Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1867-01-23
Sneecb of General Cameron.

Speech of GeneFal cameron
After the election of United States Sen
ator the members of the Legislature ana
other friends of Gen. Cameron met Ia the
Lochiel dining room, and after the Cen
eral had received the congratulations OF
his many friends he addressed them as
follows:
GENTLEMEN Your greeting is very
kind and cordial, and | thank you 1oF 1t.
| thank God that in spite OF the siahder9
my enemies have repeated, for twenty
wears, my fellow citizens, who nave seen
inv life from day to day, have always
stood nv nv side and helped me to repel
Them. This last struggle of my political
life has ended in victory. | desired TINS
os an answer, to vindicate my honesty to
my children and my friends. now pro-
nose TO put these ISLANDERS behind me, and
to forget alike, the liars who coined them,
and the fact that good men, in some cases
hy the repetitiol 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 amy
other candidate and would have voted
for me, rather than have witnessed my
drfcat The character Of my supporters
is a. gratifying to me as their numbers.
Any one VINO knows anything OF our pot
itics. who will read the list of those who
voted for me will find names as pure and
honorable as that Of the purcst christian
moraIist among my rivals; and quite as
unlikely to listen To any corrupt proposal.
Just there | leave the whole matter, put
ting all falseh0ods, and animOsities, and
preiudices, togethe under my feet; and L
20 forward to the honorable duties to
=; ;aI, SfotA hoG p1lIDI for tho
third time.
Six years ago l thought that slavery
was the strength of the rebellion, and
ought to be destroyed without delay. |
wished also to arm the black men who
would volunteer OF course | thought
that clothing n black man in the Ameri-
can uniform clothed him also with the
rights of al American citizen and | am
always sorry to see black soldier, and
reflect that even Pennsylvania denies him
the ballOt-the only weapon whereby he
can protect himself. l hope to live to see
the word white" stricken from our own
Constitutions, and the spirit of caste, based
upon color, utterly destroyed.
The South however, is more controlled
by social influence than by political prin
ciples If you are wise and firm you may
possibly educate the rising generation
into loyalty, but there is no method OF
statesmanship which will make this gen
Grafton of the South loyal to the Union
aHd to the flag. The poison of thirty
years cannot be cratlicated by the subser-
viency OF the President, orby the statutes
of Congress. Let Us look the truth in the
face. The Southern territory is disioyal.
The loyal men Ot to-day must guard their
children against another reasonable re-
belliOn. The Constitutional Amendments
and impartial suffrage will help do this,
but universal amnesty will help to undo
it.
OfAnd-eW Johnson | said long ago that
he was traitor to his party, and an enc
my of his country, and a bad man. He
has done many bad things, but nothing
worse than offering the offices Of the coun-
try To those few unprincipied men who
agreed To desert and betray the great Re
publican organization for his patronage
He Joined the Democratic party long ago.
Tie has a right to give them the offices.
but he has no right to dispose of them al
auction to weakened Republicans.
The pauper labor of Europe is again
competing with our labor, and our manu-
tactures languish for want of protection
against 1t. Pennsylvania needs no assu-
rance o. my devotion to her interest in this
regard, which is the interest of the whole
country. | will continue to labor in sea-
son and out OF season to protect our man
utacturers 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 labor
ing CLASSES.
Gentlemen, l trust that this is my last
political struggle. | have nothing more
II desire, and | hope we will all forget the
bitterness-the unjustifable bitterness
think, OF the late contest. For my part |
will try to act rs a representative OF all the
Radical Republicans of PENNSYLVANIA.
without regard to past differences or dis
sensions. With my temperament can
not forget my friends who have stood by
me so nobly, but | will try to torget-and
forgive-the unjust caIumnies. and the
political opposition / have experienced.
The vote in the Legislature stood, 81 for
Cameron to 80 for Cowan. The vote stood
in the Senate, Cameron 10, Cowan II: in
the House, Cameron 81, Cowan 81.