The Portland daily press., 1868-09-01

eracy shall not hold office. All these meas
ures were just. 1t was right for us to protect
ourselves In this way. Yet we were told that
they were oppressive. Messrs. Forrest and
hampton were outraged. What do thew suf-
ier' mat the tender-hearted delegates at New
iork shOuid weep at the recital, and that tears
should now down the "innocent nose" of the
Keeper general who told the tale2 The Rebel
leaders are merely prohibited from holding Of
fee and blacks are made citizens
Inc sPeaker mad wept during the war. He
nad shed pitter tears at losses that time could
not repair. Inc loss of friends had brought
sorrow upon him as well as upon many of his
hearers; but for his part he could not shed a
tear because Rebels were excluded from pow
err and honest meu were allowed to vote. loud
applausel Z. rFE =
This 14th amendment when first submitted
the Southern States was rejected. johnson
opposed it, Northern Democrats opposed it and
the South opposed it. Mr.. Fessenden was
then, a second time, ready to say, "Stay out till
you are ready to come back. But when Con-
gress met at its next session there were many
reports of outrages at the South, and 1t SEEM
ed to the majority necessary that new policy
should be put in operation. Among the vari-
Gus propositions that were submitted to Con-
gress, that which provided for the recognition
OF Andrew JohnsOn's governments as legal
professionally and for military supervision,
found favor with the members. The States
taking no steps under this law to bring them
selves once more into their normal relations
with the Union, another act was passed with
view to reconstruction under the direction of
army officers. Democrats complained that
TINS act was oppressive, and that govern
ments were forced upon the Southern people
at the point of the bayOnet. But in this re-
spect there was no difference between the Con-
gressional and the Executive policy.
Seven States had now bsen restored to the
Union under those acts. Should they stay?
The Republican platform says "Yes;" the
Democratic DlatfOrm savaSNnv Tho Ranubli.
can platform regards the admission of those
States as a fact establshed the Democratic
platform says that the acts under which they
were restored are unconstitutional, revolution
airy and void Blair says they must be over
turned, that this is "a white mans govern.
ment, and that the negro must be deprired
OF the ballot He says that the new govern
ments must be overturned By force. On
that doctrine he was nominated, and on that
doctrine the democratic platform was built.
The question is left to the people to decide.
Are we to have another war? Shall all that
we have done go for nothing?
Summing up the matters embraced in bis
speech, Mr.. Fessenden said that the two great
First-Shall TIE national debt be paid ac-
cording to the spirit of our promises?
Second-Shall we insist upon the perma-
nence of the free institutions which are now
in operation at the South?
The decision depends upon the choice of
ofhcers made at the ensuing election. The
men who controlled the New York Conven-
ton were the same men who are forbidden to
hold office by the Constitutional amendment.
1t depends upon the people TO say whether
they Shall be restored to power. Shall we
have the peace that Grant desires, or Blair 8
war? We shall have the latter if the Demo-
Gratis succeed.
The speaker would say seriously and earn
estly, without saying word more than he
meant, that he believed that the present crisis
~ nrtn thaW. IL II 4
nation has yet passed. We had gone through
the war successfully and settled the questions
arising out of it as wisely as we could though
it need not be denied that we had made mis-
takes. But some mistakes and wrongs had
been charged upon the party of which it was
not guilty. 1t had been said that the deb,
was too large and the current expenses too
great; he had already accounted for the size
| of the debt, and as to the second charge h'
| was not convinced that it had much founda
ton. If it had, he could only say that tn,
| administration was Democratic, and that /
was responsible. The Republican Congress hae
not euen given that administration all the mon.
| ey II demanded He had understood that the
| Democratic candidate for Governor, Mr.. Pills
bury, had issued a circular called the Labor
ing Mans Friend" in which he had made
| many charges of extravaganza against Con-
| gress, and had much to say about penknives
He (Mr. Fessendenl thought it likely they
might have saved shilling or two by exercis.
ing little care in that respect, but the i'm
mensity of the financial concerns with which
they had been dealing, rendered these things
inconceivaby trivial II it were alleged that
Congress had not succeeded in collecting the
revenue, he would reply that Congress could
not control the appointments, and in many
cases the revenue had fallen prey to thieves
| generally of the opposition party, though
neither party could boast of exemption from
them The very first thing the Democrats
did after the war was to steal our President.
a nfT rad ,xryift Aatfn II IL
and so took it out of the power of Congress to
| control the Government. Give us the power
| put the man in the White House who says
Let us have Peace" (applause) and then
hold us to accountability. We can judge Of
the economy with which Grant will admins
ter the Government from the economical
manner of his conducting the affairs of the
War Department.
Mr.. Fessenden said he had not said much in
relation to candidates, tor he regarded that as
a secondary consideration. The question was
not candidates, but principles and policy. Will
the nominees of the party carry out the policy
He believed that they would do so with the ut.
most fidelity. At one time he confessed, he
had thought it wrong to nominate military
men for Office but he had now changed his
mind. Military men were not perhaps better
than others, but he believed that some military
men were better than some civilians Compar.
ing Grant with Seymour, he said that fond O.
horses as the former was said to be, he could
/
his competitor is now doing. Seymour had
| made, in the speakers opinion, better speech
| on finance than he himself could possibly do
| yet by endorsing the New York platform h,
had o6viated the possibility of receiving any
| credit for it. The speaker knew Grant per
| sonallv, and he was his candidate for the Pres
| idency from the first, both because of the grea
| qualities that fitted him for that high office ant
| because the people demanded him and ought
| tS be obeyed. Grants marvellous knowledge
nf n.xI .I<. -. A.
| positions would be of immense value to him il
the Presidency. johnson tried to do every
thing himself and failed. Grant would be-
able to select good subordinates. As to the
| candidates for the Vice Presidency, Colfax wa:
| very much to be preferred. Mr.. Fessenden en-
| joyed the personal acquaintance of Blair, and
liked him very well out-Of-doors and on the
| street, but regarded him as the last man in the
| world whom he would entrust with power over
anybody. But he won't have much power. In
the first place he will not be elected in the sec
ond place, 1t he should be elected, Seymour is
| not the sort of man to die to oblige anybody.
Mr.. Fessenden closed his speech with an
| impressive rehearsal of the evils that would
come upon the country in the event of the
| election of the Democratic candidates and the
| consequent restoration of the Rebel leaders tG
| power. These men dictated the nominations
and the platform, and would dictate the man.
ner OF conducting the government. They
would try, ut least, to restore slavery and de.
mand either the reputation of the pensions
of our soldiers, or the payment of pensions to
their own. But all these evils will be pre-
vented by the wise action of the people in
electing Grant and Colfax in November.
The meeting broke up at a late hour with
cheers for Mr.. Fessende n, who held the atten.
ton of the audience to the very close. Al
least three times as many people went away
from the hall without obtaining an entranc e
as succeeded in hearing the speech.