New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-21
THE WEEKLY REPUBLICAN
Terms of Subscription.
)ne year, IS; six months, 81 so.
AdvRrfisennenfa.
GREAT SPEECH BY Il. GRATZ BROWN
Mass Meeting mt Springfield, Missouri.

Especial Dispatch TO the ST. Louis hepuoncall.l
SpRINGFIELD, Mo-, September 1.-THE
grand ratification meeting took place at the
courthousea to-day about two p M. Col
sOnel Fletcher was chosen chairman, and
Mr. Ferguson secretary. The chairman in
trOduced Mr.. Il. Gratz Brown as the next
Governor of Missouri.
Mr.. Brown said he did not like to count the
chickens before they were Matched. He
took the introduction OF the chairman as
merely compliment. He said he was in
Springfield nine years ago, at the beginning
mantled in the panoply and pOmp of martial
enterprise. This beautiful city, to-day so
fair and peaceful in its rapid growth, had
left no traces of the war. All has been OBJ
liberated and the grass is growing upon
yUr forts and the flowers in the
trenches, and the only evidence of
the struggle was the existence in
your midst of five hundred or more men
disfranchised, set apart as unworthy to
exercise the franchise of citizens. l found
this the fact: These men were met upon the
corners of the streets with the right hand
Of fellowship. You met them at the affairs
Of your churches and marts of business.
Your sons and your daughters intermarry
and the most sacred and pure fellowship
toward them is observed. ibid not wonder
that the sentiment prevailed that the time
y
equal freedom. This sentiment has gone
all through Missouri. Appeals from all
parts have gone up to the State government,
demanding a removal of disabilities from
these men. The Legislature has submitted
amendments to establish here in Missouri
the creed of equal freedom, and that
none should be ostracised. The Legis
laturo has submitted these amendments
to the people. They are a clean,
perfect swo0n of Acknowledgement.
When this movement began, it attracted
the attention OF politicians first. This ham
die of antagonism which they had welded
SO effectually was about to be broken. In
tent upon political power, they determined
either to control or destroy the party. They
began by getting control of the State Cen
trail Committee. They called convention
based on theories foreign to the principles
Of equal rights, subversive of Republican
ideas. This committee made a distinction
between the white man and the colored
man, and gave ninety cOlCred men the same
power exercised by one hundred and forty
white men, and the colored man who never
voted counted two-thirds greater than any
whitd man. 1t was a fraud, done on pur
pose to sustain these men, who were hostile
to the question Of suffrage and enfranchise-
ment. We thought this wrong might be
rectifed in the State Convention, but the
convention incorporated it; that thirty
counties were manipulated by the Central
Committee, sent up delegates at the
order of the committee where no con-
venti0ns had been held for the election of
delegates. Other counties were represented
by proxies who had never even seen the
county they represented. By these pro-
cesses they secured bare technical ma
.jority, and refused to make any alterations,
and it was left for us to do what we could
in the premises. The convention having
voted down the majority report of the COM
mittee on platform, that was the time when
we conceived it to be our duty to carry out
the Republicans from the hands of the high
waymen who were demanding its money or
its life. Those who went out separated on
distinctive principle saw fit to tender me the
candidacy for Governor. l stand unequivo-
caliy on that platform of principles There
is a crisis now as in 1862. Then the party
was charged with the policy of war. 1t
carried it through to triumphant conclu-
sion. That party is to-day charged with
the mission of peace.
He then went on to say that he did not
misreprescnt the policy Of the national par
ty, and that disfranchisement was slavery
in disguise. We are pledged to remove
these disabilities. The Democratic party
taking us at our word had magnanimously
refused to make nominations. l have sell |
dom seen such noble and generous spirit
manifested by any party. / have no hesita-
ti0n in asking the Democratic party to come
mp and help us, as con tributing to the peace
of the State