The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1868-07-09
A address OF the soldiers and Sail
Ors. Convention.

|
Mr.. Woodward of Pennsylvania,
presented a Committee from the Sol
diers' and Sailors Convention They
were requested to take places upon the
4 platform Fo@4rag9 fryui1af II II
The Pfesident-The Chair has the
honor to=present- zto-the Convention
Gen. Franklin, as one who represents
here the Conservative Soldiers and
Sailors Of our countrysiuw who idesire
peace, union and fraternal regard.
Cen Franklin have been deput-
ed by the Soldiers and . Sailors Con
vention, to present to you this Com
mittee. 1T has for its Chairman, Gen.
H. H. Slocum, of this State, and it has
prepared an address which he now
desires to- make known to the mem
bers of this Convention.
| Col O7Brien then, read the address
as follows: lssS - ~ ..s
To the NetiondJ aC6pyeaatson: =
| Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the
Convention:W I'VE are instructed by an
unanimousivote ofthe Convention of
| the Union Soldiers and Sailors, now
in session at Cooper Institute, to re-
turn to you our thanks for extending
to- us the privilege of being on the
I. floor Of your Convention. The objects
for which we are assembled are clear
ly set forth in the address of our pre-
siding officer. Our Convention is com
posed of two thousand men, elected
from every State and Territory in the
| Union, who have served in the Union
army or navy, every one of whom be-
lieves that in co operating at this time
with the conservative party of the
country, he is still engaged in the
same cause for which he risked his
life during the war, viz To preserve
| the Union and maintain the suprema-
cy of the Constitution. We believe
that the crimes now being perpetrated
in tina name of the Republic are not
less alarming than those committed
by armed foes of the government dur
ing the war. The party now in power
has destroyed equality of the States,
has forced Southern States to submit
to have their constitution and laws
formed by ignorant negroes just
released from slavery, while at
the North it has denied the me-
gro the right of suffrage, although
comparatively educated. 1t has
attempted to influence the highest
tribunal of the land, by calling meet
ings of excited partizans to condemn
all members of the court who might
refuse to act in accordance with their
dictation, while all the leading jour
nalists of the party, since the close of
the impeachment trial, have denounced
and vilified in unmeasured terms, go
irrgo so far in some instances as to
threaten personal violence, and for no
other reason than that they were I'M
willing to peuure themselves at the be
hest Of their party. 1t has freely re-
moved political disabilities from men
of the South who during and before
the war were the most violent, malig-
nant rebels, but have since become the
sycophants of the party in power,
while it persecutes those in some To-
ealities who have always been true to
the Union, but are unwilling to be
ruled by their recently emancipated
slaves. At the North it has denied
official positions to hundreds of vet
rams Of the war, many of whom are
disabled by wounds received in bat
tie, while it has hoisted into place par
tizans of its, own, having no claims on
the government, many of whom, for
tunately for the country, have during
the past few months become inmates
of penitentiaries. 1t has placed the
General Of the armies beyond the con
troll of the President of the United
States, to whom the Constitution
makes him subordinate. It has NOM 1
mated him for the Presidency, and the
events of the last few months indicate
that by the use of the army under his
supreme control there is determine
ton to cause the electoral votes of the
Southern States to be cast for himself
through force and fraud.
We solemnly declare our convic-
tions that the free institutions of our
country have never been in greater
jeopardy than at this period, and that
we look to the deliberations of the
Democratic party, now in Counsel as
sembled, with the deepest anxiety,
feeling that on its action depends the
future prosperity of our country, and
we earnestly trust and believe that no
devotion or adherence to past issues
will be permitted to endanger the sue
cess of the great party to which our
country looks with anxious eye for
permanent peace and prosperity Of our
institutions. We believe that there
are living half a million of men who
served in the Union army and navy
who are in sympathy and in Judgment
opposed to the acts of the party in
power, and at least another half mil
lion who have heretofore acted with
the Republican party, but who. view
ing with alarm, the recent acts of their
party, are now anxious for change
of administration, with a platform Of
principles reviving no dead issues, and
looking only to the arrest OF existing
evils, and with candidates whose fl.
deity to the Constitution and devotion
to the country cannot be questioned,
i