The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1866-08-22
ISpEECH OF SENATOR D0OuTTLE.

Mr.. AOolittle was chosen chairman of
the Philadelphia Convention, and, or Ia
Eiug the Chair, sid: t5.
Gentlemen Of the Conufnfion and tellow-
citizens Of The United States: [Cheers]
For the distinguished honor Of being
called upon to preSide over the delibera
tons of this Convention, sincerely thank
you. / could have wished that its respou-
sibiiities had f'llen upon another, but re-
lying upon that courtesy and generous
confidence which have called me to the
chair, enter at once unon its duties with
an earnest desire for the success of that
great cause in which we are now engaged
Among the great events of our own day
this Convention, in my opinion. will
Prove to be one of the greatest; for
peace hath her Victories,
No less renowned than war;"
asa -[Applause.1
And this Convention is one oil her vic.
tories may not say the crowning victory
TCherrs.] For the first time in six years
a National Convention, representing all
the Statcs, is assembled. Six long, weary
years As | look back, oh, what an in.
tcrral it is Of blood, agony and tears !
During that period we have been engaged
in the most gigantic civil war the world
has ever seen, waiting our resources,
drcnchng thousand battle fields in fra
rernal blood and carrying 10 fratcrnal
graves our fathers, our sons and our broth.
crs by hundreds Of thousands but thanks
he to Almighty God, the war is over. =
[Cheers,
Peace, blessed peace, has come! The
assurar ces which We here witness, tell US
that PEACE has come, and come to stay
Loud CHEERS ] Oh, my fellow citizens,
# lh' whole people Of the United States
could see what We now witness, the North,
South, the East and West, joining in fra.
'clral associations as friends, then fellow
citizens our wnrk would be already done.
lIChccrs. If they could have seen, as
W saw, Massachusetts and South Carolina,
I[Aprause by their full delegations,
coming arw-in-orm into this great Con
vention- enthusiastic applause 1T they
could lave scca this body, greater in
numbers, aud in weight, character and
brain, than ever assembled on this cont.
neut, under one ROOF, melting TO tears Of
| joy aud gratitude, to witness this com
mibging, there would be no struggle at
the polls the coming election. Ap.
pluuse. - ~
Wien remember it W Mass, ,chusctts
ard South Carolina that, in the Conven.
lion which framed the Constitution, voted
against The abolition of the slave trade
that it was Massachusetts in 1872 which,
through some of her men, taught the doc.
triucs Ct nulli6ca;ion which South Caro-.
lina re-osserted in 1888, and 10 the fj:m
Of secession again reassertiDg in 1850
when call 10 mind that it was South
Carolina that fred the first gun in this
contest, and that the veins Of Massachu
sets poured out the first blood ip the
shu.glc; and when / cali to mind all
these memories, and at the same time ask
The people of this country to look in this
Convention, and see these old States Ct
the Union coming here in fratenal en-.
brace, approaching the common alter of a
common country to make sacrifice for the
gDod OF the whOle-i say again could the
whole people Of the United States witn,ss
all this, there would remain no further du
'y for us TO pcrIhrm. Loud cheers If
the people of Massachusetts herself could
have witnessed it, not c single member
would he returned to Congress from that
State applausc until be had given a
most sacred pledge hat he would do all
in his power to recognize the equality
aud dignity of all the States under the
CONSTITUTION, cheers] including the sa
cred aud inalipuable tight Of every State
under the Constitution to representation
in both Houses Of Congress [Checrs]
Geutlemcn Ct the Convention, shall
20 into no argument on this occasion -
[Crics, "go on Tho distinguished
eutlcmnn who preceded me, Gen Dix,
has sad all would desire to say much
better Than I could. I endorse, and take
great leasure in endorsing all he has
said, sentence by sentence, word by word.
[Cheers.]
F,l ow citizens, unfortunately, IL may
be, the whole people Of the United States
are not here to witness what is now tran
spring, therefore the great work still
rests on us. From this time until next
ELECTION we should be Intiring in our ex.
prIious to see to it iha, the next Congress
of this country, ifthis shall allconiidre fore.
fuse this sacred right OF representation to
equal States; that the next Congress
'halI recognize that right. [ Applause, i
When that il done the Union is restored :
[Cbecr3 and when the Union is restored,
we shall be prepared, in MY judgement,
to enter upon ahigher and nobler career
among he natioss Of the Garth than has
ever been occupied by any government
upon which the sun Of Heaven has ever
shore. [ Loud cheers We shall stand in
the vanguard Of liberty and civilization,
We shall lead tho wy, by tho light Of
our Example, for all the other nations Of
the ear'h [ApplOuse. 4"
Gentlemen, without OBTAINING you any
longer, shall enter at once upon the
daties OF tue Chair, . "