The Portland daily press., 1872-08-28

traitor, who is at their head?
If we are ready to discard the instruments of
our will through all these years, it is because
they have proved unfaithful or because we
have become convinced that we have been in
| the wrong, or else that we in these other
lnstruments,-the Democratic party and Hor-
ace Greeley-means for good not attainabe
through the Republican party and Grant.
| Consider whether the government OF our choice
has betrayed us.
1t would be strange indeed, if in a period
calling for action in matters OF unprecedented
magnitude, compexity and variety, the admin
lstraton of the government IN an Its branches
| and departments should meet with unqualified
and universal approval. In contrast with the
many splendid benefits conferred on the coun-
try by Grants administration, its errors and
mistakes are to the impartial critic but as spots
| on the sun. OF the good elect OF his manage
| ment of the finances, and of his general pol
| lev upon the material interests of the country
we have the best evidence in the fact the men
| who have the most at stake-the business men
| of the country-are foremost and most strenu-
| Gus in favoring his continuance in office for the
| sake of maintaining unimpaired the stability
| and prosperity their affairs now enjoy. The
| friends of peace and advocates of humanity,
| look with thankfulness and admiration upon
| his application of the law of kindness to the
| treatment of the Indians, and upon the ami
| cable settlement of the difficulty with England
which he has secured. They see in the sub
mission of questions dark with threats of war,
|
the age, whose call to battle a great people
would have obeyed, the suspicious dawn of a
| better era when passion and pride of power
will be banished from the councils of nations
| to give place to justice and mutual forbear-
ance. 1t has been well said that either of these
| measures is sufficient by itself to nobly sigma
| lie his administration. His government has
| been most just and generous towards our fell
| low citizens of the South-just in that it has
| protected the weak and law abiding from the
| nf To oil
| law but their own will is hateful generous
| too generous some believe, in restoring all
| rebels, save some two hundred of bad emil
nence, regardless of their non-repentance, to
| full citizenship in the State they tried to de-
| stroy. The great work and the unparalleled
magnanimity of republicanlsm are best epitO-
| mixed by the spectacle of emancipated slaves
| and rebel officers seated together in the Con-
| gress of the nation Surely we cannot with
| hold approval from so grand record, nor
| withdraw our confidence from the party and
| the President who have built it up,-nor can
| we have stronger assurance for the future than
the past affords
What better things have we reason to expect
| from the neao Coufederacy, the alliance of Gin
| cinnati and Baltimore that presents itself for
| our suffrages? What attractive grace, what
| trust-awakening purity dwell in the aspect of
| these mourners of the ''lost cause" these
| wholesale incendiaries, midnight raiders, of
| these men around us to whom the reverses of
| our arms were a joy, and our victories bitter
ness? The conversion their friends profess for
| them is the result OF long meditation that gave
| no sign, it is sharp shock of conviction; in
| either case it is all too sudden for belief 1t
| seems something more than coincidence that
| it should be so timely in respect to the APP
pearance of issuing from the same source an
| ofice-holder's gratitude has been said to spring
| from-'a lively sense of favors yet to come"
| They should remember that confidence is a
| plant of slow growth" and be content to wait
| long years for the robust maturity of their
itS
ment they can comfort themselves with the
| pleasing reflection that "virtue is it's own re-
ward" The claim of conversion put forth in
| behalf of the democratic party finds no war
| rant in its declaration of principles, and re-
ceives no support from the old champions of
| the party On the contrary that declaration
| boldly publishes their purpose to rob us of half
| the fruits of victory.
