Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-09-23
Ohio Statesman. Sttlaat
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MASS MEETING AT IRONT0N,
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TIE BANNER PRESENTATION.
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A Lar ge and Enthusiastic Meeting
OF the People Good speeches
and q Good Time.

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Saturday last, the 18th instant, was
day long to be remembered by the De-
mocracy of, Lawrence county; not only
as the day upon which the banner, won
by them by their victory of last year,
was presented, but. as the day upon
which one of the largest meetings ever
held in the county, assembled to receive
it. Large delegations poured in from
all portions of the county, with flags fly
ing, and by noon the town was alive
with the unterrifed Democracy. of Law
renee. The streets Of, Ironton rang
with shouts for Seymour and Blair. In
consequence of a rain which began to
fall about one o'clock, the meeting was
organized in the Court House by ap-
pointing Judge Dean Chairman, who, on
taking the chair, made some well-timed
remarks. The presentation speech of
Mr.. Thompson and the reply of
Mr.. Leete were then made. a The
large crowd outside, unable to gain adj
mission, demanded an opportunity to
hear, and the meeting adjourned to the
place outside arranged for the meeting,
where a stand and seats had been ar
ranged. Hon, Milton Sayler first ad-
dressed the multitude, and though the
rain continued to fall for some time, the
people stood patiently and listened with
eagerness to the eloquent remarks of the
speaker. About 3 o'clock the rain ce IS
ed and the remainder of the day was
pleasant. Judge NJ. w. Oliver followed
Mr. Sayler in an effective speech, full
of reason and argument. In the even
ing fine audience filled the Court room
and was addressed in an able manner
by Hon. Robert Hutcheson, of Colum-
bus, and Col. John A. Turley, of Ports
mouth. The size of the meeting, and
the enthusiastic spirit evinced, showed
that the Democracy of Lawrence Were
alive and in good earnest.
We give below the neat and appropri-
ate presentation speech of John G.
Thompson, Esq, and the admirable re-
sponse of Hon. Ralph Leete, who had
been selected to receive the banner.
REMABKs OF MR.. THOMPSON.
Mr.. Chairman and .felloW citizens OF
Laurence County,:
When the campaign of 1867 began,
it was resolved that banner should be
presented by the Democracy of Ohio to
the county which should make the great
est gain relatively to the votes polled
upon the canvass of the preceding year.
1t was, we knew, to be great struggle,
for, in order to secure party supremacy
in this State and to give confidence to
the same attempt in other States, it was
resolved to change the fundamental law
by striking the word white from our
Constitution, and so comforting suffrage
upon race who had, by the policy Of
the fathers, been excluded from political
rights. so llt rF ~ n : 1e. 49, =
1t involved too, though not SO clearly
and distinctly as the present struggle,
the great questions Of finance, which are
absorbing the popular thought-equality
of taxation as opposed to privilege and
exemption, and the payment of the debt
in. the earliest time possible, and the
only mode possible, as opposed to an in
definite extension of it, which at last
has shape in the Funding Bill of Con-
gress. [Applause. The standard
bearers appropriately represented the
adverse parties. Our opponents trust
ing to the passions which had been en-
gendered in civil strife, and which ought
to have perished with the return of
peace, nominated a gentleman of esti-
mable character and respectable abili-
ties, who had never been eminent
amongst the public men of his own
party, and whose claims to the dis
tinction were that he had served in
the war, and unlike his predecessor,
was willing to risk the experi-
ment of the white and black races
exercising political rights in the same
Government. We opposed him by a
statesman, tried and true; eminent in
civil service unfinching in support of
the Democratic principles, and who en-
phasized his antagonism to the dogmas
of Radicalism, by canvass go brilliant
as tocommand the attention of the whole
country. Applause. The result we
KNOWN the highest vote ever polled in
our great State. We increased our vote
27,Ol6, and were only beaten by 1888
votes, and even that meagre majority
was made Of votes from the very race
whose participation in our elections, the
, people of the State refused by majority
of 5O,629. In such contest many
counties struggled for the post of honor,
and few thought that the trophy would
be won away from the larger counties
and carried to the iron hills of the county
of Lawrence and there planted, where
it overlooks the beautiful river which
gives name to our State. [Cheers. But
so it was. And whilst many regretted
their own defeat, there were none to envy
your success, and all admired the ener-
gY, the courage, and enthusiasm
which characterized your canvass, and
which, against all odds, forced victory
to your side. And then. when the prize
was won, and you were invited to send
committee to receive the banner, you
told us that not in the Capital of the
State and not to the hands of mere
committee should it be delivered, but
that it must be brought to Lawrence
county, and delivered over amidst the
ranks and the shouts of the people
whose efforts had brought the result
prolonged cheering.] As Chairman of
the Committee of 1867, / have brought
it here. Yonr wishes sounded to me
like command, and now unfurl it,
the glorious emblem of territorial unity
our starry fag--and may our efforts
in this still greater fight, make it the
emblem not only of land, but of a peo-
pie united under its folds and
bound by the Constitution which, after
all, is the only bond of union. Cheer
ing. 5 .-.a. .4e1.aI sl.sl j., j