The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-08-06
the north peace and domestic tranquility
universal and equal justice for all men
PERSONAL VINDICATION.

1t would be pleasant to mo as no doubt it
would to you, to dwell on this great and BEAU
tiful subject longer. But, my friends, stand
before you excepting Ben. Butler, best black
guarded man III tho United States. Laughter I I
turn to such subject with reluctance. You
will bear me witness that in my past public Ca
reer, no matter how much traduccu, however
much misreprcscnted, however great The heat
and fury of political campaigns, have nov
or before paused for one instant to enter into
any defence of my personal character. But the
attacks of the past five years have eliminated
into almost national proportions-until there
is scarce an intelligent reading man from
Maine to Texas who has not heard of them; I'M
til my name is in tho mouths Of all mon; the
SANDER of my enemies is in the ears Of all men,
The country will watch with curiosity the i'm
pending contest. I should DO dirclict to my.
SELF to you, my constituents, to my family and
to my little children who will have to inherit
the reputation, be it good or bad, which shall
leave behind me, if did not reply, not in
spirit Of malignity, but more in sorrow than in
anger, to these long continued and malicious
assaults. And if leave any points untouched,
invite interruption and promise that will
willingly and courtcously reply to any ques.
tons that may be put to mo.
What cause is there for these prosecutions?
Is there any Republican within the sound of
my voice who can point to any instance where
I have been false to my party? I pause for a
reply. There is none. [Applarse.] l have
been faithful to every principle and to every
pledge, express and implied. I am not then
attacked as Republican. Have then been
false to the State? What measures demanded
by my constituents have I ever refused to
press upon Congress? What measure have I
failed to carry triumphantly through [Great
applause]. I pause foz a reply. There is
none.
REVIEW OF CONGRESSIONAL MEASURES.
Look back on your State. I arrogatc to
myself none of the praise due to my associates,
but in all modesty I trust can claim my share
Of credit for the measures beneficial to your
State acted upon by Congress during my term
of service. In 1862, was elected a Member
Of Congress. No railroads had been built
then. The railroad interest of the State
could not procure credit or capital The
friends of a very important road, (thc Mime
sofa Valley, came to Washington to obtain
an additional land grant-increasing it from
6 to 10 sections per mile. At my suggestion
such provision was attached, as an amend
mcnt or ''rider' to an Iowa bill and in that
form attracting little attention or no oppos-
tion it was passed. The road procured the
capital and now reaches far up that rich and
beautiful valley bringing wealth and commerce
to- your doors. At the next session all the
other roads presented their claims and pro-
cured the same enlarged grant, and {. new
era of unexampled prosperity was opened in
the State by that means, an era which is yet
but in its commencement
No man can say that in all that work I did
not do my utmost.
Another meaaure for which labored siren
uonsly was the railroad uniting the great sys-
TEN oflakes with our Mississippi River. am
proud to say that in the House T took charge
Of that measure, and the President of the road,
now present, will bear me witness when I say
that when the bill came back in the House,
and Mr.. Holman, Of Indiana, moved to lay it
on the table, only my strong and vigorous op-
position saved the bill from being slaughtered
Again, when the bill increasing the limits of
its land grant to distance of thirty miles was
up, did much to secure that great measure,
and which proved Of so much importance to
the company In securing credit and capital
also aided to procure the passage by the
39th Congress, of the act appropriating 100000
for the improvement Of the Upper Mississippi,
by the construction of dredge boats and the
deepening Of the sand bars, by which the
larger boats now reach your levee even at this
low stage of water.
A friend once said to me that Kansas had
ten rich men where VIC haG one. although that
State has never raised wheat and grain enough
10 feed its own inhabitants. The reason is,
that the largesses of Government had been
showcrel upon it without stint. Three Pa.
citic Railroads, two but forty miles apart,
mail route to the Pacific, &C., &c., cross it,
all granted large subsidies, while we were
te'ro incognita. We asked mail route to
Montana. What did we see? We saw the
representatives of the interests Of that central
region fighting our bill. But VIC triumphed,
and next spring you will find new route
opened through your State to Montana APP
plause] over which shall pass the trade and