Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-02

Acient IN 81 the qualifications iucludln
great physical Sigor, sDd thorough familiar
) kity with parliamentary usages and rule:
without which It IS impossible, satisfactori
ly, to preside over your deliberations eyel
for brief hour. But bow to your decis
sion trusting that there is some promise o
success in the honesty Of my endeayors
With. the purposes OF which this Con
ventiOn has been called and the
circumstances under which We have me
you are all familiar. We are here as inde
pendent citizens Of the American Republic
We have emerged from conflict which In.
yolved the very lifs Of the nation. Tha.
conflict Is now ended. The nation lives
The old home Of our fathers Is still the home
Of the whole American family, Of all It's
/ children, native and adopted. That home
has been beautified and enlarged, but It he's
not been divided. The Union is unbroken.
Wherever In all the land an American free
| man turns his eye heavenward. he beholds
It's sacred emblem, the old flag, and there are
none but fFeemen now to behold it. The
old aspiration which always rises from the
heart 10 the lips whenever the Union Is
thought Of, HEsto perpetud" Is no longer a
trembling prayer, but ths spirited utteranee
Of an imperishable faith. And now yeu
who have come here from all parts, no
! longer sections, Of orIr common country,
and stand here side By side united u
spirit as you are In interest, there
| Is but one throb ROW TO al your
hearts, and but one purpose to al
| your endeavors. That purpose is TO
make our country prosperous and great, to
secure the freedom, happiness and equal
! rights Of all its citizens, 20 reform the abu-
ses which have sprung from the long preva-
lence Of mere party sway, aud from the
| lawlesslessness and turbulence involved In
| the recent semi-re7olutionary condition Of
our civil affairs, and to restore the fOunda-
! tons of constitutional liberty where
ever they have been impaired or de-
stroyel. You meet here with the firm
resolve TO preserve a recollection Of
so much only of the past as is necessary In
order wisely to profit By It's lessons and 10
consign 10 oblivion whatever, though It
| originated in honest impulse, ended In Bit
terness and anger. You have been arraved
against each other upon questions which
the voice Of history has answered. You
have been divided as by cloud which has
not only ceased to be fiery, but which has
been wholly dispelled. You have been en-
gagged in the trial of issues which have been
settled irreyocably and forever. In the
/ clear light Of dispassisnate reflection you
see that the issues left TO be decided are the
issues of to-day and not of yesterday, that
| sll the problems which present themselves
to the American people for solution are
problems Of pescs and that the questions Of
the future find expression not In the watch
words Of camps that have long since been
abandoned, or In tho slogans Of parties that
have degenerated into clans, but in the ac-
tual demands resulting from the practical
necessities of tho hour. Hav-
ing met here In the spirit and
with these convictions you would not per-
NIT me to address yOu by any old party
name. You are no longer Republicans or
Democrats. [Great cheering.l You are
no longer divided by diversity Of Interest
| or Of feeling, and you are no longer sepa-
rated by mutual distrust. The Yisors are
up, the old party masks are off, and you
stand face to face, and your faces exhibit
! the common llneaments OF patriotism. The
| old Democrat as he looks into the eye Of
his Republican brother finds thers
an lnextinguishable love OF lib
erty apd an unperishabls affection
! for the Union, and these he recognises as
! good old Democratic virtues, thought things
may have been done and may Re dons now
| which the true lorer Of liberty and Union
reprObates. The Republican. % be meets
the glance Of the Democrat, fiads there q
stern resistance to all arbitrary rule, the
| inhexible purpose stOutly TO uphold not
| only the Constitution, but also It's proper
limits, and these arc good Republican viz
tues as well, thou IA ike all virtues they
| may degenerate lntJ vices by
excess. But We mem now TO
| guard against all excess by tempering
| the steTner Tirtues Of the old Democracy
with the milder irtues of the old Repub-
licans. There may be much to regret and
something to atone for, but there Is moth
ing now In the soul Of any man who has
come to Cincinnati 70 attend this conVen-
ton TO be distrusted. [Cheers.l You are
all aware that In another and larger
hall in this city there IS now, or soon
will be, a gathering Of other men
who have come here substantially for
the same purpose which has brought
you to this room. Like Us they are intent
upon restoring the government to its con-
stitutiOnal foundations. Like us they pro-
pose not only to reform abuses, but to rs-
move the conditions from which these
| abuses have sprung. Like Us they ara
! about to protest against the perVersion Of
public instrumentalitieS to private ends.
lCheers.l Like US they propose TO search
for the natural, imnutable laws which gov
ern the growth of industry and the produc-
tion Of Wja! =, and, Is far as may be, TO
see 70 IL That our statutes shall be
simple expression Of these laws. Like Us,
they love the Union and insist upon the
preservation Of the equal rights of all the
citizens Of the republic but unlike us,
while they concede that there Is both COM
munity Of interest and identity of purpose
between Liberal Democrats and Liberal
Republicans, and while they themselves
harbor no distrust against any one because
he chooses 70 call himself by another name,
they fear lest there might still be a lurking
disQuietude among those whose sons and
brothers lately bore arms in defense of
the Union, because Of the proposed open
fraternity of Republicans with those who
do not choose to assume the Republican
name. l believe that In this they are mis-
taken, CCheersl and that the generous trust
Of the people is even larger, if possible,
than ever. We hRd hoped TO stand by their
side on the platform OF Industrial Hall, as
we already stand on the same platform Of
principles, bit they deem 1t wiser for the
moment not TO admit US. While we TO
gret to differ from their Judgment In this
one matter, We acquiesce In their determin-
alton; but we know that as We
travel towards the same goal, We will
very soon find ourselves on the same broad
road, (eheers,) and hope that before this
convention adjourns you viii send them
your greeting, and inform them that your
arms are opsn and that we ara ready at al
times to receive them, whether it be in the
inclosure selected by us, (prolonge1 cheer
ing,) or by them The Liberal Republican
and the Liberal Democrat look up TO the
same stars In the same sky above them, and
In these stars It is written, that as there Is
now truth, there must also be open union
between them. (Cheers.) And now thank
ing you sincerely for the patience with
which you have listened to me, await the
fuaLher pleasure Of this convention" pro
longed cheering.)
On motion OF E. W. Klttddge, Of Ohio,
there vas authorized the appointment Of 3
committee on permanent organization to
consist of o1e from each State, the TepreSel-
tatiYes from each State % recommend some
member to represent them on this commit
tee. The committee was subsequently, d.
rected TO provide for order Of business.
Capt. J. P. Santnyer Of Ohio, Joshua
Skeu Of Wisconsin, and /. A. Buckingham
OF TOfpofu xuovsa opyo4-fad