Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-08-30

= Adelphis Convention, who presented to Mr.
johnson the resolutions Of that body, the
President addressed them as follows:
Mr.. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN OF THE
COMMITTEE Language is inadequate to ex'
press the emotions and feelings produced by
this occasion. Perhaps / could express
III more by permitting silence to speak, and
you to infer what ought to say. L confess
that notwithstanding the experience have
had in public life, and the audiences have
addressed, this occasion and this assemblage
are well calculated to, and do overwhelm
me. AS have said, | have not language to
convey adequately my present feelings and
= emotions
In listening to the address which your
eloquent and distinguished chairman has
just delivered, the proceedings of the Con-
vention as they transpired required to my
mind, Seemingly [ partook Of the inspira-
3 = ttion that prevailed in the Convention.
When l received dispatch, by two Of its
distinguished members, conveying IN terms
the scene which has just been described of
South Carolina and Massachusetts arm and
- arm walking into thas vast assemblage, and
thus giving evidence that the extremes had
come together, aud that for the future they
were united, as they had been in the past On
the preservation Of the Union. Wnen the
dispatch informed me that in that vast
,t. body of men. distinguished for intellect and
wisdom, every eye was suffused with tears
On beholding the scene, could not finish
reading the dispatch to an associate with me
in the Office, for my own feelings overcame
me- TCheers. / think we may justly con-
n clude we are moving under q proper inspi-
: ration, and that we need not be mistaken
that the finger Of an overriding and uner-
ring Providence is in this matter. Loud
cheers The nation is in peril. We have
Just passed through a mighty, bloody,
momentons ordeal, yet do not find ourselves
free from the difficulties and dangers that at
first surrounded us. While, our brave
d. 2 men have performed their duties, both ofii-
GERS and men turning to General Grant,
who stood this right, while they have won
laurels impershable, there are still greater
and more important duties to perform, and
while we have had their co operation In the
field we now need their support IN our
efforts to perpetuate peace. Loud cheers.
So far as the Executive department of The
Government is concerned, the effort has
been made to restore the Union; to heal the
breach to pour oil into the wounds which
u were consequent upon the struggle, and, to
~ speak Uncommon phrase, to prepare, as the
learned and wise physician would plaster
healing in character and coexteDslve with
~ the wound Loud cheers. We thought,
and yet think that we had partially succeed
ed but as the work progressed, as reconcile
alton seemed to be taking place, and the
country becoming united, we found dis
turbing and marring element opposing US.
In abiding to that element shall go no
further than did your Convention and the
distinguished gentleman who has delivered
TO me the report Of its proceedings. shall
make no reference to it that do not believe
the time and occasion justify. We have
witnessed in one department of the Govern
ment every effort as it were, to prevent the
restoration Of peace and harmony in the
Union.
There is on the verge of the Government
as il were body which assumed to be the
Congress of the United States, but, in fact,
Congress of only part of the States. We
have seen this Congress assume and pretend
to be for the Union, when lis every step and
act tended to perpetuate disunion, and make
disruption of the States inevitable. In
v7stead of promoting reconciliation and har-
mony, its legislation has taken the form of
retaliation, and this has been the course and
policy Of one department of your Govern
ment.
The humble individual who is now ad-
dressing you stands the representative of
another department of the Government.
The manner in which he was called upon to
occupy that position l shall not allude to
Constitution, and being here by virtue of its
provisions, he takes his stand upon the
character of our liberties as the rampant
of civil and religious liberty. Prolonged
cheering Having been taught in my early
life to hold it sacred, and having practiced
upon it during my whole public career,
shall ever continue to reverence that Consti-
tution-the Constitution of the fathers of
our country, and to make it my guide.
oh / Lpo hos haen
said and | must be permitted to indulge in
the remark that the Executive Department
of the Government has been tyrannical.
Let me ask this audience of distinguished
gentlemen around me here to day, to point
to vote | ever gave, to a speech ever
made, to a single act of my whole public
life, that has not been against tyranny and
despotism.
AS to myself, the elements of my nature,
the pursuits of my life have not made me
either in my feelings or in my practice
aggressive. My nature, on the contrary, is
rather defensive in its character. But l
will say that having taken my stand upon
the broad principles of liberty and the Con-
stitution, there is not power enough on
IL earth to drive me from it. Prolonged
cheering Having placed myself upon
that broad platform, have not been awed,
g. dismsyed or inundated by either threats
or encroachmentS, but have stood there In
conjunction with patriotic spirits sounding
the tocsin of alarm whenever deemed the
citadel of liberty in danger. Cheers
] said on a previous occasion, and repeat
now, that all that was necessary in the great
struggle against tyranny and despotism was
that the struggle should be sufficiently audi
Bile for the American people to hear and
properly understand They did lear, and
looking on and seeing who the contestants
were and what the struggle was about. they
determined that they would settle this
question OIL the side of the Constitution and
of principle. [Cries of "Thats so,' and
applause.
- proclaim here to-day, as have on other
occasions, that my faith is abiding in the
great mass of the people. In the darkest
hour of the struggle, when the clouds
seemed to be most lowering, my faith, in
stead of giving way, looked up through the
dark cloud far beyond and saw that all
would be safe in the end. Cheers.
2 My counirymen, we all know that, in the
language of Thomas Jefferson, tyranny and
despotism even can be exercised and exerted
more effectually by the many than the one
We have seen Congress gradually en-
croach, step by step, upon constitutional
rights, and violate day after day and month