Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1867-01-30
Radical Speech of Gen. Cameron.

I
On Tuesday, Jan. 18th. after Simon Cam
eron had been elected United States Senator,
a large number OF citizens of Harrisburg
| and strangers, met at the Lochiel House for
the purpose of offering him their congratu-
lations. Mr. Cameron on being introduced
addressed his auditors as follows:
| GENTLEMEN " our greeting is very kind
/ and cordial, and l thank you for it. thank
/ God that in spite of the slanders nv enc
mics have repeated, for twenty years, my
/ fellow citizens who have seen my life from
day to day, have always stood Dy my side
and helped meso repel them. This last
struggle OF my political life has ended in
| yictory. desired this as an answer, 10 vim
dlcate my honesty to my children and my
| friends. L now propose to put these slam
ders behind me, and to forget alike, the liars
who coined them, and the fact that good
men, in some cases by the repetition of them
were induced to believe and repeat them.
Of the eighty-two Republican members
OF the Legislature, my friends assure me
that sixty of them preferred me to any 9TH
er candidate, and would have voted for me-
rather than have witnessed my defeat. The
character of my supporters is as gratifying
TO me as their numbers. Any one, who
knows anything of our politics, who will
read the lists of those who voted for me will
find names as pure and honorable as that of
| the purest christian moralist among my ri
walls; and quite as unlikely TO listen to any
corrupt proposal just there | leave the
whole matter, putting all falSehoods, and an
imOsltles, end prejudices, together under my
feet; and | go forward to the honorable du-
ties to which my native State has called me
for the third time.
Six years ago [ thought that slavery was
the strength of the rebellion, and ought to
be destroyed without delay. | wished also
to arm all black men who would volunteer
OF course | thought that clothing a black
man in the American uniform clothed him
also with the rights of an American citizen;
and L am always sorry to see a black soldier,
and reflect that even Pennsylvania denies
him the ballot-the only weapon whereby
see the word white" stricken from our
| own Constitution, and the spirit of caste,
based upon color, utterly destroyed.
The South, however. is more controlled
by social influence than by political princi-
pies. Ii you are wise and firm you may
possibly educate the rising generation into
loyalty, but there Is no method Of states
manship which will make this generation
of the South loyal to the Union and to the
flag The poison of thirty years cannot be
eradicated by the subservieRcy of the Pres
ident, or by the statutes Of Congress. Let
us look the truth in the face. The South
ern territory is disloyal. The loyal men of
o-day must guard their children against an
other reasonable rebellion. The Constitu-
| tional Amendments and impartial suffrage
will help to do this, but universal amnesty
will help to undo it.
OF Andrew johnson [ said long ago that
he was traitor to his party, and an enemy
of his country, and a bad man. He had
done many bad things, but nothing worse
than offering the offices of the country 10
those few unprincipled men who agreed to
| desert and betray the great Republican or
ganization for his patronage. He Joined
the Democratic party long ago. He has a
right TO give them the offices, but he has no
right to dispose of them at auction to weak
kneed Republicans.
The pauper labor of Europe is again com
peting with our labor, and our manufac
lures ianguish for want of protection against
it. Pc insylvania needs no assurance of my
devotion to her interests in this regard which
Is the interest of the whole country. [ will
continue to labor in season and out Of sea
son to protect our manufacturers from ruin,
and their workmen from being thrown out
of employment, or their wages reduced TO
| starvation point. For [ hold that the true
welfare of any nation depends on the welfare
| of its laboring classes.
Gentlemen, trust that this is my last po-
litical struggle. | have nothing more to de-
sire, and | hope we will all forget the bitter
ness-the unjustifiaole bitterness think
of the late contest. For my part [ will try
to act as representative of all the Radical
Republicans of Pennsylvania. without re-
gard to past differences or dissensions With
my temperament | cannot forget my friends
who have stood by me so nobly. but L will
try to forget-and forgiee-the unjust cal
umnies, and the political opposition [ have
experienced.