The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-01

Hon. A. G. Cattell, the orator of the evening who
was very loudly called for, made a splendid and en-
| thusastic address. AT its conclusion Mr. John
Price Wetherill being vociferousy called for made
his reluctant appearance. He said;
| 1t is not usual for the merchants of the CITY of
| Philadelphia to assemble as at this time and TO
declare their preferences either for the platform of
| any party or for the candidates representing any
| party BUT the issues presented to the people
| in the present canvass are of such magnitude;
issues materially affecting the mercantile and
| present success, but upon which their future
| growth and greatness depends, that we have
! met here tonight, calmly and prudenty to con-
slider the great question now agitating the public
mind, to learn the exact bearing the principles of
| either party will have in the future, to show the
defects of one and the merits of the other, and to
| decide which we conceive to be for the prosperity
| of the nation, and which will bring us to peaceful
settlement of our political difficulties. deem it,
therefore unnecessary for me, to such an audience
as this to say word in reference to the character
| of General Grant His name is household word
held in grateful remembrance by the people of this
| land. His life forms part Of the record of our
countrys history. He has been tried and not found
| wanting. Pledged to support our principles, and
! trumphantly indorse both him and them
! The main features of our PLATFORM those which
most interest us, those which in direct variance
with Democratic doctrines, are first, unconditional
support of the reconstruction laws of Congress- and
| second, an unqualified approval of the payment of
| the government debt, principal and interest, in
| coin. We sustain Congress in reference to recon
structon for this Eleven loyal State govern
| ments, at the outset of the rebellion, were over
turned by the rebels; the rebel State governments
! were overturned by our armies; therefore at the
end of the war in those States no government of
any kind existed The Constitution provides that
! the United States shall guarantee to each State
therefore, framed the reconstruction acts. A State
could not be reconstructed out of dsloyal element
else the war was but mockery; the precious lives
of 300 600 brave and the expenditure of SO 5OO
900 of no avail To the loyal element, and to it
alone was Congress forced to look, and by it secure
| a permanent peace; and that element was COM
posed to great extent of the negro This the
| rebels did not like, and the Democrats, who all
loln
Violently it. Congress wsey oi and the
people approved and indorsed their acts at the bal
lot box. Blair would set aside all these laws make
traitors take front instead of back seats and
luton instead of peace would be the result. We are
| against him and for reconstruction
Let us look for moment at the, reputation
plank of the Democratic platform. They assert
the bloated bondhoder and the poor mechanic. By
this they mean greenbacks for all. This is simply
bait to catch c votes; nothing else 1 stand here
| value; know its power. know by it in little
while this wasted land of ours can be made to again
flourish; for when we recollect the farmers of our
| land will this year harvest one thousand millions of
bushels of corn and two hundred millions of bushels
Of wheat, and that these two items alone in value
will equal more than half of our entire debt,
| need say more to prove the Importance of labor
to our success and to our prosperity The two great
interests of this country, agriculture and mannfac-
lures the basis of our prosperity; without them
| commerce would cease to exist AS in individuals
so in governmentsall substantial results are the
fruits of labor and without that element our
| try would soon languish and decay.
Some time ago read an account of curious pic
ture; it consisted of four portraits one of king,
and underneath was written 81 govern all;' the
second bishop, with the motto, "I pray for ALL"
the third soldier; his motto was, 81 fight for ALI"
the last laborer, and his was 81 pay for ALL" No
one can deny that labor does pay for all, and the
desire of the Democratic party is to secure for it
self this important element by endeavoring to use
faacy fatal to the interest of any country that is
to arraign capital against labor. But the device is
too transparent, the motive too open and the fraud
The workingmen of this land are not the shift
less, improvident set of men the copperheads sup
| nCnht thnr TO ha wall hat 10
essential to their well doing They know that labor
and capital should harmoniously work together
| supply and demand regulating both-and, should
the stronger power endeavor to take advantage of
the weaker, the latter arises in its might asserts
| its rights, and soon secures equal justice. AS
example of this, in a neighborng county, a short
| time ago, capital to the amount of one hundred
millions trembled at the onslaught of poorly re-
munerated labor.
Would we prosper as a nation, then let capital
and labor go hand finland together, thus de-
| veloping resources, and thus making fore
most among the nations of the earth. But while
ago the Democracy were the hard currency party,
and to suit their purposes they change their front
and recommend the government presses to again
issue printed promises to pay to compel creditors
to take for a loan (for which, when the government
in trouble, it promised to pay interest and
| principal in gold) another promise which from its
| face is always due, yet never paid, and draws
interest thus flooding our country, already abun-
dainty supplied, with more greenbacks, putting off
the cost of the necessaries of life, and making us
| byeword and reproach among the nations of the
| greenbacks, but to pay the laborer in gold this
should be the nations aim; this should be the ma
| TONS high resolve.
creditor in the worlds legal tender, and not in that
which stern necessity in a time OF trouble and dis
tress, compelled our treasury to ISSUE Strict
| omy and prudent management will in time bring
about this desirable result. Every one, therefore,
high or low, rich or poor, should frown down the
efforts of any party that endeavors to arragn capi
tai against labor Again, how much is the labor
element of this country interested in our govern
ment loan? When the Democratic party supposed
that the rich men of the land held the bulk of it,
they failed in their arithmetic. While they imagined
they catering to what they believed to be the
laborer's wish, they found, to their SURPRISE that
| they touching the laborer's pocket. Jay
| Cooke reports that out of three million subscri-
bers TO the national loans, nine-tenths of
| the class called ''the people" The mechanic
| and the laborer, frugal and prudent, gave to
| their country their surplus earnings, and to-day
that class hold either directly or indirectly through
| saving fundsand other like associations nearly one
| third of the national debt In view, therefore, of
| the great blunder made by the Democratic party,
and the full knowledge the workingmen have of the
| object that party desired to accomplish, truly may
Seymour exclaim, "You have plunged me in a
of trouble" Yes, and the waves thereof will rise
higher and higher, until he and those around him
viii be efectually phed that hereafter loyal
men will have no fear of smOoth-lipped traitors,
whose platform, if carried out, would lead to
anarchy and revolution.
Though our debt is large, beth principal and in
terest in strict accordance with the contract in its
spirit well as in its letter, must be fairly and
honestly met. appeal therefore, tonight, to the
taxpayers of every class and condition to sustain
by every effort in their power so holy principle as
this. Individually, it is not so heavy burden.
Our bonded debt is two thousand millions Our
population in round numbers, forty millions; each
individual share would, therefore, be but fifty dol
lars its yearly interest but three dollars the work
to be given to meet it but day. Who W I'D COM
plain for an amount so small as this? Who would
not do this much when our country has done
much for us?
The demand for exertion on the part of each and
"A -