The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1866-05-30
ESTABLISHED K.D. 1882.
GREAT SPEECH
MAJ. GEN. JAMES SHIELDS
Delivered Before a Mass Meet,
Ing of Citizens, IA ChiIIicOthe
Livingston County, Missouri
April Z, 1866.
IN SUPPORT OF
PRESIDENT ANDREW JOHNSON

Apftl q, 1906.
A correspondent of the 81. Lo,ns r
q publican, writing from Chillicothe, Liying
ton County, Missouri, April llth, 1861
says:
> "On Saturday last (the 7th) the peopl
of Livingston county met here in mas
meeting to testify their devotion to tn
: Union, and to rendorse the patriotic ad
ministration of Andrew johnson. 1t wa
=, an unprecedently large and enthusiast
gathering Of the people. Doubtless it wa
= all the larger by reason of the fact that Mai
: Gen Shields (now farmer in Carroll eoun
ty) had previously signifed his intention II
be present and address the meeting. 1t il
believed that not less than two thousant
: persons We're present. At halt-past twely,
our Chillicothe brass band paraded tn
strets, and lent to the occasion the charms
OF their excellent music. This was the
signal for the assembling of the lmmens,
throng in the Court House square, and al
clock Gen. Shields assembled the stand.
He was introduced to the audience by Col.
Hawley in a short address, in which he hap
PLY alluded to the distinguished services o
the veteran soldier and statesman. Gen
Shields, it was known, had won immGrta
honor in the Mexican war on the hard
fought fields of CerrO Gordo, Chepultepec,
and other important conflicts, and had
withal, sustained gallant part in suppress
sirg the late rebellion His name had be
come historic in the military annals of his
adopted country, and he was little less
distinguished for his services as statesman
in the Senate chamber of the United States.
Tired OF public life and full of honors he
made his home in our midst, desiring to
spent remnant of his days in ptace and
quiet, and to inioy in common with his tel
low citizens the blessings of restored
Union. But, yielding to the urgent solici-
tation Of friends, he had come to raise his
voice once more in vindication of peace and
| Union, and the patriotic and healing policy
of President johnson. And most noby
did he perform the task before him. His
speech was mastery, statesmanlike and pat
riotic For two hours he held the immense
audience spell bound in an effort that was
irresistible in argument, and Overwhelming
in eloquence and power. Depend upon It
Radicaism in this county here received n
blow from which it will never recover. Be-
low you have an outline of his remarks:
GEN. sHIELDs' SPEECH.
He commenced by saying that he had
ever been an unconditional Union man
was one still, and expected to be to the last.
He regarded the issue between the Pres
ident and Congress as involving questions
Of the most vital importance. 1t involved
constitutional liberty Itself, and the breach
was to broad and too deep to admit of any
compromise or accommodation. 1t was ir-
reconcilable and never could be healed In
any European Government, such a breach
would be nothing more nor less than revo-
I1tt Nh CO l,
happily provides remedy for all such
remedy. and that remedy is direct appeal
to the people of the United States. They
are the arbiters-the jury now sitting to de.
eide the tremendous questions involved,
and their verdict will be final. Gen. s.
said: As an old man let me tell you, my
fellow citizens, in all candor and sincerity,
the exigency of our nation at this time is
perilous in the extreme, and mark me when
say that the decision Of the American peo-
Pile upon these questions will determine the
character of this Government and the socia'
condition Of the people Of the United States
for ages to come. 1t was fortunate for the
country that we had at the elm of the ma.
tion such man as Andrew johnson. He
kne,o him ,cell, and he was satisfied that he
was the right men in the right place. He
was emphatically man of the people. -
His sympathies were with them, and he had
no concealments from them. He was bold
and outspoken, and will do his whole duty.
He would take no backward steps, and if
the people shall stand by him, as he believed
they would, the Union was safe, and con-
stitutional liberty would be preserved and
transmitted unimpaired through generations
yet to come.
When fractional and freuzied party
would override every constitutional barrier
to carry out their infamous schemes Of dis
union, are you not grateful and proud, as
American citizens, to see President rise |
above all party, and with great, proud |
heart throw himself and the cause Of the |
Uniln upon the great heart Of the Ameri.
can people, willing to abide their decision, |
and confident that that they will him
in his efforts to restore the Union and pre-
serve the Constitution iDviolate, as it came
from the hands of our fathers? Said Gen.
s.: know that man. s beside him in
the Senate Chamber OF the United States,
and from my acquaintance with him, | am
warranted in saying that, never in public or
private life, have | met man of more in
iomitable will, more untaltering courage,
and more integrity, incorruptible integrity
He is a genuine type of the Andrew Jacl-
son school, and can never be driven from
his purpose by the rage of faction, however
oud or strong it may howl around him.
rs they did President Lincoln by shaking
heir fists in his face, and they will soon
ind they have slightly mistaken their man.
When the party placed Andrew Johnson on
heir ticket for Vice President, I thought
hen that they did not kno,o the man and
he sterling qualities whicd marked his
character. Gen. S. remarked that had Mr..
lincoln lived, he would have broken with
his same party long before Mr. johnson
lid, for he ,ods tired Of them any ho,ci
Gen. 5. well knew the character of these
Radical leaders in Congress Stevens, Sum
Ter, &c, and he could give the history of
veiy one Of them, but it was unnecessary
lere, and now to 60 into detail. Congress
lad been degenerating for the past twenty.
i've years, in point of moral character, abil.
ty and craftsmanship All admit--all de-
lore it. Bur never in our entire past his {
ory had such an inferior Congress sat in
Washington as the one now there. When ,
e said inferior he alluded to the lack of /
Ugh qualities of talent, Judgment, dignity. ,
tatesmanship to say nothing of the expand {
d patriotism which embraced the interests (
{ the whole country Yet they are formi. I
able. They possess kind of unscrunu {
JUS adroitness and On unprincipled in 2enu- |
y that makes them formidable. He com. i
ared the present Congress with Thad. q
tevens as their leader, to the Rump Par
ament and the French Revolutionary Con.
ention, but possessing neither the sincerity !
{ the one nor the talents Of the other. !
They were sent there to bring the nation
ack to the Union, on the basis Of the Con.