The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-14

Convention was largely attended this morning.
fremont Temple was densely crowded The
Hon. J. NJ. S. Williams was elected temporary
Chairman, and made a brief opening speech,
which was well received. Committees on Gre
dentIals, Organization, and Resolutions were
appointed. The Committee on Resolutions is a
rad cal body. Francis W. Bird Warrington
Robinson, and James NJ. Stone are members
oil IT.
General Butler Made President.
General Butler was unanimously elected Pre-
siden; of the Convention, and his appearance
OH me platform was greeted with enthusiastic
and waving their hats. His most radical utter
ances were the most cord dally applauded. After
the cheeIs which greeted him subsided, General
butler said-
Speech of General Butler.
Gentlemen OF the ConventIon:-Let us first of
all mIngle our congratulations Tor the triumph
ant success of the great Republican party,
whose representatives in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts we are. Organized on its present
basis IN 1856, that party nearly carried the
country on the single issue OF restraining slavery
within the States where it decided its constltu-
tOnal limits were fixed. More successful in
1860 according to the forms and In the manner
of the Constitution, 1t elected the President and
assumed the administration OF the Government.
With no preteXJ save this, seven states of the
Union, under the lead of South Carolina, under
took, by the most solemn forms Of municipal
enactment, to vndicate her lavorlte political
dogma OF the superiority OF State to Federal
allegiance under the Constitution, and to estab-
lish slavery, which was but tolerated incident
In the frame of the Government erected by our
fathers a the cornerstone OF au 9mpire.
The teachings In the South of a generation
eliminated in this enterprise. Relying ON the
peaceful prosperity OF the North, its unwilling
ness Tor STRIFE, on the law-loving and obeying
spirit OF its people, which was mistaken for
pusilanlmity, the bold, bad leaders of the Re-
bellOl thought 10 succeed bV an aDpeal to arms
pyttlno faith n anti p1nntpH ~ n m thn
part OF those who had formerly acted with them
under the Constitution, to sustain them in their
repudlatlon OF the Constitution, they began a
most causelesS war. This insane act drove every
true patriot who had lnteilgenrlg watched the
progress OF events TO take sides with the Govern
ment IN the pending annual struggle, and thus
the Republican party which had suffered in the
estimation OF many men, because 1t appeared to
be a sectional party, became the great National
Union party OF the country. Relieved by the
ineXorable logic of events from any constitu-
tlonal obligations to sustain slavery, to establish
which was the cause and object of the
war on the part of the insurgents, the
Republican party, widening the platform
OF lis principles according to the hui
name ideas OF it, inception, adopted universal
freedom universal equality, and universal JUS
tice as the fundamental articles of its creed.
Tue first, freedom for all, was established by an
act of the war making power; the last, equality
OF rights and equal justice, are still i'll contest
When the last Rebel surrendered to the vcto-
rious armies of the United States; when Lin
coin, whose pen signed the immortal Declara-
ton of Emancipation, had laid down his lite a
sacrifice for its maintenance: when hundreds OF
thousands OF brave men had fallen in the con-
test; when thousands upon thousands of the
same men had most mlserably persisted in the
murder-pens OF Belle Isle, Salisbury, and Ander-
sonville, in tortu1es only equalled by those sui.
fered by the early Cnrlstlan martyrs that
liberty and lust laws might be established
throughout the land, the nation might well
have hoped that there should be no foot of Ameri-
can soil where an American citizen, OF
whatever rank or complexion, PEACEFUL :
advocating whatever proposition, moral, reli-
gious, or political should not be tree SO to do,
and be protected fully in that right. Surely a
sufficient price had been paid that we might
bequeath such Government to our children
that inheritance which we received from our
fathers but have heretofore allowed 10 be tar
nished IN the Southern States. With the mill
tary power of the South subdued, its sodter
captured its citizens substantially paroled pri.
soners OF war, their municipal organizations
broken up, their pre- ended Government over
thrown, their leader in chains, and last iudi
yiduai citizen with few glorious exceptions
having forfeited every right under the Constitu
tion which he had repudiated and endeavored tC
overthrow it only required that the onion party
of the country should have agreed in all the
branches OF Government which 1t represented
to have imprinted upon the country those
principles of liberty, equality, and justice i
had so fully declared so that such impress
should have remained forever. Unfortunately
the head of the Administration, the Chief Elk
ecutive Of the nation, was not iound equal Il
the occasion; or If. indeed, as his declarations
one time seemed 10 show, his intellect divineC
the true course, there lacked some quality IN hi
organization which prevented his grasping tht
sublime significance of the political position o
the country as the great missionary nation IL
the regeneration OF the governmental institu
tions of the world. Occupying himself will
details when he should have dealt with generals
studying politics when he should have been act
ing craftsmanship, busying himself with Gle
mency to individual Rebel supplicants while b
was unjust to the loyal heart of the country
seeking to repair the edihce of tue Government b
petty expedients, instead Of LAYING the founda
tions OF us reconstruction deep in the broad priI
ciples OF the party which elected him. recogni2
ing the necessity OF some security for the future
instead OF insisting upon these fundamental elt
mentary rights and truths as conditions precC
dent TO the return Of Rebels to a share in IN
Government, he proposed the mere incidents G
the situation as sufficient guarantees Reaulrin
only that tEeY should agree to the abolition {
slavery, which the wager of battle had rendere
complete and eternal to the abandonment {
the ordinances of Secession, which had bee
nullihed amid the roar of cannon and the clas
OF arms, the President allowed States to +,
organize themselves upon such basis, to put fo
ward claims to portion OF the Government
tine country while their conventions which al
so would not sit under the folds OF the flag
which they had renewed perjured alleglanc
Assuming in himself a sutficiency OF wisdo
alone to meet q national crisis great
than ever tasked the intellect OF mort
man, be neglected, therefore, TO call to his q
tne other departments OF the Government elect
by the same party and the same votes whit
had put him in the position from which
wicked accident elevated him to power, al
thus raised from the dust every humbled, co
quered Rebel and converted him into blust6
ing, blatant claimant for rights which he b
forfeited ana 20 powers greater than had ev
helCngrd 70 bis State or section. WneO. the
tvItl GGIgless eaIne .ogether after seven mouL