The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1867-02-07
Radical Speeeh of Gen. Cameron.

GENTLEMEN Your greeting is very
Kind and cordial, and | thank you for 1t.
{ thank God that in spite of the ISLANDERS
my enemies have repeated, for twenty
years, my fellow. citizens who have seen
my life from day to day, have always
stood by my side and helped me to repel
them. This last struggle of my political
life has ended in victory. L desired this
as an answer, to vindicate my honesty to
my children and my friends. l now pro-
pose to put these SANDERS 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
other candidate, and would have voted for
me, rather than have witnessed my defeat
The character of my supporters is as graf
flying to me as their numbers. Any one,
who knows anything of our politics, who
will read the list of those who voted for
me will find names as pure and honorable
as that of the purest christian moraliSt
among my rivals; and quite as unlikely
to listen to any corrupt proposal. Just
there | leave the whole matter, putting
all falsehoods, and animosities, and preju-
dices, together under my feet; and l go
forward to the honorable duties to which
my native State has called me for the
third time.
Six years ago l thought that slavery
h. II q I'LL
ought to be destroyed without delay. l
wished also to arm all black men who
would volunteer. OF course | thought
that clothing black man in the Ameri
can uniform clothed him also with the
right of an American citizen; and L 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 Constitution, 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 in
to loyalty, but there is no method Of
craftsmanship which will make this gen
Grafton of the South loyal to the Union
and the flag The poison of thirty years
cannot be eradicated by the subserviency
of the President, or by the statutes Of
Congress. Let US look the truth in the
face. The Southern territory is disloyal.
The loyal men of to-day must guard their
Il, onntbar froocnrahla
bellion. The Constitutional amendments
and impartial suffrage will help to do this,
but universal amnesty will help to undo
it,
Of Andrew johnson I said long ago
that he was a traitor to his party, and an
enemy Of his country, and bad man
lie had done many bad things, but moth
ing worse than Offering the Offices of the
country to those few unprincipled men
who agreed to desert and betray the grea:
Republican organization for his patronage.
II joined the Democratic party long ago.
He has 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
competing with our laoOr, anu our manu-
lures languish for want of protection a
gainst it. Pennsylvania needs no assur-
ance 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 season to protect our
manufacturers from ruin, and their work
men from being thrown out of employ
ment, 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
political struggle. l have nothing more
to desire, and l hope we will all forget
the bitterness-the unjustifable bitter
ness-I think Of the late contest. For
my part [ will try to act as representa-
tive of all the Radical Republicans of
Pennsylvania, without regard to past diff
ferences or dissenSons. With my tenn
permanent cannot forget my friends who
have stood by me so nobly, but will try
toforget-and to forgive-the unjust calum-
MES, and the political opposition 1 have
experienced.
The NufjoD0T Pen,LI;coo Tob,.on