East Saginaw courier., 1866-08-16

nessee, opened the proceedings OF the
Convention with a prayer.
General Dix then said that the first
business in order was the reports of
the committees appointed yesterday.
Mr.. Blair, Of Maryland, then rose
and said: Mr.. President-I am in
structed by the committee on perma-
nent organization to make the follow
ing report:
For President, Senator Doolittle,
Of Wisconsin.
One Vice President and one Secre-
tory appointed from each State Repre-
sented.
General Dix, at the conclusion of
the reading of the abt ye report, in
troducod Senator Doolittle, who was
received with the most enthusiastic
applause. Mr.. Doolittle on taking
the chair said
Gentlemen Of the Convention and
fellow citizens of the United States: =
For the distinguished honor Of being
called upon to preside over the delibe-
rations ofthis convention, / thank you.
| could have wished that its response
bility and labor had fallen upon an
other, but relying upon that courtesy
and generous confidence which has
called me to the chair, 1 enter at once
upon its duties, with desire for the
success of that great cause in which
we are now engaged. Among the
great events of our own day, this con-
vention in my opinion will prove to
be one of the greatest, for peace hath
her victories not less renowned than
war. For the first time in six years
a national convention representing all
the States is now assembled. Long,
weary years, as l look back. Oh,
what an interval of blood, agony and
tears. During that period we have
been engaged in the most gigantic
civil war the world has ever seen,
drenching thousand battle fields in
fraternal blood, and carrying to fra.
tricidal graves, our fathers, our sons
and our brothers, by hundreds oi
thousands; but thanks beto Almighty
God, peace, blessed peace, has come
The delegations which we here wit.
ness, tell us that peace has come, and
come to stay,
When l remember that it was Mas
sachusetts and South Carolina that IN
the convention wich framed the Con.
st tuition voted against the abolition
Of the States, that it was Massachu.
setts in 1872, which, through some
of her men, taught the doctrine oI
notification which South Carolina
reasserted in 1883, and in the form 0.
secession again reasserting it in 1860
When l call to mind that South Car.
Dina fired the first gun in this contest
and that the veins of Massachusett:
poured out the first blood in thi.
struggle; and when / call to minC
all these memories, and at the same
time ask the people TO look in on this
convention, and those two States com
ing here in fraternal embrace, ap.
preaching the common alter Of {
common country, wiling TO make any
sacrifice for the good of the whole
c. untry, j say again could the whole
people of the United States witness
this, there would remain no furthei
work to be performed.
Fellow citizens, however unfortu
nately it may be, the whole people o
the United States are not here TO wit
ness what is now transpiring, there
fore the greater work still rests upor
us. From this time TIN u4}titlt ul4}t,itlt the npext peyt
Congress shall not continue to refuse
this sacred right Of representation to
equal States that the next Congress
shall recognize that right. When that
is done the Union is restored, and we
shall be prepared, in my judgment, to
enter upon higher and nobler mis-
sion among the nations of the earth,
than has ever yet been occupied by
any Government upon which the sun
of heaven has ever shone. We shall
stand in the vanguard of liberty and
civilization; and by the light Of our
example all the other nations of the
earth shall be benefited.
If the people of Massachusetts,,
herself, could have witnessed it, not a
single member would be returned
from that State, until he had given a
most sacred pledge that he would do
all in his power for the recognition of
The equality and dignity of all tho
States under the Constitution, includ-
ing the sacred and inalienable right
Of the States, under the Constitution,
to representation in both Houses of
Congress.
Gentlemen of the Convention, /
slall 60 into no elaborate discussion of
this question. The distinguished gem
tleman who preceded me, Gen. Dix,
has already done so, and l endorse,
and take pleasure in endorsing all
that he said, sentence by sentence, and
word by word.
Gentlemen, without delaying you
any longer, / shall enter at once upon
the duties of the chair.
The Vice Presidents and Secretaries
Of the Convention were then invited
TO take their seats upon the platform,
and while they were doing so, the
band played several airs. Gen. Steed-
man, Chairman of the Committee on
Credentials, made report stating
that there were no seats contested ex-
cept from Maine, and that of those
cases the Committee had made the
following disposition: The delegates
elected by meeting held at Portland
and headed by Governor Crosby, are
to admission as the delegation.
The delegates elected at a meeting at
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