Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-08-27
HON. THADDEUS STEVENS.
His Speech 80 the Union Convention
of Lancaster, Accepting HIS Re-nOnl-
fuarfon-

iRatiOn.
Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, after his nom
ination on Wednesday, addressed the Con-
vention as follows;
GENTLEMEN: I have come TO detain
you but a single moment in the midst of
the great labOrs you have to perform. l
come again-yes, sgain, to say that you
have laid me under great obligations, often
repeated, for your renewed confidence and
your answering determination to sup
port the acts which We have deemed 1t
necessary to perform for the public good.
1 shall not, as I said before, keep you long,
for l know your labors, and unfortun-
ately, I am obliged to leave the city IN
the next train. 1 should be glad, how
ever, TO have an opportunity to address
you and to tell you ofmany things, which
during the last eight months have trans
pired in Congress-to havean opportunity
TO render you, my constituents, an account
of the manner in which l lave discharged
the duties which you have so ~confdingly
entrusted to my care. At some future
day, when less pressed for time, I shall be
glad to address you in explanation of the
great troubles and the great difficulties
which have been produced by the perfidy
of the President and a few apostates,
whom the hope Of power and plumber has
seduced into his ranks. 1 cannot begin
now to attempt to unfold the policy of that
man in whom you-I can hardly say my
self-in whom the people eonided as a
true patriot, and whom we have now
found to be worse than the man who is
incarcersted in Fortress Monroe. 1 say
that I am not very much disappointed. I
opposed his nomination. 1t is our fault
if we are cheated. johnson was q Breck-
inridse Demscrst, andhe never renowned
one principle Of that Democracy. He
only Ieft them ~han they went out and
he believed they could not succeed; and
no man can say that johnson ever uttered
one word in favor of the free insti-
tutions Of the North before he became
Vice President. We, therefore, have only
ourselves to blame. To be sure, we did
not anticipate the present contingency
but since it has come upon US, let us bear
it with patience until time shall enable Ls
to correct the mistake, never I hope again
20 be repeated. I know not how
you view these things. I believe
that nations are punished by the
Ruler Of the Universe for National
crimes. From my e~raliest hour to the
present day, 1 have looked upon the op-
preston of men as q crime. 1 have no
doubt for this great crime cur brothers
and friends and children now lie in bloody
graves. l had hoped that the blood of a
half million of our citizens, and the ex-
penditures of two billions ofmoney would
hsve induced the destroying angel to put
up his sword. We have not vet done Jus
tice 10 the oppressed race. We have not
gone as far as the Emperor of Russia wnen
he ordered the freedom ofthousandso of his
oppressed people and endowed them with
the right Of citizenship. We have been
too much governed by our prejudices. We
have listened too much to hose whose cry
is NEGRO Equalty'-"Nigger"-"Nig-
/ ger'-"Nigger! We are Influenced too
much by those persons from foreign lands
who, while in search of freedom, deny that
blessed boon to those who are their equals.
I may be superstitious; but 1 look
around and ask myself why are we now
afflicted? l view our present situation
/ and remember that the Lord is still lust,
and that until zoe become Just he will take
care to indict vengeance. You all remem-
Der that in Egypt he sent frogs murrain,
lice, and finally demanded the blood of
the first born Of every one of the oppres-
sors. Almost all of these have been sent
upon US. More than the first born has
been taken from Us. We have been op-
pressed with taxes and debts, and He has
sent US worse than lice, and has afflicted
US with an Andrew johnson [Long
continued applause,
Fellow-citizens, you see that when l be-
gin to talk to q Lancaster audience l do
not know when TO stop. 1Cries-"go on
ego on. But I know the labors you are
to perform, and you will allow me to
thank you again for the great pride and
pleasure which I feel in this oft renewed
appreciation Of such a constituency, and I
trust that on some future occasion before
the election 1 may be allowed half an
hour 10 explain Whist Congress has done,
Hud frankly to c~riticise our ucts ard ask
how far l have your appreciation.
Mr.. Stevens retired amidst q perfect
storm Of applause, and on his way out of
the Convention he was surrounded on all
sides by enthusiastic friends.
BrOwaIOs on the Political SItuatiOEs.
The Nashville Press and Times of Fri
day contained an address from Governor
BrownlOw to the people of Tennessee On
State and National politics. We give be-
low that part Of the address which re-
lates to the present political crisis:
"This is a part and parcel of Johnson's
policy to restore rebels to power; it
means to crush ont the Union men of the
South and restore Democratic traitors of
the South TO power and to place. Its in
tent by him and his advisers is to make
treason respectable and traitors honorable,
while loyalty is to become disrespectable,
and loyal men are disgraeed and driven
from the South.
aTo accomplish all this, and even more,
there is Cd foot a regular conspiracy, and
the chief conspirator is Andrew johnson,
as l honestly believe. He is suited to the
purposes of traitors at the North and reb-
els at the South, to involve this country
in another war, and this they aim to do
during the next two years under the lead
of johnson.
-" An attempt to force traitors into their
seats in Congress with bayonets will be
made the occasion for the outbreak. Let
the despot at the head of the Government
attempt q thing of this kind, if he dare,
and a million of gallant Union men will !
at once appear in the District of Column
bia, surround both the Capitol and the
White House, and dispose Of the heads of
leading traitors after the most approved
Of the age in which the King Of
England lost bis head.
'If another war shall be forced upon
the country, the loyal masses, who consti-
tute an overwhelming majority of the
of this great nation, intend it shall
be no child's play. They win, as they
ought to do, make the entire Southern
C~onfederacy as God found the earth when
He commenced the work of creation
without form and void. They will not
and ought not TO leave a rebel fence-rail,
clubhouse or dwelling in eleven States.
AS for the rebel population, let them be
exterminsted. When the war is woand
up, which should be done rapidly and
with swift destruction, let the lands be
sold out to pay the expenses of the war,
and settled enly by people who will re-
spect the Stars and Stripes.
"Should another conflict of arms be
forced upou the country, as I honestly be-