided and the burden of
the war had been actually assumed,
the leaders of the Democratic party,
seeing that they had no hope in the
Union organization, began to revive
the name of the old Democratic party
and organized under it what is some
times called the CopPerhead party.
They still claimed the old name, and, as
YOU see, through pOliteness am wiling
TO give it to them; but, as i said before,
nil that was vital in the Democratic
party Joined in the general movement
for the preservation of the Govern
ment. During 1862 this party, with
the old name, pretended to be for
war, and the party was organized
upon that basis. But in the win
ter of 1923 they began to show the
cloven foot, and in 1868 the Democratic
Party of the United States was as dis
lovai in organization as the rebel army
ever was at any time during the war.
To convince you of this, need not go
over the history of any long space of
time. Perhaps it may be enough to
remind you of what they did in my
own State, where they met in party
convention, and, after passing incen-
diary resolutions, nominated for Gov
ernor of Ohio "a man who had actually
advised and organized forcible resis-
tance to the Government mt home-n
man who had sought to get up rebel
lion in the State of Ohio, in order to
aid the larger rebellion at-the South-b by
breaking our power to put it down.
They nominated to be Governor of our
State a man named Clement IL. Vailnn-
s1s TfaHN NNsN oil
ed, laughter i but he has been the
leader of that party from that time to
this. But that is not all. In the sum
Iner of 1864, when the Democratic Par
ty, through their chosen representa-
tiVes; met and elected II Standard-bear-
er, what did they do? You remember
the situation of the country ut that
time. We were then in the midst of
our great struggle, and every heart beat
for the result. The heart of
every patriotic man, from the Atlantic
to the Rio Grande, beat quicker with
alternate hope and fear. Grant had
taken up his land march to Richmond,
aud had announced his intention to
flight it out on that line" cost what 1t
would; and hundreds, yea thousands,
of the bravest and best of the sons of
were with him in that con-
test. [Great cheering.l Gen. Shermnn
was then on his march through the
of Georgia, surrounded on
all sides by enemies and by gorges, ra-
vines, and seemingly impossible bar
riers, with nothing TO oppose to them
or to rely upon for success but hun
dred thousand brave American soldiers,
and the flag of our country which
waved over all. [Grent cheering.l The
result showed that he was master of the
situation; but at that time the heart of
the country was anxious for his fate.
Phil, Sheridan, with another body of
brave men was organizing campaign
which was to make our arms trlum-
phant in the great valley of Virginia.
Renewed cheering.l 1t was at that
time, when we were preparing for the
last Struggle. when we had enforced
the conscript law, and had resorted to
every available means of'strengthen-
ing the army and navy for their work,
it was ut that time that the Democratic
Party, as they called themselves, met
in Convention mt Chicago, and resolved
that the war was failure, demanded
cessation of hostilities and peace on
any terms, ard there on the shore of
Lake Michigan raised the white flag
and encouraged the enemy who were
firing their deadly bullets into the
breasts of orr kindred. My friends,
80 help me God, If the Democratic Par
ty had no other sin than this to answer
for-this damnnble. crime against our
nationality, l say that the American
people ought TO put its seal of lasting
reprobation upon every man claiming
to belong to that party. GApplause.l
An, now that the war is ended, they try
to get over this, but there is-that piece
of history written in characters of
glaring light, which will not be blotted
out. They may turn their backs upon
it for n little while, but, like the
ghost Of Ramona 10 will 1-isa a0uiu
before them wherever they go, and
Will not "down at their bidding"
Applause. Suppose, for we may
sometimes suppose impossible things,
thht those men had succeeded, suppose
the people had listened TO their voices
become OF our country? Where would
be now our glorious United States, ex-
tending from Maine to Texas, from one
great ocean to the other, where in short
would be our cOuntry2 Broken, dis
severed, sneezed mt by EugIand, smiled
at by the French Emperor, scoffed at
by Dukes and Earls, and mobiles of all
grades, as the great republican failure,
deSplsed and scorned by all the nations
of the world. Our position would be
no better than that of the unfortunate
republic of Mexico, fit subjects for, the
rule of some petty European prince. 1t
was an inspiration that tnught the
American people to turn away from
the soft speeches and dark pleadings of
that base and abject party. Surely it
IS not too much TO say that from that
time the democratic party should be
dead in the eyes of the American peo-
ple-dead and deep buried out of sight.
And, with this history before us, / wish
TO ask candid democrats U have no
uoubTthere are some such here how
they can rely upon the promises of n
party which betrayed them into oppos-
ing their country by declaring that we
never eonld put down this re6ellion;-
when, within twelve months from the
date OF that prophecy, every armed
reDel had surrendered at discretion,