The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-08-13


Something about II tie child,
And the way of entering in.
Our Young folks, for august.
.
A Soldier on seymour-speech of
Gen. WoOdfOEd.
z; AT the Academy of Music in Brook
Ign, the other evening, Gen. Woodford,
who was evidently suffering from a re-
cent sick ness, was received with enthu-
siastic cheering, and Notwithstanding
his weak bodily condition spoke with
intense energy and fire. We regret
that our limits exclude the whole
speech. We make some extracts:
'I wish I could
Justly close these words without refer
ence to Horatio Seymour. But fidelity
alike to history and TO my old comrades
in the army, living and dead. compel
that should speak of one passage in
his history. On the Fourth of July,
1868, when Governor of the State, he
stood at the Academy of Music, in New
York, and in a most elaborate address
apologiZed alike for slavery, the South
cheer for the patient man who was
bearing the nations sorrow [cheersl in
the Capitol at Washington. He hau no
word OF encouragement for our gallant
soldiers, who THAT very hour were crap
ping with Lee in a life and death strug
gle among the hills in Pennsylvania
Echeers and cries of "You're right"l;
nothing but icy sneers, but cold cAlcu
lation, and but illy-concealed Sympa-
thy with treason. Thank God, at that
same hour Meade gave the lie to his
eloquent sophistry as be hurled Lee
back in his terrible defeat from Gene
terry Hill and Round Top, at Gettys-
hnrU nuH TTraDt'a Inada = r "a II
echo to the cowardly but concealed APP
peals for compromise and surrender as
Vicksburg fell and Pemberton's host
cast down their flags in defeat.
few short days passed, and on
July Is of the same year the terrible
draft riots broke out in New York city.
l charge that these riots were the nHtur-
III, logical and almost necessary results
OF his speeches, his teachings, and his
public official acts. And then when
the storm had gathered, he addressed
those maddened, brutaliZed rioters AS
his friends and besought their pa
thence by the plea that he had sent his
Acknowledgement to Washington to
beg that the draft might be suspended.
Laughter, Kisses and cheers. When
the tldings of these riots ana of Sey-
mour's conduct and speech reached me,
with my regiment, was toiiIng along
dusty road of Maryland III pursuit OF
y
the terrible heat, some falling and even
dying by the wayside, our men were
still pressing on.
1.-The loyal arms had been victorious
at Gettysburg, and we had heard the
glad news from Nicksburg. We were
weary, but still we could see the end
and the victory drawing nigh. Like
thunder from clear sky fell the tidings
of this cowardly uprising at our homes
against the government and our flag.
Strong men wept with shame and rage.
Firm lips closed with a fercer wrath as
they whispered the news down the
ranks, and muskets were gripped with
a veDgeful feeling such as we had not
known before in skirmish or battle.
Could we have filed that day into
Broadway there would have been a
bloody reckoning, and short work
would have been made with his Excel
lency's special friends"
a sudden movement was here visi-
BILE through the whole audience; an
instant afterwards an electrical cheer
burst from every part of the building {;
many people stood up, and hats and
handkerchief were waved at the
speaker.
We had left home to fight your bat
ties, and we felt that you were bound
to tax yourselves, if need be, to your
last dollar to pension our widows, to
ones. We were there just US much for
your sake as for our own, and we felt
that when our ranks grew thin we had
right 10 reinforcements that you
were bound in honor to send US your
young men and your strong young
men, even If your old men and boys
had to work your factories and your
women had to till the fields. We were
terribly in earnest. We were fighting
| rebels. We meant to stand up 10 our
work, and we very solemnly intended
that you should sand squarely up to
yours. [Cheers.l How Ieverently we
thanked God when the good Lincoln
and the lion. hearted stanton said the
draft shall be enforced. And how We
cheered the soldiers who were sent
| from our midst to enforce the Law and
uphold the honor of our flag against the
Northern mob.
"You can now understand how We
soldiers feel towards mis- Excellency,
Horatio Seymour. In the hour of our
sorrow and WEAKNESS he had no en-
couragement for US, no faith in our
courage, and no faith in the final vic
tory. Now in our triumph, whec the
flag streams out on every breeze and
all our land is one again, we have no
need tor thee, Horatio Seymour. Let
Southern rebels shout thy praise; let
the burners of orphan asyluns, and the
deserLer, and the skulker from the draft
| Irvine laurels for thy brows; we Will
stand by the old flag, while we follow
the. great captain of our armies our
own ULYSSES Grant.-EEchange