The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1867-05-14

before TIC Conrr onal Temperance
Society last February !, vll richly
repay peusal
Lpue AND GNrtn5 II pas uot
my intention Is adlrrs you a. ali until
tins afternoon. and feel the need If
more preparation before peaking % so
large an audience as This The reason
Why / did uat propose g address this
assembly was because, having So recent
Ii associated myself with tile Congyes-
sional Temperance Association did
not Ike 70 make 4 parade q myself bo-
fore the public Men sometimes Sign
pledges, and they break them; bat Nr
President / have signed for good, .ap-
plause, and | have made my covenant
with God that viii keep mino But
/ felt it were better 20 prove FIRST That
/ was well established III niy new posi-
tion before | attempted 70 express sen-
timents on this question IN That earnest
and enthusiastic manner, in which | ale
ways address my fellow citizens in be-
half Of any couse which has the conyic-
tion Of my judgment and the approval
Of my heart.
Some two months ago your distin-
gaished chairman. the able and elo-
quent Senator from Massachusetts,, in
his kindness, in the goodness Of his
great big heart came to me witha pc
tition numerously signed by members
Of Congress and said Governor /
want you to sign a call for temperance
meeting. "With all my heart, said /
/ signed it. But the temperance meet
ing did not come OF. ] became impa-
tient. ] went to the honorable Senator
aud told him | was tired Of waitingi
could he not furnish me pledge lie
said ho could tomorrow The next
day he furnished me with a printed
pledge Of the Congressional Temper
ance Society | put it in my pocket,
took IT home, tool, il to my room, read
il carefully, aud, after one look TO God
and one 70 home, ! signed the pledge
! raised myself to my full hight aud |
was FREE. If refer to myself IN The
remarks / have made, and which ! in
tend to make, | assure you It IS not
from egotism, for ] take no peculiar
pride myself in having been addicted to
the use Of ardent spirits. Bat there IS
another reason Why | feel permitted to
refer to myself, and that is, because
while have considered that ! was only
a moderate di1nker it has been publish
ed all over the land that ! was a drunk
ard.
Fellow-citzens, there was some truth
in this, and there was 4 vast deal of cr-
ror in it, too. ! was addicted to drink
ing occasionally as y stimalant, as /
suppose, to strengthen my nerves, and
as a hightener Of social Joys But Mr.
Chairman, differently from other men,
| had most unfortunate difficulty with
myself, and that was, / had a wonder
jul facility, whenever / drank of letting
everybody know it, My sprees were
not frequent, but they were long and
they were loud The grand prairies of
Illinois did not furnish area enough for
one Of my forward movements. That
was not only tho case, but whatever
have done for the last seventeen years
whether / had to make a speach to a
political meeting; whether l spoke n
gainst the Nebraska bill upon the floor
OF this House; whether, as Governor,
| wrote a message orpubhshed a proc
lamation, or prorogued a secession leg
the universal charge Of the op-
posite party was, that oil these acts
done under the influence of whiskey
Now, le!loW-cItizcHs, | have concluded
to pat a stop to this matter The edi-
tors and reporters oinawspapers are an
honorable class Of gentlemen whom
respect; but ! want those hbelons scrib- /
blers who have made 50 many misrep-
resonlations as to my course ol conduct
TO understand that from this time hence
forward their vocation ia that respect
is gone, and they may now publish their
hOels until the naud that writes them
shall flll withered and pa!sied; but |
never intend that they snail have any
license or authority to publish me as a
4 drunkard again, cFen II ! have 10 ab- /
stain, as / will abstain, from the mideat I
glass of claret that ever the tar hand Of
the faitest lady in this land should pre- /
sent me-
There IS tie evil OF the thing: this
Misrepresentation, this liability to mis-
Why sir, atcrI had
made these speeches some sharp article
Of abuse would be published III the pa
per, ard some 'fuediy Indian Of mine
would marx Ground It with black .
lines, aud send It to me for my Christi [
ln contemplation and supreme delight +
| viii stop Il l have promised God ! +
haze promised my country; / have
promised that proud Commonwealth +.
which for twenty-five consecutive years
las Louored INC with all heg public p0-
sitious. ID the Legislature, as Governor
Is member Of both houses Of Congress;
have promised all who love me, and
have promised Katie ana Tie children
that / viii never touch, taste, nor
Iand!e The unclean thing aud bY tho
jlessing Of God and my own unialtel
ng purpose. | intend @ fsht II on On
hs lnc to the last day 10 the evening
il my life u all you, gentlemen would
10 The same thing, you would lose moth !.
ng 10 mind, body, 0r estate
Fellow-cit.zens Ii tmay seem strange
5ut / would. as ! feel now, ag soon
lunk hra FROM heii ~ whiskev, f1r # is