The Montana post., 1866-02-24
taledictory Address of Colonel v. r.
Sanders.

As announced by the appearance of large poserou the
most prominent places in the city and by the dsuon
OF hand bills. public meeting was held in the Court
room OF this city Wednesday evening last TO kten IN
address on the subject of our presn po
sltlon and our true interests," of Col W. F. Snders
Professor Dmsdale of the Posi- called to III chair
and introduced Col Sanders one who was tiutifed
with the history of this Territory from its earie davs
and who would ever be gratefully remembered fohe NM
shrinking fortitude with which he had maintaipd The
cause OF justice and social order In every eaacity
whether as citizen, lawyer friend or soeil com
panon they could testify to his worth they cold mot
conceal the regret that they felt his teporry de-
partnre from among them. He disliked speak such
terms OF eulogy OF his friend before his face but was
consoled by knowing that he uttered only the truth
Col. Sanders then rose amid tumultuous applae and
addressed the meeting/n substance follows: i've re-
get that our limited space forbds our inserting 1ller
report OF his speech than is here presentedl
= he said that the whole matter a surprise tlhim
ne hao oeen waited upon by the committee and with re-
ueance consented to address them but that he
the idea Of speaking early in the afternoon on account
oi tne herce snow-storm. When however he "a, thai
crowded assembly, he felt that he must say ~
them before leaving them. rhe Territory was uow1,ss
ing through crisis the most important of any tht had
occurred IN Its history except and he reoiced that
public opinion had greatly improved since then '-
Society in this Territory had been mainly divde into
TWO parties one set OF men acquesced in the decsbn of
the supreme Court that the United States had the ri to
MAINTAIN the Union by beigerent force while obers
maintained contrary opinion Good and sincere men
On TINS question partly from the force of habaud
association and partly from the difficulty of getting atthe
exact facts of the The rebellion had now ceased as
far asphyscal hostility concerned the leaders wire
prisoners OF war; and trying reconcile this stern
arpltrament with love of democracy and its more
peaceful solution of such questions History told ms that
despotisms the hotb of revolution and This was
the hst instance of great rebellion occurring in com
try under democratic rule and those who onot agarst
ne had arrogated to themselves by way of
excuse Tor rebellion a monopoly of patriotism
Wars of ideas sometimes necessary and this ,vas
one The fathers of the Republic aimed at universal lib.
efty democratic government and the ameoration of
the condition of all men. Their prjucinIes had his
hnybn l.
III the Norh mad had their hands tied they thought no
part OF their duty to release those held bondage in other
States and was not till declared that they real
ze after four years OF sangunary conflict that their duties
ana privileges circumscrbed boundaries other than
ose Oh mountains rivers and States and liberty stood re-
eognized throughout the United States as Gods given
right. o0r
1t had long been known that this struggle mus one dav
ne passions the power and the prejudice of bot
pues were enlisted opposite sides became day
intensified One thing had been demonstrated by this wa.
