North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1866-03-14

Gen. VIM. Ii. Miller. OF panphin, NOV
cd that Il committee OF thee be appointed
to wait on Mr.. Clymer, and such gentle
men as had been voted for Governor, and
ipvite their attendance Agreed to
Shortly afterwards the Hon, Hester Cly-l
mer, the nominee of the Democracy of
z Pennsylvania for Governor, was introduced
| by the special committee amid deatenlng
roars of cheers and applause.
All the gentlemen voted for, for Gov
ernor, were invited to the Speakers stand.
After order had somewhat been restor-
ed, Mr. Clymer was introduced by the
chairman, when he spoke as follows:
Speech ef Hester Clymer,
To you, my honorsd friend, Mr.. Presi
dent; to you, gentlemen OF the Conven-
tion, and through you the Democracy OF
Pennsylvania, return my profound thanks
for the honor you have done me. L feel
that it comes laden with vast responsible
ties; that to discharge them properly de-
mands faith, courage, hope-frm reliance
upon the enduring principles of our creed
and unyicIding devotion to the rights and
Liberties of the people. He who would
lead you to success should stand unawco
by the presence of usurped power; unin-
! fuenced by the blandishment of patronage.
He should be the stern advocate of civil
liberty, the bold defender of constitutional
right and privilege, the uncompromising
opponent of official and legislative corrup-
ton, he hearty supporter Of all that tends to
promote the welfare and happiness of our
whole people, to develop the boundless re-
sources of this State and advance her ms
terial and social prosperity. Then, too, he
| should stand the avowed and undoubted
champion of the Union Of these States, in
its original purity, ready and willing, if
need be, to sacrifice life itself defending it
from the assaults of all enemies, be they
Southern rebels or Northern disunionlsts,
be they the bad, bold men who have dared
bare the sword and proclaim their treason
| by deeds, or the dastardlY miscreants who,
under the garb of loyalty and guise of
friendship, would undermine and destroy
it.
These | humLly conceive should be
among the elements in the composition OF
him who would lead YOU in the impending
civil contest. am painfully conscious of
my own inability to approach this standard
of personal and political excellence. But
if the desire to do right may in some
measure compensate for the lack of ability
to achieve it; if a sincere purpose to be
guided in every act by the supreme law of
the land and in all things to be governed
by the views and teachings Of the saiutcd
heroes and patriots who framed it, may
challenge the confidence and support of
! the good men Of this Commonwealth, then
to them aud their verdict do I appeal with
unshaken confidence; and through you,
gentlemen of the Convention, who repre-
sent such goodly numbers of them, | make
| that appeal. Tell them | know no higher
| law than the Constitution, of which Jcffer-
son and Madison were the founders, Jack
son the defender, Webster the expounder,
and of which johnson is the upholdcr =
Tell them that know no other standard
of political action than equal and exact
justice to all, special privileges to none;
that have no other political creed than
| that given to us by Washington and Jeffcr
son: that | believe in tire social superior
ity and will ever maintain the political su-
premacy of the white race; that | worship
at no political altar whose foundations are
not based upon the sacred Union OF these
immortal States ! Tell them in advance
for me Of its peril, and conjure them by
the love of past memories, by the blood
and carnage CT our civil strife, by the dan
gers Of the present, and by all the hopes
of the future, to rally to the support of
him, who in this crisis Of our country's fate
by mysterious Providence Of God, has
been entrusted with the helm of State =
To them he has appealed in terms Of pa
triotic devotion to his whole country.-
Above the wild storm of prejudice, fanati
cism and treason now raging in the Ma
tional Capital, clear and loud are heard the
words Of the First Andrew, re-echoed and
defantly reasserted by the Second, "Ihe
Federal Union, 1t must be pressrved"'-
They are the watch-words Of national safe
tv. They embody the holicst aspiration
of every true patriot, and afford a platform
broad and strong enough for good men of
all parties, no matter how wide their diff
ferences of opinion may heretofore have
been.
Let Us dedicate ourselves to this great
purpose, with unselfish and mistaken faith,
that its accomplishment will be its greatest
reward. Let us go forth, bearing aloft the
banner of our country, emblazoned with
the words-"rhe Constitution THE
Federal Unionr' Let lis appeal to the
whole people-from the Northern border
to the Maryland line, from our inland sea
to the Delaware ard if public virtue be
not dead, ifipatrotism be not extinct, if
devotion to principle still lives, if treason
Though latent it may be) is still abhored,
then indeed, in October next, will victory
thrice blessed victory-crown our ef-
forts, bringing with it Constitution pre-
served, Union restored, land redeemed
from the madness and folly which now