The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-08-15
PRELIMINARIES TO THE PHILA.
DELPHIA CONVENTION.
LARGE NUMBER OF DELEGATES.
Every state and Territory Repre-
scented.
FERNANDO WOOD DECLINES To DISTURB ITS
HARMONY-so DOES vALLANDIGHAM.
What the Convention is Expected to do

What the Convention is Expected to do.
PHILADELPHIA, August 1.-the trains
last night and this morning were heavily
laden with delegates and visitors to the
great Convention, and the hotels are over
flowing. The rcccption-room Of the Exc
cutive Committee has been throngcd with
delegates registering their names. Every
State and Territory is represented.
The harmonious feeling Of yesterday is
still more marked to-day. Fernando
Woods letter declining to appear as a dele
gate has made him many friends. Vallan-
digham will not go into the Convention.
He has written a letter to that effect.
At a meeting of the chairmen of dele
cations last evening the following bust
ness was agreed upon: Each delegation
to report one of its number for Vice-Presi-
dent, one for Secretary, two for the Com
mittce on Finance, two for the Nationa!
Union Committee, two for Committee to
wait upon the President with q report OF
the proceedings of the Convention, one for
Committee on Credentials, one Tor Com
mittcc upon Organization, and two upon
Resolutions and Address. There will be no
discussion on the resolutions.
The interchange of opinions among the
delegates has produced a unanimity OF
sentiment upon this subject that forbids
discussion. The resolutions will subStan-
TALLY embrace the propositions contained
in the call for the Convention, which is
honestly and cordially approved by all the
delegates here from North or South-Re-
publican or Democratic.
1t is proposed that the Convention shall
issue a general address to the country,
and that, in addition to the address of the
Convention proper, the southern delegates
| should unite in Il separate address, stating
more in detail the position they occupy,
the reasons by which they are influenced,
and the results they hope to obtain.
An informal meeting was held last eve
ming Of the soldiers of both the northern
and southern armies, in which the prOpo-
sition was made, and received with favor,
to call a convention of the soldiers of the
two armies at some central point within a
few weeks, where the men who fought
bravcly against each other may meet in a
spirit of Cancellation, and determine to
stand together in maintaining the Union
and the Constitution.
Governor Orr, of South Carolina, spoke
at the National Guards Hall last night.
He said {:
"Fellow Citizens,-I esteem myself for
tunate upon the present occasion with
being honored with an invitation to ad.
dress you on the opening of your cam
paign in this State. Ten years ago | stood
before you with the late lamented Dou-
glas, when we then gave to you our opinions
of the principles of the Democratic party.
| would to God that he again stood before
you, since the great changes which have
occurred. A gulf has yawned but now
that gulf has been closed, and We have
come here to form a union between the
conservative men of the North and of the
South. l will merely glance at a few
points to show you that the professions
made by the people of the South since
they have laid down their arms are honest
and whole souled. The war began on the
part of the South, through the people be-
lieving they had the right to secede. You
did not agree to that. War resulted the
| South was conquered, and the interpre-
tation you gave to the Constitution has
been established firmly as the legal one.
That decision was pronounced on the field OF
battle by the highest tribunal, and the de-
cree is incontrovertible. The nationality
of our Government has been established.
The South has surrendered the principles
she believed, and is willing to accept your
Interpretation. No man would REOPEN the
dreadful contest to see whether the deci-
sion was the right one, but all are willing
to abide by it forever. By this war the
people Of the South have, to a very large
extent, been stripped of their property.
Their banks are gone and their credit gone
In many localities the great standpoint OF
civil law has been lost. Thus, the people
of the South have far more need of a sta
BILE government than you have, and it is mad
folly to charge that they will not fulfil their
oaths to support disagreement. Although
your public debt has been contracted in de.
feating a section of country from which l
came, yet l would feel that any reputation
of the debt would be q dishonor to my own
integrity. This is my government it, too, is
my children's and grandchildrcn's govern
ment. As a participant in the rebellion
am now for this government, and its honor
is my honor. l desire it to stand before
all the nations of the earth in all the glory
and pride and prosperity Of a great nation
of the world. Fellow. citizens, we have
been knocking at the door for eight long
months, asking Congress that the best, the
intellectual, and leading men of the South
shall be admitted into Congress to repre-.
sent US there. If We are not to be
trusted now, when are we to be trusted
Is 1t just or right that we should be exclu.
ded from these privileges3 No, for the
right Of representation 10 regarded a. one