We fought, comrades, for the unity of the
States and the honor of the flag, and we re-
joice that both have been maintained. L ask
you if that honor will be inviolate, when the
flag which now is the symbol of protection to
the American citizen everywhere in the broad
earth, is made powerless to befriend him on
the soil of his own land? This is the degrade
ton which they propose by the smooth phrase
of their platform Local self-government
and impartial suffrage, will guard the rights
| of all citizens more securely than any central
| lied power"
| There are skirmishes on the right and left in
| this contest, but this is "the angle where the
real fight is raging. Now no citizen appeals in
| vain to his country for protection in the exer-
| else of his rights, when the local authorities,
| through fear of his oppressors, sympathy
| with them, are unable unwilling to afford
| it, Under the administration of focal self
governmental his cry for help would fall on
| closed ears. That party which thought it right
| to invoke the strong arm of the general govern
| ment to pluck a trembling slave from the soil
| of Massachusetts, sees nothing but wrong and
violation of the Constitution when that arm
reaches to North Carolina to shield defence
less citizens. The slave drivers are not willing
to say farewell forever to the peculiar insttu-
| ton" They do not despair of snatching some
relic of the ''lost cause" from the jaws of de-
| feat. Their property in men has indeed gone
beyond recall; but now, twin-hOpe with that of
| Greeey's election, is anticipation of regaining
| the privilege of their good old days-the pow
er to scourgs, torture and intimidate with inn
| punity, the men who were once their chattels,
| and thus reduce them to political subsection.
| Listen to the partisan cries that rise from the
| ranks confronting us, and then ask yourselves
| if this is an extravagant and unwarranted as
| sertion. What mean these dcnuncatiOns of
| ''carpet-bag" governments, this clamor against
| the employment of the national power to stay
the blood-reeking hands of assassins, and this
demand for local selfgovernment raised by I'M
reconced rebels and their allies?
| Is not the irrefutable logical deduction from
| these premises they so loudly proclaim, that if
left to themselves, and freed from the awe-in-
| spring presence of the paramount authority
of the land, the Southern Democrats would
| find means to reduce to minorities, the MAORI
| ties to which the present State governments
| owe their exstence?-and that, in some other
| way than through free discussion and appeals
| to reason; for this method is and has been
| open to them. How they would effect their
| purpose, the white UniOnist on his isolated
plantation and the black friend of the govern
| ment in his lonely cabin, have no need to con-
| lecture.
While Grant rules the nation the flag re-
| mains strong shield to every American citi-
| zen, rich poor, white or black, abroad or at
| home, and a terror to all who do him wrong
| Shame be upon if we suffer that glory to
pass from it. How base, unmanly, iguoble it
| were to deliver to the tender mercies OF their
| old masters the men, who in the hour of need
wore their country's uniform, and in fighting
| her battles, baptised their newborn freedom in
| their blood. The charge the opponents of the
Republican party bring against it, of cherish
| ing hate towards our late enemies finds no
parallel for impudence and hypocrisy, except
| in their own record! For instance, i'll their
convention in 1864, they attempted to excite
the Indignation of the soldiers by charging the
government with refusing to exchange prison
ers of war; when in fact, every man held by the
confederates should have been given up in re-
turn for their men paroled at Port Hudson and
Vicksburg. The "chivalrous' foe parleyed
about the exchange to gain time to starve and
torture our wretched comrades, who had the
pitiabe fate to be ia their hands, into condi
ton of unfitness for duty. With like perver-
sion of the TRUTH they ascribe to the North an
abiding resentment and refusal to entertain
the spirit of reconciliation with the South. The
imputation is a most undeserved and shame
fully ungrateful return for the clemency that
has been extended to the Southern people by
the Republican party, and for the good will
manifested towards them by Republicans per-
sonaly. They have been restored to all rights
of citizenship, are amenable to no laws but
those that apply to the whole country, and
their States have been admitted to full fellow
ship in the Union. What remains then to be
done in order to satisfy the demand for recon-
| citation? Nothing conceivable, unless it be to
wipe treason from the list of crimes, and make
it possible that justice and patriotism should
be outraged by the sight of Davis in the White
House surrounded by his fellows, to grant pen
sions to the soldiers whose bullets thinned our
ranks, and to surrender and disband the Re-
publican party. To this complexion it is that
and disbandment of the party that thwarted
the Rebels in their scheme of disunion, and
brought upon them the humiliation of defeat!
Immortal hate restraints them from uniting
with that party, hungrily as they long for the
sweets of power And until they can join q
successful party their great grievance remains
they will cry aloud for reconciliation and
will refuse to be comforted If such are the
requirements of "recon Citation" the reply W,
make is that we have not yet reached the
point of considering them.
You are to be addressed comrades, by distin
.uished statesmen and soldiers from variou
| f4I,o tba f,,IIa 1iph