The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-08-13
SPEECH OF GOV. MORTON.

Sui>iieu cltIZen. / can ONLY
thank from my heart for the kindness OF
what he has said. | can only thank you
TOR this reception | cannot find words
TO express my feelings, and must not.
dare not make the attempt. While Mr..
Porter was reciting some of the events OF
my administration as Governor Of Indi-
ana during the war; and bringing up re-
collections that for the time had been
buried. L thought of the struggle that
mad taken place in the city OF Indianapo-
lis, and upon several occasions in thi>
court house ward, when there were dark
and gloomy hours, when it seemed almost
impossible to see a single star in the sky.
Faith In the final result sustained me.
and cheered me, and enabled me to dc
my duty as it was done. When [ look
back. now, over the scenes of war, it
Gems TO me- more Ike hcrrid dream,
THAI anything else 1t seems to me that
L could not possibly endure that again,
nor that the people could again make
such vast and liberal sacrifices as have
been made for their country 1t has cost
the nation dearly in blood and treasure
Oh who, could describe the sorrow and
suffering and agony that has been
brought home to fathers and mothers
and wives and families The world can
never understand how much of private
individual suffering there has been for
our country. We can 90 and count part of
the graves. We can go to the Treasury
Department and tell pretty nearly how
much 1t cost In money; but the tear
hat have been shed, the suffering that
has taken place in millions of household
we can never understand, and never com
prehend But | must pass from this
theme. | dare not attempt to respond
to the various subjects that have. been so
eloquently touched upon by Mr. Porter in
his address. And now, fellow citizens,
allow me to call your attention to the pc
sition of things to day, and to the duties
which now press upon each and all of
us. Without attempting to bring up to
your comprehension the vast sacrifices
thar have been made by the nation, indi
vldually and collectively, it is enough for
Us to understand that all that we have
suffered, all that we have lost, all that
we have endured, will be 10 vain if we
| shall, at the forthcoming election, place
the power of thi snation in the hands of
the enemies against whom we have con
tended from the beginning of Rebellion.
| 1t Is still the same contest, but changed
| IN Its form. The armies are not now
marching to and fro upon the field of bat
| tie, but the contest has been changed to
the polls, an the question W is wether
| the power can be wrested from the loval
| and patriotic people of this nation, and
can be placed IN the hands of those rleu
who with their leaders and abettors.
brought this war upon the country, with
all It's woes, sorrows and all its untold
losses. We are approachindaS State cleo
ton and Presidential election. As the
States shall vote in October upon the sub
lect OF State officers, they will vote in
November, in all probability, upon the
Presidency. Now my friends, let US I'M
derstand tonight the exact questions
which are presented. We have two
tickets in the field. Gen. Grant is pre-
sented as the Union candidate for the
Presidency, and the Hon Schuyler Col
fax IS presented as the Union candidate
for the Vice Presidency: while, on the
other hands, Horatio Seymour is the
Democratic candidate for Presidency, and
Gen. Frank 2. Blair for the Vice-Presi-
dency. Gen. Grant, although he has
| been successful in the war, is now the ad-
vocate of peace while Horatio Seymour
who clamored for peace IN the war, now
| represents the party that is again clamor-
ing for war. The Decorate Party, in
convention assembled in New York;
| believe 1t began its session on the 4th of
July, and the day was meyer so described
| before Laughter that Convention has
| lad down what it calls platform of prin-
clp!es: and | beg leave to call your atten-
ton to the declaration Of that Convention
on the subject of the reconstruction of
| ha (.lNN a
platform: And that any attempt by
Congress, on any preteXt what ever, to
deprive any State of this right or to in
terfere with its exercise is a fragrant
usurpatlon of power, which can find no
warrant in the Constitution, and if sane
toned by the people will subvert our
form of government, and can only end in
a single, centralized, and consolidated
Government, in which the seperate exist
ence of the States will be entirely absorb
ed, and an equalized despotism be estab
lished in place of Federal Union of CO.
equal States. And that we regard the
reconstruction acts, so-called, of Congress
to be usurpations, revolutionary, uncon-
stitutional, and void That our soldiers
and sailors most gallant and determin-
ed foe, must ever be gratefully remember
cd, and all the guarantees given in their
favor must be faithfully carried into ex-
ecution. :" You will all perceive that all
this action Of Congress in the recnnstuc
ton OF the Rebel States, in the efforts to
restore the Union and to heal the wounds
OF the nation, Is here pronounced ''usur-
patton, revolutionary, unconstitutional,
and void. The Democratic party has
thus, by is platform at New Y ork, delar-
ed to the people of the Rebel States that
the various acts Of Congress which have
been passed for the purpose OF Recon
struction are void being demonstrations
al, and being void are of no binding eff
feet, no one is under obligations to pav
obedience to them. Thus the Demo
cratic party has Informed the peonle of
the Rebel States that they are at liberty
again to embark in Rebellion. to pulifv
the acts of Congress and thus renew the
struggle. The Democratic party has in
vited the people OF the Rebel States to
renew the war by assuring them that the
action of Congress is unconstitutional and
that they are not bound to yield any ODE
dience to these Reconstruction acts of
Congress. If the people of the south do
not again embark in the Rebellion, it is
because they disregard the express wish
of the Democratic party of the North,
and if they do embark in the Rebellion
the Democratic party of the North is re-
sponsble for the war, and blood will be
upon their shoulders Loud applause,
and a voice, I'VE will lick them again -
We understand, my friends, that per-
haps nineteen-twentieths of the white
people in the Rebel States are hostile to
the Government of the United States.
They are hostile to these governments
that we have formed. They are full of
hatred to the people of the North. What
is more, they are all armed You can
go into Rebel house or cabin in all the