The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-07-24

-8 oAOS1yne Ave AS
Wednesday svsning. ~ Lieut. Gpv. Stsvsrt L
woodfOrd, . brsvsana s.llsse sosdir. Ia'tit
the height Of presumption TO suppose that
man with such record viii receive The vote Of
AID pqy I ,yopld thai. ] gould justly eloss
thssd S6rA wilhoat lrefercacs Ia Horatio By
mour. But fidelity alike to history and TO my
old comrades In the army, living and dead, COM
pei that I should speak Of one passage In his
public history. make no attack upon Gov.
Seymour - . man. Most courtsous end gentle
h his manners, culturetii mind and ,psryua-
sivc In eloquenoe, his private character Is with
out spot or blemish. But his official acts arc
proper subjects Of criticism. On the Fourth Of
July, 1868, when Governor Of the State, he
stood at the Academy Of Music In New York,
and In most elaborate address apologised alike
for slavery, the South and tho rebellion. He
had no word Of cheer fbr the patient man Who
Was bearing the nations sorrow In the capital.
He had no word Of encouragement for our gal
liant soldiers who that very hour were graphing
with Leo In life and death struggle among the
hills Of Pennsylvania; nothing but Icy sneers,
but cold calculations and but lily concealed SYM
patty with treason. Thank God, at that same
hour Meade gave the lie TO his eloquent sophis-
try as he hurled Lee back In terrible defeat from
Cemetery Hill and Round Top n. Gettysburg;
and Grants cannon made strange echo TO his
cowsrdly but concealed appeals for compromise
and surrender a. Vicksburg fell and Pember-
toms host cast down their hags In defeat. A
few short days passod, and on July Is Of the
same year the terrible drsit riots broke out In
New York City. Now do not charge that Sey-
mour did not seek TO quell the riot But ! do
charge that those riots were the natural, logical
and almost necessary results Of his speeches, his
teachings aud his public official acts. 1t was
the logic Of his polished brain rooted aud grow
ing In the passion Of the mob. And then when
the storm had gathered, he addressed these mad
dcned. brutaliied rioters as his friends, and be-
sought their patience by the plea that he had
sent his Adjutant General to Washington to beg
that the DRAFT might be suspended. When the
tidings Of these riots and OF Seymour's conduct
and speech reached mo with my regiment, was
toiling along dusty road Of Maryland In pur-
suit Of the retrcating rebela Painting under
the terrible heat, some falling and even dying
by the waysi,ie, our men were still pressing on.
The loyal arms had been victorious at Gettys-
burg, and We had heard the glad news from
Vicksburg. We were weary, but still We could
zee the end and the victory drawing nigh. Like
thunder from clear sky fell the tidings Of this
cowardly uprising at our own homo against the
Government and the Gag. Strong men wept
with shame and rage. Firm lips closed in y
fercer wrath Is they whispered the news down
the ranks, and muskets were gnpped with
vengeful feeling such q we had not known be-
fore in skirmish and battle. Could We have
filed that day into Broadway there would have
been bloody reckoning, and short work would
have been made with His Excellency's especial
friends. We had left home to fight your battles
and We felt that you were bound To tax your
selves. II need be, to your last dollar to pension
our widows, to sucoor our wounded, and TO feed
our little ones. We were there just a. much for
your sakes a. for our own, and We felt that
when our ranks grew thin We had . right to re-
that you were bound In honor to
send US your young men and your strong men,
even II your old men and boys had to work your
factories and your women had to till your fields.
We were terribly In earnest. We were fighting
rebels. We meant TO stand up to our work, and
we very solemnly intended that you should
stand squarely up to yours. How revercntly
We thanked God when the good Lincoln and the
lion-hearted Stanton said tho DRAFT should be
enforced. And how we cheered the soldiers who
were sent from our midst to enforce the law and
uphold the honor Of our Gag against the North
ern mob. You can now understand how We
soldiers feel toward His Eroellency. Horatio
Seymour. In the hour Of our SORROW and wea-
riness no had no encouragement for US, no faith
In our courage and no faith in the final victory.
Now, In our triumph, when the flag streams out
On every breeze and oil our land Il one again,
No have no need for thee, Horatio Seymour.
Let Southern rebels shout thy praise, let the
burners oforphan asylums, and the deserter and
The skuller from the DRAFT twine laurel for thy
brows We viii stand by The old flag. all battle
SCARED, but glorious In victory, while We follow
The great captain Of our armies, our own Ulysses
8. Grant. At the battle Of Lookout Mountain,
IS, following the line Of the Are, our surgeons
climbed up the billy steep, they met four soldiers
coming down and carrying In blanket shape
less mass. Laying their burden tenderly down.
they asked the doctor 10 look at their wounded
color Serge mt. His shoulder and forearm had
been torn away by o shell. The surgeon knelt,
and putting the hair back from his manly brow,
asked, MY brave fellow, where were you hit
His eye Enclosed for moment, as he family
'Almost at the top NO, no, my
good man, whereabouts are you wounded 2
Again his dying eye opened, again his pale lips
moved, as he whispered, Il was almost ut the
top, sir, bearing the Gag, when the shell struck
me. One moment moro and should have been
clear up He gave one gasp and his brave
spirit was gone forever. And 10, dear friends,
Il Is with US to-day. We are almost at the top.
In faith and love we have carried the dear old
flag for four long years Of struggle until now We
are above the clouds, fighting as Joe Hooker
fought up In tho clear sunlight Of absolute JUS
tice and right. (Applause.) Only once more
close up the ranks. Only once more press up
tho mountain slope, and We shall plant our dear
old flag clear up on the mountain top Of final
victory for liberty and the rights Of man.