The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1872-09-12


Holy Word; | say, gentlemen, that
will lift up my heart in gratitude to
God that these men have suddenly
repented.
Why, | have been accustomed to
think that the greatest victory that
the Republican party would ever be
called upon 10 win, and | knew it
would win it, because the Republi-
can party, as Napoleon said of his
armies, are accustomed to sleep on
the field ofvictory. The Republi-
can party-that always won-always
ought to win, because 1T is on the
right side, and when it is defeated,
II only falls back to gather strength
70 adVance again. Applause. | did
suppose that the greatest task it ever
would have. greater than putting
down the rebellion, greater than
emancipating four millions of men,
greater than lifting them up to civil
rights, greater than all It's grand
deeds, would be the conviction and
conversion of the Democratic party
of the United States. Laughter
and cheers. Just as we are going
into Presidential election, when it
was certain that if the Republican
said and affirmed, said by its mem
bers, said altogether, that its ideas,
its principles, its policy, its meas
ures, were stronger than than were
the political organization of the Dem
ocrats. | say, just as we are going
into this contest, when it was certain
We would break down and crush out
its ideas, and take its flags and dis
band it, and out of the wreck we
would gather hundreds Of thousands
of changed and converted men, the
best part of the body, just at that
time some of our men are so anxious
to embrace somebody that has al.
ways been wrong that they start
cut at once in a wild hunt to clasp
hands with our enemies and to save
the Democratic party from utter an
Inhalation. Laughter. To do that
they want us to disband. Well,
gentlemen, | suppose there are some
here to-day that belonged to the
grand old Army of the Potomac. If
when Lee had retreated on to Rich
mond, and Phil. Sheridan sent back
to Grant that if he pushed things he
would capture the enemy-if instead
Of sending back to Sheridan as
Grant did, "Push things, he had
said to him, ''Let us disband the Ar
my of the Potomac; don't hurt the
feelings of these retreatlng men /; let
us clasp hands with them," what
would have been the result? l sup
pose there are some Of you here to-
day that followed Sherman that
were with him in his terrible march
from Chattanooga to Atlanta
in that great march from Atlanta to
the sea; what would you have tho't
of him if, when you came in sight of
the Atlantic ocean, you had had or
ders to disband before the banners
of the rebellion had disappeared
from the southern heavens?
tell you to-day, this movement
of a portion of our forces is this and
nothing more. l would as soon have
disbanded th@t Army Of the Poto-
mae after Sheridan's ride through
the valley Of the Shenandoah, or
when Sherman had reached the sea,
as to disband the Republican party
to-day. The time has not come
Cheers.
AS stood the other day, at New
bern, at Wilmington, by the side OF
graves of hundreds of the brave men
who fell in m maintaining the authority
of this Government, saw "Indiana''
written on some of those graves.
OUR DUTY
But, gentlemen of Indiana, you owe
it TO the dead that sleep to-day in
their bloody shrouds; you
owe it to these men-that you should
not disband the Republican party I'M
til the cause for which these mon
died shall be accepted, not by lip
service, not profession, for the pur-
pose of Selling the Government OF
this country, but Gu conviction Of the
heart, by the American people. We
owe it to the men who periled their
lives in battle to maintain the life OF
this nation ; we owe it to these men
that we do not disband the Republic
can party, or give up the Govern
ment of this nation until the men who
were against the country and against
liberty, accept our faith and creed
the doctrines of patriotism and liber.
to-not qy lip only, but by the heart.
Cheers.
We owe it, gentlemen, to this race
rat for two hundred years bore a
heavy burden, received lashes, and
were beaten like beasts of burden,
we owe it to that race that we
have emancipated-that we have
lifted up to citizenship-we owe it to
that race that their cid masters shall
not have the, Government of the Uni
ted States again until they accept, in
their heart of hearts, the doctrine OF
the equal and impartial liberty of al
men.
NO FAITH IN DEMOCRATS.
But, gentlemen, / have no faith
whatever in this action of the Dem
ocratio party no faith in these new
departures. / believe the whole
movement to be snare and a delu
sion, and peril to the country
What is it for? Confessedly to wiz
power. Why, yesterday, there was
a meeting at Lexington, Kentucky
in which several gentlemen expires
sed their opinions with great tree.
dom, and they told the people OF thit
country that they had accepted the
Cincinnati platform, and had nomi
mated Mr.. Greeley for the express
purpose of taking control of the Gov.
eminent of the United States. They
told the truth. That is the purpose
for which they did it. l tell YOU
that the rebel scouts in the front OF
our legions never took off the gray
4 and put on the blue-never took of
1 the stars and bars and put on thu
stars and stripes except in order t.
deceive the men within our lines, 8,
that they could put rifle shot intt
their bosoms with more certainty
than this movement of the Demo
cratic party is originated for the pur