The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-07-31
Another Good Meeting.
ROUSING SPEECH FROM GENERAL
WAGNER.
Democrats and Rebels Handled with
out Gloves.
GOV. DUNNTNG PUTS IN A FEW
HOT SHOTS.

in the evening quite a large crowd
assembled to listen to a speech from
the gallant General Geo. ID. Wagner.
The meeting was called to order
by Col. j. S. Buchanan. who
moved that ex-Mayor Baker be
made Chairman of the meeting, which
motion was unanimously agreed to.
On assuming the duties of Chairman.
Mayor Baker stated the object of the
meeting, aud at once introduced Gen.
Wagner, who was received with en-
thusiastic applause. We have not
space to give a full synopsis of his
speech, and can only enumerate some
points on which he touched. In the
beginning he stated that he was not a
candidate for office, but that he felt
prompted from a sense of duty to
speak to the people on the great
issues that were now before the peo-
pie. He then stated that the Repub-
lican party was made up of wal Dem
ocrats, and conscientious Republi-
FANS who had held to the principles
as taught by that party. because they
believed them to be right. The Re-
publican party, he continued, was
made up of such war Democrats as
Governor DunDing, who was seated
on the stand, and Of Republicans
who had. with their money and by
action on the field, proven that they
were not traitors nor traitor sympa-
thisers. The history of the Repub-
liean party. he continued, since its
organization, was the history of the
Government, and its principles had
been written on every battlefield in
the South. The principles of the
party were stamped on every i'm
provement in the land, and at every
step forward that was made by the
Government since lathe time that
party had been in power, the prin-
ciples of human liberty were plainly
traced.
These he gave as good and sufficient
reasons for continuing in power a
party which had preserved the Gov
ernment from overthrow by rebels
and their Northern allies, to whom he
applied in aforcible manner the names
of Copperhead and Butternut.
Going back TO the commencement
Of the war, he proceeded to show how
it commenced, and who were respon-
sible. for that commencement. He
referred to the fact, 10 a forcible style,
that Southern Democrats who had
been plotting treason for years, at
once on the election of Mr.. Lincoln
began to prepare for war, by sending
u ships of war abroad, by placing
troops and men in the South, all Of
which was done under a Dem
ocratio administration. with a
special view to break up the
Government. When all this had been
done. the President elect was COM
PEELED to steal to Washington to as
sumo control Of the nation, for fear Of
assassination by the Democrats.
No power could prevent these mad
men from plunging the country into a
war, and when it had progressed for a
period of time, and when they had all
become traitors and merited a traitors
doom, Mr.. Lincoln held out the olive
branch of peace to them, and said if
they would come back into the Union
all would be forgiven. The peace
offer was treated with disdain and
seorD, and hence the war progressed,
and under Republican rule, and with
the supporters of the Republican
policy, the armies of traitors had
been defeated and overthrown, but
just at that time the assassin placed
in the Presidential chair, a traitor
who at once gave the rebels hope that
what they had failed to accomplish
by force of arms might yet be accom-
plished through his influence. The
rebels then snapped JEFF. Davis for
Andy johnson, who promised to give
them back all the privileges they had
lost by their treason; and as a result
of that policy, rebels, instead of being
peaceable, had been numbering Union
men all over the South ever since.
The Congress of the United States
had enacted reconstruction laws, to
the effect that in future the State gov
ernments should be placed in the
hands of loyal men. These laws the
Democracy, led by Seymour and
Frank p. Blair, proposed to abolish
and to drive Congressman from their
seats. This threat had been made by
Blair in his letter bidding for the
nomination for Vice President, and
it was made just as the threat to
break up the Government had been
made by rebels on the election of
Mr.. Lincoln.
We regret the want of space and
time for a fuller synopsis of General
Wagner's speech, which was listened
to with the deepest interest. and re.
ceived with great enthusiasm.
At the close of his remarks, the
Crescent City Silver Band played a
lively tune, when loud calls were
made for Governor Dunning, who
proceeded to address the people, who,
although it was late, appeared to be
unwilling to leave without hearing
him speak again. In his usual caustic
stuIe he hlistered the rehels and