The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1866-04-07
Sp CECH OF HON. DANIEL w.
VOORHEES,.

ton at indianapolis, Ind, last week, Of
which the following is the substance:
Under the circumstances in the midst
of which / have returned to Indiana, a
welcome such as you have given me is
peculiarly gratifying. l attribute it,
however, to but one thing-not to per-
sonal merit, but to that integrity that
has commanded the respect of our fel-
low citizens ever since it was %enuncia-
ted in Holy Scripture: 81 have fought
the good fight, and kept the faith" My
first thought to-day is one Of %fervent
gratitude to Almighty God for the
changed circumstances that surround
us sinceI was in a Democratic Conven-
ton in Indiana. There are no cannon
now to the right or left Of us, and no
bayonets around or about us, and there
was then. ! congratulate the Demo
Gratis of Indiana that they have a com
pact organization; that it stands firm
and true. where it has ever stood, for
the Constitution Of our country, forthc
Union OF our States, for liberty and
law, We are now rapidly advancing
into Il terrible conflict in behalf Of our
ancient principles. We are approach
ing one of the most eventful crises that
has ever occurred in the history of po-
litical parties in this country. The
contest is not with any new or unknown
foe.
am not an old man, but I have met
this enemy before. We fought that
party before the late wal thirty years
ago, when it had disunion, the higher
law, disruption Of the bonds Of harmo-
ny inscribed as nov upon its banner.
1t is represented TO- by the Congress
Of the United States. The Union Of
the States, supremacy of the Constitu-
ton. preservation Of civil liberty, is to-
day, so far as civil power can repre-
sem it, represented now by the Presi-
dent Of the United States. Great
cheers. Here stands the two contend
inc parties; the Convention that met
here on the 22d Of February made
their choice; they chose to say in the
miserable insulting resolution to the
President that they would stand by
him while he stood by the Constitution,
and that they would judge how far and
how long he stoolby the Constitution,
but that Congre;5 was the proper de-
positary Of power to enumciate the
principles Of restoration; and further,
that they would support Congress at
all hazards. On that resolution the is
sue is presented to the people of1ndia-
ma. | have said that the party to
which we are opposed is a disunion
party. 1t is represented by the Ste
vcnscs and Sumners, the leading disu-
nionists of the land. But for them the
Southern men would never have moved
in their schemes Of d~isunlon.
These men were not for the Union in
the beginning, when The S0u.h attempt
ed TO scctlc. Witness their nrwspa-
pcrs-the indianapolis journal, Gin
emmett Commercial, New York Trib-
une, all saying. let the South 60
They talk about Us being the disunion
party. When and where was there ey-
cr a conversion, township, county,
State or National. but what resolved
that the Union Of these States must be
restored? The only difference between
them and us was that when the wal
broke out, these men that never loved
the Union. seeing schemes Of plumber
and political rule looming up. thought
they would slide into. power or profess
sions of patriotism and Of being honest
men. What do we see now? Are
they for the Union oithc States? They
say the Southern States shall not be
restored except upon their dcst uctive,
dcspotic. %tyrannicnl. partisan princi-
lies. The war is over and those States
desire to return. The President Gle.
sircs to assist them to return, but the
leaders Of this party, the men whom
the Republican party oflndiana indor
ses, shut the door in their faces and re
fuse to receive them. Is there a maj
who says it was done because disloya
Representatives | saw a battle
Scared Colonel from Arkansas pre-
sent himself. hut he was not permitted
ever the courtesy Of the floor Of th'
House. Why? Because they regard
ed the State as dead, having no politi
cal existence; that in attempting tt
destroy the Union, they killed them
selves. ] hold no such doctrine.
When they say they will admit rep
resentation from the South as soon d.
they send loyal men, tits false, for TIN
record has been made against then
twenty times by men who have takel
the oath. and who have borne scars o
honorable warfare in defense of tn
Union. Shall this state Of things b
prolonged? My Scripture does no
read, Thou shalt hate thy neighbor,
but .'Thon shalt love thy ncighbor;
and when l see the President of tn
United States adopting the words o
Cancellation, saying, II want to Sc
harmony once lore. l desire nothing
more than the restoration of the Unio1
of the fathers. My foreign polio.
would be strengthened by representa-
tives being admitted from the South
My financial policy would becom
stronger, the credit of the Government
increased by seeing the war completed
terminated" And when, on the othc
hand, l see the malignant savage ma
iority in Congress, hungering for tn
spoils of plumber still, car l hesltat
what course l should pursue.
took my stand early for the Pres
dent. l thought l saw his polio.
tending for good. He was not m,
President or yours, but let us do RICH
and stand by him who gives evldenc
to the country that he is trying to d
right; him whom / knew to be an iro
man, who has this day his grip on tn
throat of that factious majority l
Congress. WhenI know that he il