Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-11
Grand Ratification Meeting.

rison gathering in 1910. The arrangements
contemplated speaking in the park by Hon.
Matt II. Carpenter of Wisconsin, Hon, L.
E. Chitten6en of New York, and other
prominent gentlemen, and the whole to
conclude with a superb torch-light process
ion. There were present large delegations
from St. Adams, Milton, Essex, Colchester,
Richford and other towns in Vermont,
supplemented by boat load of enthusiast
tic Grant men from Plattsbugh and Reese
vile, n. Y, with an occasional sturdy
Grant Democrat, who had no stomach for
q billed crow" sandwiched in among them.
Several bands of music enlivened the ex-
ercises Of the evening by their patriotic and
stirring music, and banners and trans
parences and Examinations CLEANED forth
and shone out brightly on all sides. The stand
for the speakers was near the Court House,
facing the square. Gov. Underwood pre-
sided, and made few brief remarks, as he
came forward to int reduce the first speaker
Of the evening-H on. Mast II. Carpenter,
a son of Vermont, but U. S. Senator from
Wisconsin. The speaker was greeted with
hearty applause as he stepped forward and
bowed to his audience, and three ringing
cheers followed as an earnest of the welcome
accorded him. We give q brief synopsis of
his eloquent remarks, which we find report
ed in the Free Press
Fello,o Citi=ens of Vermont [ do not feel
like intruder among you, though | am
domiciled thousand miles away from you.
| had my birth among these green hills,
| though it is many years since | left them for
I the West. There and wherever civilization
and education and liberty make progress in
our lar /, you find the sons of Vermont, and
everywhere their eyes turn with affection
and pride toward their native State. We
feel deep pride in the character of Vermont,
and especially in her proud political position.
! But not only as native VermOnters, but as
| American citizens, do we of other States look
with the utmost interest TO the position and
action of Vermont, for she leads off in the
Fall elections, and we look 20 her TO tell US,
as of old, that whoever else falters the Green
Mountain State stands firmly by her political
principles. | know that there Is no doubt
whatever as to how Vermont viii 60. You
are so strong that il is hardly a contest here
but on that very account you are IN danger
Of making the great mistake Of thinking that
il is Of little consequence whether you make
republican majority ten thousand or thirty
thousand. But it is of very great conse-
quence that you should poll your full major
Ity at your State election in September. for
a falling off would be hailed by our enemies
| everywhere, as a sign that Vermont was Civ
ing way. 1t is your duty TO call out all your
voters, rain or shine. Let US hear from Yer
mont a good report in September, such as we
heard in 68, and every true man will take
courage.
! Senator Carpenter went on to speak of the
issues of the campaign. The nominations
are made and we find on one side Grant and
| Wilson, and Greeley and Brown also up-we
can hardly say on the other side for it is
hard telling which side they are on. We
! hear the Liberal Republicans claiming to be
better than the best Republicans. The
speaker denied the claim. The sole hope of
the Democratic party was now in these lib
erals. Mr.. Brown. In a recent speech at
Hartford, had said that the Democrats might
perhaps have been successful in this campaign
without the help of the Liberal Repu blIcans
Out West the answer to this claim would be
. perhaps : not much The Republican
party had saved the government, and now
when peace and prosperity regns, the Dem
Ocrats suddenly discover that the Nation Is
in peril, and that to save 1t they must 20
for Horace Greeley In this situation sup
port Of the nomination of President Grant
was conclusive on every party man OF the
Republicans. We cannot have free govern
ment without parties. In England and
every other free nation we find men divided
into different organizations, one conservative, !
OF clinging to the past-one radical, or look
ing to the future. The Democratic party
was once progressive party but clinging TO
slavery 1t became conserva tive, and it went
down with slavery. The republican party
now embodies the men Of progress and life
in the community. 1t is noble party, and If
any man desires to see its principles prevail,
be must submit to the discipline of the party.
Having received the unanimous nom nation OF
the party, the burden now lies on his oppo-
nents to show wherein General Grant has
proved faithless to his party. This the speaker
defed any man to do. There are good men
who seem to believe that he has; but it Is
one of those deluso rs from which men ought
to pray to be 6eliyo ed.
Senator Carpenter proceeded at greater
| length than our space will permit Us to re-
mort to consider the various objections
| brought by his enemies against Grant, and to
show that they were groundless de did
not know how many or how few Greeley men
there were in this community; but be ven
! tured the declaration that it would be found
| that there was not of them whose
action could not be traced TO some personal
Les OAC8 CEIcu d ulhu
in the crowd. Them said the Senator,
If there is one, and | suppose you are that
one, he is an exception. l have been recently
through five States, and | have not found an
an IT, Grant republic n who had not some
y al grievances-some loss of office, or
AL Ire to get office, or failure TO be appre-
ciatsd according to his own opinion OF his
exalted meri -
Senator Carpenter next examined Mr.. Gree
ley's record, as a secessionist in 1861. He
then declared, and undoubtedly still believes
that if seven States wanted to leave the
Union they had right to 60. OF course it
followed that the rest of the people had no
right to prevent them from going. Ii follows
logically that we ought TO refund to those
rebel states the cost of the war, the cost of
those negros, the cost of their towns and
cities destroyed, and the principal and in
terest of their debt. The election of Horace
Greeley would revive all those claims and
Mr.. Greeley as president must sustain them. |
Those who wish to be taxed to pay for the |
liberated slaves and for the rebel debt, ought |
to vote for the man who said the seeding |
states had a right \" to go. The great
question is thus, stilI, whether the great
results Of the war shall be lost. In conclu-
sion Senator Carpenter, with stirring elo- |
quence, appealed again to the republicans of |
Vermont to poll their full vote and roll up /
their old majority in September.
The Senator was in his happiest wien, and
although not well or strong, was quite too
much for few Greeley Democrats in the
crowd, who, with extreme ill-taste and some
bitterness of heart, persisted in propounding
interrogatories to the speaker His brilliant
repartees and happy hits had the effect to
"A avl1 knl~x IL
won for Mr.. Carpenter the hearty applause