Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-09-27
p7EeHEs OF GEN, H, H WELLS.

Ucn. III. IL. w CHS, VI AlCAdluIla wac oiS0'
cd President of the " Union exOfcols and
Soldiers Convention, at Richmond = Upon
taking the chair he said
Gentlemen of the Convention, On taking
upon myself the discharge OF the Responsible
duties which your partiahty has imposed upon
| me as President OF this Convention l should
entirely fail in nv duty did fail to return my
! most sincere thanks for thezhonor you have
conferred upoI me- And these are not idle
words. but come from heart deeply impressed
with the honor which is conferred upon any
man who may be called upon to preside over
Convention made up OF men whose love OF
country has led them to abandon the comforts
ofhome, the gains which are gathered In the
fields of trade and enterprise, the honors won
lin the halls of Justice, the pulpit, and the plat
1 form, to pcrillitc, ease, health, and gains IN
q the great strife in which our beloved country
has for four long years been engaged men who
have marched on manya bloody field OF BATTLE
not so much in search of honor, glory, and re-
| pown as to vindcate the great principles upon
: which the very existence of the country de-
ponds.
That work, gentlemen, you did with honor
! to yourselves and your country, and you Will
ever be held in grateful remembrance by
thankful country and richly blessed postcrlty;
but your work is not yet done. When the
! husbandman has sown the pure seed, and it is
watered by genial rains and warmed by an IN
MIGRATING sun, it has sprung into HE, and the
tender blade has ripened into the rlch rul!agc;
his work is not done until the GROWING labor
OF gathering the harvest has been we'll done.
. So YOU have another and unfinished work; II
is to gather in the fruits Of the great struggle,
and safely save them for The blessings OF all
| IN az he
higher duty OF an American citizen, and it is
eminenLIy proper that you should now aid in
impressng your views, your character, and
sentiment upon the politics Of your Stale.
Hoping that you will be guided by wisdom
and moderation, and do this last work as well as
you did the earlier, and asking your consider
alton and assistance in the discharge Of the re-
sponsbIe duties imposed upon me, again
thank you. .a.-.. .
At the close Of the Convention, a vote Of
thanks was passed to the presiding officer, to
, which Cen Wells responded, as follows:
Gen. Wells said he had to thank the Con-
vention--frst, Tor electing him; second Tor the
vote Of thanks Just read He did not come
because he wanted to minglc in politics, but
because he had been asked, and felt that this
Convention was to meet to deliberate and act
upon matters that would hcneiit the country.
With the members Of the Convention he had
marched many Il weary mile, hvOuacked on
many field, fought many hard battles, He'd
from many disasters and rrjOcnl in many
glorious victories.
But now, after VIC have triumphcd, the work
is mol quite DONE The sun now shines on the
most momcnt0uS days Of our history, but |
believe that it will shine until The great qnos-
ton for which VIC have fought will he settled.
No one is ignorant Of what the issue was 1t
f was to establish the supremacy Of the laws and
to decide whether or not the t. S. or tie Con
1edcratc States were to exist War WAS the
only umpire to decide that question. 1t was
! which favored the righteous cause Tor which
we fought, was victorious Applause. The
soldiers of the Union left the field without ami
mostly to their defeated brethren. They de-
light to meet them because they honor them
= for having the courage to fight Tor what they
believed to be right. NO one will assert, the
speaker believed, that the war was not ended,
that the rebels were not whipped, and that the
questions at issue were not forever decided. II
D any one believed that they were not, he did not
O want him in the Republican party
We have soWed the seed it has sproutcd,
ripencd and is now ready for the sickle. We
are to gather the fruits, and if we hesitate a
moment we will be RI cfeant to our trust The
chains of slavery have been struck off the col
ored people, and there does not now exist one
bondsmau or bondswoman in the whole of this
glorious country. Applause 1t is now our
duty to legisate for them SO as to educate and
secure for them all the blessings that that free
dom can produce. After that is done, you
have enunciatcd the principle that the best
pl &c ion for the freedman is the blessed God
Y given bal!ot-boz. Teach them to exercise that
blessing 50 that it will be beneficial, for when
abused it becomes a curse.
am rejolccd at the spirit which has charac-
terized the action Of this Convention. This is
one Of the corps that goes to make up the
grand army that is to bring about the good re-
suits for which the grand Republican party has
so long and zeaIously labored.
Before this struggle is ended it will be asccr-
tanned that there are but two parties in this
: State, in the South, or in the country. One is
the party of freedom and education 1.-THE Re
publican party) the other is the Democratic
party that for thirty years has been on every
side but the honest one Our party has to
fight it out on this line; aud the victory which
will soon be achieved will reward for all we
have done and suffered.
: After again thanking his hearers for the
honor done him, the speaker took his seat.
COMMUNICATED.