The Portland daily press., 1872-09-06
Another Republican Rally.
Address by Hon. Stewart L. WOOdford.

| HcanS at nan laSU evening, Tile people nav
ing gathered to listen to the eloguenee of Gen.
Stewart L. Woodford a gentleman who is al
| ways heartily welcomed by the Republicans of
| Portland. The meeting was called to order by
| Col. +. N. Dow, who called Joseph w. Sy-
| monds, Esq, to the chair. Mr.. Symonds spoke
at some length upon the topics of the day and
introduced Gen. Woodford
In opening his remarks Gen. Woodford said
that after the long and exhaustive discussion of
the issues of the canvass throughout the State
he could hope to bring no novel theories OF in
vest old facts with new phases. Reviewing the
causes which led to the formation of the Re
publican party, which is now for the fifth time
before the country in Presidential contest, he
remarked that behind us is the old way, radient
with many victories in behalf of justice for the
rights of man. We are told that we have
reached the point where two paths divide. We
are asked to turn aside from the path which
Mr.. Lincoln walked, into the way of the Liber-
al party, which promises reconciliation and re-
FORM but l fear this new path leads to the
sloughs of Democracy. We are told that there
are no new issues. l can only remember in
this connection the words of one of Virginia's
ed by the lamp of experience" and if l am to
choose my path it must be with the party of
progress and humanity rather than a party
that has a record of treason. The speaker then
proceeded to draw parallel between the his
tory Of the two parties for the past twenty
years, and said that he should consider three
important points of difference between the
platforms in the present canvass: the one-term
principle the tariff, taxation and revenue re-
form and the amendments. Respecting the
first the history of the Democratic party fals-
fed their present position; they elected Jeffer-
son, Monroe and Jackson for a second term,
and ran Van Buren, a second time as regular
candidate and third time on bolt. In dis
cussing the second topic the General showed
that Mr.. Greeley, by his adoption Of the doc
trine of ''relegating' the question of tariff to
the people of the several Congressional districts
put himself in the power of Congress, and by
his speech at Portland pledged himself to sign
such tariff bill as was presented to him without
regard to his lifelong advocacy of protection,
promising in advance to violate his official oath
by not making any recommendations to Con-
gress on this subject, as he would be bound to
by the Constitution. 1t was necessary for him
to give such pledge to obtain the nomination
at Cincinnati Gratz Brown has always been a
free-trader, and if in the course of Providence
he should become President he would veto
any bill looking to protection. Isn't somebody
cheated in these nominations?
The Baltimore Convention declared in favor
of maintaining the Constitutional amendments.
Each amendment has rider providing that
Congress shall enforce the amendments by
proper legislation. The Democratic party de-
clares in favor of leaving these questions to the
people The Republican party insists upon
their enforcement. Out of this comes the cry
of Capitalization. believe that all the powers
not delegated to the general government belong
to the. States. The power of enforcement is
given to the general government; and from whom
you give allegiance you are entitled to claim
protection. The Democratic party has rung all
the changes on protection to the American cit
izen. Can you afford him protection abroad
while you refuse it to him at home. There was
race at the South who performed all the rights
of the citizen during the war. Will you turn
them over to their old masters and deny them
the ballot? If you would not have the doctrine
of State Rights violated, protect your citizens
in the States or they shall be protected by the
nation.
The question of personal fitness was next
considered, and in this connection came the oft
refuted charges against Gen. Grant of nepot-
ism. The speaker remarked that his Demo-
cratic friends had forgotten that one of the
Adams's had appointed relative (Col. Swart-
wout) naval officer at New York, when it was
the fourth lucrative Office in the country.
1t had been tradition of the Democratic
party for years that the West India Islands
ought to be part of the United States. Gen
Grant conceived that it would be proper to cede
the Bay of SANTANA, and he made tre-ty with
Baez. But this treaty was null until confirm
ed by the Senate. Mr.. Sumner said the Pres-
dent had performed an act of war. When was
ever an act of war done where there was no
gun fired OF overt act committed? The Presi-
dent said he had done what he thought was
right and warned Hayti to keep hands off I'M
til the treaty could be acted ON. Mr. Sumner
said the treaty was procured by fraud and that
stakes along the margin of the bay bore names
of officers who were to have part of the soil
Regarding the high source of the complaint the
President appointed the COMMISSIONS major
ity of whom were personal friends of Mr.. Sum-
ner, and not scintilla of evidence of corrup-
ton was found. Like some of the people in
our own country the Dominicans in the anti
cipation of new era of prosperity, had lotted
out town on the shores of the bay and had
given to two streets the names of Porter and
Babcock, in compliment to two of the Presi-
dents Secretaries. This report was sent to
ConOrass with q hrief maSsaue in which tbe
President again gracefully declared that he had
no policy against the will of the people. Con-
trast these acts with the conduct of Andrew
johnson and the self-assertion of the Massa-
chusetts SenatOri Ia ....rfe
After refuting the manifold charges of gift
taking, the General'sai Now, my Demo-
cratic friends in the name of your manhood,
leave off traducing man because he is on
ticket you don't like, Let US lift our politics
up to higher plane. Let us honor worth as l
honor Horace Greeley, the great editor of the
past. Let us interpose the shield of private
character and discuss only public acts. The
speaker then read an extract from Senator
Summers last speech declaring that ''the time
for the soldier is passed, The pres
| ent incumbent is a regimental color with the
&C. Is regimen
| tai color! thank thee, worthy gentleman, for
| these words. We love those regimental coors
| We walked under them in the sunlight We
| bore them in the front. We swore we would
raise the old flag over the capitol and keep it
| there, and we kept the oath. We will keep
| this regimental color there. The forbidden in
| scription! 1t tells of the goodness of God in
preserving the unity of our land. We fiaunt
| no victories over fellow citizens. We ask rec
| onciliation. Let us have peace. And that
brings me to the charge THAT Grant is cruel
| Was he cruel at Appomattox when he gave
| every rebel soldier his horse that he might go
back and raise crops fol his little ones. May
| be there are some here who remember that
| glorious Sunday morning when you opened
your haversacks and gave half nay, two-thrds,
of their contents to a starving foe. We knelt
then and thanked God for a country saved, and
| If we had left the terms of reconstruction to
the soldiers and could have kept the fingers of
| Andrew johnson and the Southern fire-eaters
out, we should haYe had reconciliation long
ago Gen. Grant cruel! He has only protece-
ed the negro when the Ku-kIux sought to ruin
him; he has protected the poor white when his
children asked for education; he has preserved
to christian men the liberty of worship when