Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1866-03-15
SPEECH OF HIEsTER CLYMER.

SPEECH OF HESTER CLYMER.
Hester CIymer, our nominee for Gov
ernor, after being informed of his nominal
ton addressed the Convention as follows:
Ny HoNoEED FRIENDS: To you,
Mr.. President, to you gentlemen Of the
Convention and through you TO the De
mocracy Of Pennsylvania, | return my
profound thanks for the honor You have
done me. l feel that it comes laden with
vast responsibilities that TO discharge
them properly demands faith, hope. firm
reliance upon the enduring principles OF
our creed and unyielding devotion TO the
rights and liberties of the people. He
who would lead you to success should
stand unawed by the presence of usurped
power, uninfucnced by the Establishments
of patronage. He should be the stern ad
vOcate Of civil liberty the bold defender
Of constitutional right and privilege the
uncompromising opponent of official and
legislative corruption the hearty su9por-
ter Of all that tends to promote the wei
fare and happiness Of our whole people, TO
deyelope the bOundiess resources of the
State and advance her material and social
prosperity. Then, too, he should stand
the avowed and undoubted champion of
the Union Of these States III its original
purity. ready and willing. if need be, to
sacrifice life Itself in defending from the
assaults Of all enemies, be they Southern
rebels or Northern disunionists, be they
the bad, bold men who dared bare the
sword, and proclaim their treason by
deeds, or the dastardiy miscreants who.
under the garb Of loyalty and the guise of
friendship, would undermine and destroy
il. These, ! Aumbiy conceive, should. be
among the elements In the composition o..
him who would lead you in the impending
civil contest. I am painfully conscious oI
my own inability to approach this stan
dard OF personal and political excellence.
\ true desire 70 do right may in some
/ measure compensate for the lack of ability
/ TO achieve ii; If a sincere purpose to be
guided in every act by the Supreme law
OF the land and in all things to be govern
/ ed by the views and teachings Of the sam
/ ted heroes and patriots who framed II,
may challenge the confidence and support
Of the good men Of this Commonwealth.
then to them and to their verdict do ! ap-
peal with unshakcn confidence. and
( through you, gentlemen OF the Convention.
/ who represent such goOdly numbers Of
/ them, l make that appeal 1 know no
/ higher law than the Constitution Of which
Jefferson and Madison were the founders.
jackson the defender, Webster the ex-
FOUNDER, and Of which johnson Is the up
! holder. Tell them that | know no other
standard Of political action than equal and
exact justice 20 all, special privileges to
none ;hat l have 10 other political creed
than that given TO US by Washington and
jefferson that 1 believe in the social su-
. periority and will ever maintain the polit-
zeal supremacy Of the white race; that |
worship at no political ai.ar whose Ioun-
dations are not based upon the sacred Tn
ion Of these immortal States Tell them
III advance, for me, Of It's peril, and CON
jurc them, by the love of past memories,
by the blood and carnage Of our civil
strife, by the dangers of the present and
! by all the hopes OF the future, to rally to
I tie support of him who in this crisis of
our cOuntry's fate, by a MYSTERIOUS provi-
( dence Of God, has been entrusted with the
helm OF State To them he has appealed
J IN terms Of patriotic devotion to his whole
country. Above the Wild storm Of preiu-
dice, tanaticism and treason now raging
in The national Capitol, clear and loud are
heard the words o. the first Andrew re-
echoed by the. second. "The Federal
Union 1t must be preserved" They are
the two watchWOrds Of national safety
They embody the hoIiest associations Of
every true patriot and afford platform
/ broad and strong enough for good men of
all parties, no matter how wide their diff
ference Of opinion may heretofore have
been. Let Us dedicate ourselves to this
great purpose in the unsellish and unsha-
ken faith that It's accomplishment will be
its greatest reward. Let US 90 forth bear
ing aloft the banner of our country, en-
blazoned with the words, ''The Constitu-
ton, the Federal Union" Let US appeal
to the whole people, from the Northern
border to the Maryland line, from our IN
land sea to the Delaware, and if public
virtue be not dead, if patriots be not ex-
tinct, if devotion TO principle still lives, if
treason IS still abhorred, then indeed IN
October next will victory, thrice blessed
victory, crown cur efforts, bringing with
it a Constitution preserved, a Union re-
stored, land redeemed from the madness
and folly which now threaten to destroy
it.
That in some measure I may be of as
sistance in producing such results, ham
bly, pay. Upcn you, gentlemen, and
those whom you represent, shall lean for
support and guidance; and appealing to
the God Of our fathers to prosper Us in
all our efforts for the redemption and sal,