and that was that no man. and party had right for
the sake OF peace of wealth of fame TO cover mn the
ruin In !eoo the elections warning of the coming
STRIFE " Have you seen Sam?" in all mems mouths
This passed but each day brought the crisis nearer
uli at last the struggle came and decided However
the opinions OF had changed by the fate or event
OF the war; his had He foresaw how it must end
He thought OF the story Of Crsus and Soon and the reply
OF the philosopher the query the king as to whether
he was not the happes Of men, surrounded as he was bv
countless treasure " He that has iron" said Soon
Will take all this gold" and Napoleon only varied the
expression OF that idea when he said that Providence is
always on the side Of the heaviest battaons Accidents
might happen; but as reason dictated it fell out The
stronger side conquered the weaker succubed the one
side exhibiting magnanimy in victory and the other sur
rendering it must be admitted not without grace
In Monarchy the people have voice in deciding
such questions those presented but some one man
or family, whose will law could put down rebellion at
once by The exercise of unresrained power Here how
ever was different Every had the question in his
own hand and now the ideas represented by hostile
hosts were to be ventilated and the issues they gave rise
to determined by the action Of the If The passions
and preudices excited by had subsded and the result
n mil litarvp
ernmen Of the States but these matters could be settled bv
peaceful discussion and Legislation He had always ad
vocated the idea that the loyasts the proper men TO
shape the desnies of the nation and carry out the true
democratic idea that this to be forever nation of
freemen. TTs,.l
The speaker described the parties in the Ieoslatpre
some said there were States in the South some that
there were no citizens that both survived in their
entirety Each doctor treated the patient according to his
own fancy. He thought such men as old Browplow in
tennessee who consulted only inveterate paepity
We're not TO be trusted and if there any man who
sought to use the advantage gained by war in an unfair
spirit neither he to be trusted He disapproyed of
the Missouri law that none who had any way sympa-
zeo with the rebellion could ever vote hold Office He
DeheVed In a Democratic Government; wherever a class
OF men were denied voice u the affairs of State they
became danger to the State. He asserted the equity Of
the ruling principles of this republic the right of men to
govern themselves and condemned attempts TO make an
oligarchy out of democracy The experiment den,on
sratng their competence for self rule had been great
success The fewer restrictions and qualifications the
better Tor them Some advocated education as a test
some went for $3.50 in money! provlso that would shut
every lawyer III MOntana-but when
sashed that the nation was SAFE they might their
normal condition and sweep all restrictions away
Col Sanders then referred to the object of his journey
Washington in very humorous strain He said that Col.
lector Langford had seized all their whisky and locked
up with guard it. whose duty was he supposed 70
supply any deficiency, caused by his drinking it by add
ing the proper compliment of water He would be able TO
present to the Commissioner such dismal picture of trs
gentlemen wandering about without their morning oddv
Wo"d bring tears to his eyes He referred with much
humo to Matching by and said they had some eggs
o their to hatch but he recommended the orthodox
method which would in the end produce the chick lust
as fast and as we'll.
1t said that the Territory had been neglected The
truth was they had not enough patriotic men to at
tend to it. He referred the number of appointments
Of Secretary of the Territory but they ali failed till
General Meagher came out and Governor Eds gerton
was away, leaving the Secretary with yicarious au-
thority which he was fully exercising. The YELLOWSTONE
voyage story OF General Deagher all very amusing
but he begged TO suggest that il they did not go to New
ork with their quartz the capitalists and the people of
the East would know nothing about The judges must
come back although he could not help thinking that the
Chief Justices forte lay in making splendid de.
scrptOns and in painting glowing pictures Of the Terrific
ry than IN anything else, and that he did good by
gong than he would by staying. If they did not come
we should do without Them The bar said be unan
mous in their opinions that Judge MunsQp could only
court in his district. He was not unanimous for
be held that when the President gave Commission to a
territorial Judge governor could take away the power
conferred by it, or the authority territorial Judge
Congress had apportiOned $50 OOO and he thought
hey were egeced by the officials whose bonds were not
ied four or five months ago that they might have had
The money at that time instead of now.
With regard to the Legislature that had been called
hey might as well out and ring bell call back the
years that had passed and gone This susceptible of
mathematical demonstration which saying great
ieal for point Of law. The of every government
vas big debt The last Legislature left us legacy of
SboOUO but they passed one good measure-a good tax
aw If that We're repealed, suggested, then scrip
would not be worth five cents the dollar Legislatures
we're expensive bodies and in new Territory the sense
IT responsibility to constituents hardly existed Owing
o the huctuating population representative had to
ende an account OF his stewardship the that had
elected him. Congress had given the legislators four
toars per day 1t would not pay their board much less
heir other necessary expenses and they proposed to
use eight dollars in scrip All of them were not
renal He found that Judge Mayhem knew his duty and
ried to do it. He never held his followed palm behind
us back The Legislature of Ohio prohibited from
meeting more than in two years. except on emergen
y, and for the same reasonthe useless expense that
lie now deprecated. -. n
The Auditor had told them that if they spent no more
money than what was absolutely required they would be
ut OF debt in June and scrip would theneeforh at par
lie thought that dozen Of had right to take action
hat would depreciate the property of whole community