The Portland daily press., 1872-07-10

ance the temporary chairman of the Couven-
ton permit me to detain you few moments
longer by few words of an entirely personal
character. With my present action terminates
my official functions as the Chairman of The
National Democratic Committeeman office
which by the confidence of my constituents and
courtesy of my colleagues, l have held for -
| consecutive years. During all that time have
striven with honest zeal and with all the ener-
gy and capacity which God has given me to be
render myself worthy of the great trust confid-
ed to me.
While was grieved and deeply mortified to
see at various times my motives and actions
misconstrued by several Democratic papers,
and some even descended to the fabrication of
the most absurd falsehoods concerning my So
clal and political conduct. l have had the
proud and consoling satisfaction that my col
leagues on the National Committee, and all
| those who know me, did justice to the integri-
ty and purity of my intentions in ali the trying
situations i'll which my official position has plac-
ed me. Let me tell you gents there is not one
among you who bears warmer and truer affec-
| ton for our party aad our country than have
done and ever shall do You love this great re-
| public, your native land as you do the mother
who gave you birth; but to me she is the cher
lshed bride and pride of my youth, the faithful
and living companion of my manhood, and now
| that enter upon the seer and yellow leaf of
| lie cling to her with all the manifold bless
lngs received at her hands. retire from the
| position which L have held to take my position
| IN the rank and file of the great party whose
| principles claimed my answering allegiance
1or the last thirty years, and as long as the AL
mighty will spare my life will never fater in
my love and devotion to our party and our
country.
temporary chairman distinguished and ven
cradle citizen of Virginia, a grandson of the
patriot and statesman, Thomas Jefferson. 1t
Is an suspicious omen that scion of the author
OF the Declaration of Independence is to inaug-
urate the struggle of the Democracy for free
oom and eqality for every American citizen and
against oppression and tyranny in our fair land.
MI Belmonts remarks were frequently in
corrupted by moderate applause. The mention
OF Greeley's name was received with loud de-
InonstrationS of applause. He said: have the
nonor to propose the name of Hon. Thomas
Jefferson Randolph of Virginia, as your tenn
porary chairman. (Music by the band.)
MIR. RANDoLPn's SPEECH
L am aware that the very great honor con-
ferred on me by this body is not due to any per-
sonal merit of my own, but a token of respect
TO the State from which l came and a recogn-
ton OF other circumstances possibly ADVENT
tous. l am. perhaps, the Oldest member of
this body and life of 80 years spent i'm the
Democratic and Republican party constitutes
me senior member. remember freshly every
Presidential contest from the first election of
Jefferson to the present time, and can saw
with truth that remember none which involv-
ed higher questions of personal liberty. local
self-government,a and honest administration and
constitutional freedom than the present one
which demand of our party and our people
calls for more earnest resource to prudential
principles.
1t strikes me as the duty of this hour and of
this body to wrest the good from the hands of
its present despotic and corrupt holders, and to
place it in honest hands, and to restore to the
citizens everywhere the proud consciousness of
personal right, and to all the States, perfect
integrity of local self governments. This with
the recognition of supremacy of the civil con-
stitution and the law will, in my Judgment,
discharged all our present duties.
Rev. Henry Slicer years ago chaplain of the
United States Senate offered formal prayer
A resolution of thanks to Mr.. Belmont was
ruled out by the chairman.
A call of States then followed for the COM
pletion of the temporary organization.
The convention reasSembled at few minutes
after O clock.
The committee on organization reported as
follows: For permanent President James r.
Doolittle of Wisconsin,
President Doolittle was conducted TO the
chair by Gov. Hoffman of New York and Sena-
tor Bayard of Delaware AS he reached the
platform he was greeted with cheers Presi-
dent Doolittle addressed the convention as fol-
lows: .s - -.-
Gentlemen ofthe Convention:
thank you for this great honor; words can
hardly tell how much; but you will allow me to
pass at once from what is personal to speak of
the great occasion, the duty and the purpose
which bring us here. Two years ago, nearly
five years after the bloody period of the civil
war had closed, the Liberal Republicans of
Missouri (applause) feeling keenly all the evil
of the test oaths the hate, the strifes and the
passions of the war; had left upon them long
after the war itself had ceased, and feeling
keenly the executive federal dictation in their
local elections, determined to organize move
ment to restore equal rights to all citizens,
white asiwell as black, to restore local self-gov
eminent and to arrest the further centraliza-
ton of federal power. They then said this
thing has gone far ENOUGH if not too far
The time has come when all honest Republi-
cans must say halt and reassert the vital doc
trine of Republican government. That under
the constitution the powers of the federal gov
ernment are defined and limited, and that the
people of the States have the right to govern
themselves in their own domestic affairs upon
the basis of the quality of all the States before
the higher law, before the constitution and the
equality of all men, before the law of universal
loyalty, amnesty, suffrage and peace taking no
steps backward, taking no right or no franchise
which had been secured to the blacks, pledging
themselves to support them all in their full
vigor, they at the same time demand in the
name of peace, in the name of liberty, in the
name of Republican government itself, that
freedom and equal rights should be restored to
the white people.
The organized nearly 10000 strong, called upon
B. Gratz Brown to lead the movement. They
placed in nomination for Governor, and then
what followed? Eighty thousand Democratic
Republicans looking upon the success of that
movement as above any party triumph resolved
to sustain it with their whole strength. Love
of country, love of republican liberty, love of
the equal rights of all men, inspired that union
and taught men to act together who had been
politically opposed to each other all their lives
upon other questions and in other times and
without violating either honor, logic, conscience
or constituency on either side. This patriotic
union was based upon higher grounds than or
dinarily control political action. Even those
who had fought against ca Oh other in battle
clasped hands over the bloody chasm, and side
by side, like brothers, with hearts beating in
unison, beating strong with the same high pur-
pose, they helped to bear its flag to glorious
victory. 3t
That gentlemen is liberal repubcanism and
that is democrat republcanism. The victory
which come from that union was the end of
proscriptive test and Oaths of pain and strife
and of all disloyalty lin work, the real end
of the civil war came with that victory and did
not come till then in Missouri. 1t redeemed
that state; it gave the right of freemen to TO-
600 men who had been bound and fettered
Missouri is now free state in this union, with
all her rights, dignity and equality under the
constitution, and not one murmer of disloyalty
is anywhere heard. a-'s ls 45Fo'a.ea
By that union federal dictation in Missouri
in their local elections was OverthrOwn, and by
! that union strife and hate given place to peace
and to good will; by that union liberty with
equal rights for all have given the state I'M
bounded prosperity and to her people joy al
most unspeakable. 4. ts -.-.l.....r 50 /
So great was their joy and so complete was
their success that the Liberal Republicans of
that State were not content without making an
attempt to extend the union of Liberal and
Democratic Republicans, and with it the same
blessings of liberty, peace and fraternity to all
the other States. Accordingly in the State
Convention on the Oath of March last, they re-
solved to invite the Liberal Republicans in all
the States to meet them in National Conven-
ton in Cincinnati on the LIST of May.
That invitation was accepted. There was in
deed great response. They came by thousands
in such vast numbers that a delegate convenon
of Republicans of all the State was formed,
both from principle and necessity to give form
to the proceedings. Many of the ablest men of
the country, lately leaders in the Republican
party were there and took part in its delibera-
lions.
Mr.. ,Doolittle continued at length, saying
that the issue wasbetween Grant and Greeley.
4hoh svfnr &c - ~.