The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1866-09-26
Cleyeland COnventiOn-.Spee ech
OF GEN. Thomas Ewing, jr.

In response to calls from oil sides Cen
eral Ewing appeared upon the stand and
was introduced by the President, saying
If you have any cheers to give you can
give them. Loud cheers greeted the sug.
gestioh and Gen.. Ewing, who proceeded
% address the Convention at great length
on the political topics of the day. lie
said they bad assembled to consult as to-
their duty and action in the impending
political conflict. He owed allegiance to
no political party, but to the country and
its laws. Before the war many OF them
had been Republicans, many Of them
Democrats, with varying opinions on the
question of slavery. That question was
decided in the contest of 1860. At the
close Of the contest eleven States with.
drew from the Union, aud the President
called upon the people to come forward
and suppress the revolt The call was
promptly responded to by Democrats, Re-
publicans and Bell and Everett men and
after four years of war the rebellion was
suppressed. What bound us together in
that conflict Of arms? Not hatred of
slavery; for on that question we differed
Not for love of war; for we all desired
peace. Not hatred Of the Southern peo.
pie ; for they were our countrymen. No /;
it was the sentiment of nationality, the
determination that the Union should be
preserved aud made perpetual That wss
the only purpose oi the war known or rec.
ognized by the army and navy Of tho
United States. It was the sentiment that
raised all our armies, and the soul Of them
all. Neither army nor navy, nor people,
had any other purpose. Linc,lu adhered
througkoqt the war to that purpose
When it was seen that the rebellion was
staggering, and about to fall, the Radi.
Gals began to consider how the contest
would be wound up SO as to perpetuate
their power and promote their sectional
theories and interests. A month afler
the amnesty proclamation of LINCOLN they
presented their plan Of reconstruction
through Henry Winter Davis, declaring
the Southern States aunihilated and re-
quiring their readmission the same as
Territories. Lincoln refused to sign it
and they then opened their assaults or
him the same as now on johnson, and fol
precisely the same reason. A Conven
tion was called at Cleveland to denounct
LincoIn's plan. [The speaker here read
the call for that Convention, which he
said sounded like blast from the buglt
of Greeley or Forney at the present day :.
The same men are now threatening to i'm
peach johnson. The came med who stood
by Lincoln then stand by johnson now
with the single exception ofMr. Lane, ol
Indiana. The Presidential canvass pamt
on, aud the party that had carried on tht
war met in Convention at Baltimore aut
reuominated Lincoln by aoclamation =
That Convention passed a resolution
drawn by Hon, Fl. j. Raymond, declar
ing thst the only condition of peace and
restoration were the surrender of The reb
ell army and the return Of the Southern
people to their allegiance. The Radicals
hung oi'the skirts Of the war party, anc
thereby secured their rc election. Bu
nothing daunted, they renewed their on
slaught un the President. In the ligb
Of this recital, 10 it johnson or Congress
that has turned traitor to the principle
on which he and Lincoln and Congress
| we're elected? Congress still wishes Il
blow the cmbers Of war, while Johnsol
desires peace. They will have no peac
except on terms which secure party an,
sectional dominion, while Johnson desire
union on the basis of the Constitution =
The seOessionists drove the States int
rebellion by the dreaded cry of Abolition
ist, while the Radicals kept the Unio
seperate by tho still more dreaded cry o
traitor. That cry had no terror to til
soldiers. Their oath taken on enterin
the army bound them to preserve th
Union by every means in their power
They owed allegiance rather to the Con
stitutiou than to philanthropic theories
however right. To save that Coustitutio
they were ready to strike hands with th
Democratic patty, and labor with it 6
long as it remained true to the Union.
The speaker discussed al length th
question Of the constitutional amendmen
holding that We will look in vain for tb
South to vote to degrade 1000 of thei
ablest men, or to surrender one fourth /
their representatives as a penalty for r.
fusing suffrage to the negroes, The Lol
Island Convention intended to make rule,
Of the'hogroes and slaves of the white
and when it assemblies will probably d
4 It. II so the army with which, Graz
split the Confederacy in two would n,
be able to preserve order. Anarchy woul
ensue, and probably another civil wa
whose ashes would cover the foundatic
Of the Government ey'-'' 80
Gen. Ewing elaborately argued Il
various constitutional questions at lengt
being greeted with great applause, and
the close with loud cheers and the thanl
Of the Convention, which resolved to pu
lish the speech in their proceedings.
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