The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-09-05
FROM PHILADELPHIA.

foreman one OF the Vice Presidents
81. N. Boyd, OF the FairmOnt We
dette, one OF the Secretaries.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 4.-The South
ern delegates met at National Hall and
were called to order at 10 o'clock by
the temporary Chairman of the Con-
vention, Mr.. Durant, of New Orleans.
Prayer was offered by Mr.. Motloch.
Mr.. Durant, said the chair, is of opin-
ion that the first business in order to-
day will be the report of the committee
appointed yesterday on the credentials
of members. The report of that COM
mittee is therefore now called for.
Mr.. q. Washburn, of Ga, presented
the report of the committee on creden-
tials as follows:
RESOLVED, That the Convention receive
the report of the members from each
State as to the qualification of its mem
bers.
Texas reports Is delegates, Georgia
is, Tennessee 81, Virginia 81, West Va.
81, Alabama 4, New York Is, Mississippi
pi 3, Missouri, 80, Arkansas 2, North
Florida Z, District of Columbia u. To-
tai 500. The report was adopted.
Mr.. Fletcher, of Tennessee, from the
committee on permanent organization,
made the following report.
For observation-disclosures Speed, of Ken
lucky.
For Vice Presidents-E. NJ. Pease, of
Texas, Anthony Fernandez, of Geor-
gia; Jos. w. Field, of Mississippi; d, II.
Bingham, of Alabama; Col. G. b. Hart,
of Florida; Gov. w. G. Brownlow, of
Tennessee; Jos. II. Glover, of Kentucky;
Geo. p. Strong, of Missouri; ii. @. Cole,
of Georgia; Rev. Hope Baine, of North
Carolina; Hon. John Minor Bolts, of
Virginia; Gov. a. 1. Foreman, of West
Va; Gen. Gerhardt, of the District of
Columbus; Hon. 7. A. Cress well, of
Maryland; A. A. @. Rogers, of Arkan-
sas; Thos. b. Cowersy, of Delaware.
For Secretaries-Samuel G. Marcer,
of Tennessee; Colonel Western Flint, of
Missouri; John Ensor, of Maryland;
Henry w. Davis, of Mississippi; Col.
Charles G. Gill, of Kentucky; G. G. Bay
Tor, of Georgia; j. w. Wynne, of North
Carolina; John II. Adams, of Delaware;
Judge NJ. j. Stafford, of Alabama, DIR.
q. X. Gremer, of Virginia; j. n. Boyd,
of West Virginia; Jesse Stencil; of Tex
as; Peter Fennesty, of Arkansas; e. H.
Ressand, of Louisiana; John w. Price,
of Florida; ID. b. Brown, of the District
of Columbia. 10
For Chaplain-Rev. John B. New
man, of Louisiana.
onthe Presidents taking the chair, he
was received with great applause. Mr..
Speed said:
Gentlemen of the Convention and
loyal men of the South here assembled
II thank you cordially for the compli-
ment you have paid me in calling upon
me to preside over the deliberations of
this body. I feel that you could have
called northern man, one who has been
more thoroughly tried than have. 1
take the position, however, and will
discharge the functions and duties of
the Office to the best of my ability. In
my time, gentleman, 1 have received
some honors, and have borne them
think meekly. 1 feel in my heart that
the honor conferred upon me to-day
by this Convention of Voluntarily as
country and to freedom, is the highest
honor that have yet received. lap
plause.l / feel that the position hold
to-day, though to many it may seem an
humble one, still feel as you feel, that
we are assembled here on a grand and
great occasion, at a great time. Why
are we here, gentlemen? Why is it that
so many of us have come from the far
distant portions of this country, not at
the command or upon the suggestion OF
those in power, but have come of,our
own accord, have come at our own eX-
pense? Why is it, say, that we are
here7 Why is.it that we have come to
to the good old city of Philadelphia?
[Applause.l And above all, ask you,
why and how is it that when we had
come here, the loyal hearts of this loyal
people Were'so stirred? Why have they
turned out almost by millions to greet
us. Why this spectaele2 Did they
come out simply for the purpose of see
ing a reed shaken by the wind2 Did
they come out simply for the purpose
of seeing frail men who are to-day, but
may not be tomorrow who have re-
ceived their trials In the past and ex-
pect them in the future2 They turned
out to receive us and meet us some
what upon our own account, PERSONAL
ly, it may be, but mainly and chiefly
because we are representatives of a
great truth. 1t was not to us men as
much as to the great principles that we
represent. lApplause.l 1t was because
in our past lives we had shown q devo-
ton to principles, and because we were
here for the purpose of renewing, upon
the altar of liberty in this ancient CITY
and among these loyal people, our
pledges, and of declaring our purposes
to stand by the principles upon which
this Government is founded. ZAP
plause.l beg you, gentlemen, in
the deliberations of this Convention,
to bear this fact in mind. Let it con-
troll your thoughts and actions and
your thoughts be free, firm and digni-
fed, loving and mercifuI. TApplause. I
What principle is it then that we rep.
resent? Why is it that we are here ?
Why is it that we receive such an
vation upon our coming? Why is il
and how is it that the people of this
great nation are stirred now as thew
rarely have been heretofore? just
think of it. Less than eighteen months
ago in this country more than a mill
lion of men were arrayed in arms, hos
tile to each other. The passions which
lead to bloodshed and passions which
are consequent upon the flowing OF
human blood were then ripe and
these swayed and controlled alike
individuals and communities
The whole country was awake. The
whole country was as It were in great
throes Of excitement, fearing the tread
and march of great armies, and listen
ing to the cries from the battle fields OF
awaiting the news of severe battles to
follow. Then the country was stirred.
Then the country was exiled, but the
great army of the republic, that army
which had consecrated itself to consti-
tutional liberty and the establishment
of freedom, that noble band of patri-
OTIS and warriors has performed the
task assigned it, and nobly did they dc
their work. (Applause.) They dis.
armed traitors, dispersed the hostile
bands and destroyed the organized civil
governments OF the rebellion, and hav-
ing taken the arms from the hands Of
traitors within our limits, the army OF
patriot warriors disappeared, and they
are again patriotic citizens. They sil
in the crowd without epanlets
without uniforms. (Applause.) They
as everybody else, appeal to the
ballot box. (Applause.) They ap,
peal to regular, ordinary and
peaceful agencies of the Government
fors the purpose of accomplishing the
remainder of the work. Applause.
The soldiers of our rmy in common
with all good men never wish to SEE
war again. [Applause.l But the sol.
dfsar-s- Lr-rnra AZ.