Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-03-28
WTL,SONSSPEECH, CONCL UDEDI
FROM FLRSzfzsAHEs I

'hO11 f119sS, s.
Polk. Pierce. and BfsIitnah. Who is
General Grant-thisI man 80 denounced?
When the war opened he was earning a
few hundred dollars a year tanning
Heather in Galena. He offered his serv-
ices to the nation ard they were moi E
ACCEPTED. He went down to Spnng- L
field and served there for some weeks,
helping to enroll and organize the reg
iments they were raising in lliinioS.
Finally, they gave him a regiment.
lie had not money enough to buy a
sword with which to fight the battles
of his country, nor horse to ride. You
did not know anything about him; the
nation knew nothing about him; few
had heard CT him. He had SerVediAi
the Mexican war when n young man,
fresh from West Point, and won two
breyets for gallant conduct, but nobody
knew anything of this humble man.
He took his regiment and marched
away. He never asked anything Ofthe
Government; he never disobeyed an
order; he never made any complaint.
He went straight forward and did his
duty, a quiet silent, modest man.
About the first thing we heard OF him
was that he took about twenty-five
thousand men up the Tennessee river,
moved on the enemy's works, attacked
an army of twenty thousand rebels, ana
captured fifteen thousand OF them.-l
You next heard of him coming on the
field of shiloh when it was nearly lost,
and when asked if he had prepared l0r
n retreat he said that one boat would
take all that would retreat. He defeat
ed the rebel army that had been near
Iy victorious. Then he went down the
Mississippi river, passed Vicksburg,
lnade,a mGyement into the country,
attacked the rebel armies, captured
Vicksburg; and then you find him at
Chattanooga to restore a lost battle.
You have heard of the magnificent vic
tory he won on Mission Ridge and
Lookout Mountain.
He was then hrSught to Washington,
and took command of the armies OF the
country, led the army of the Potomac
through the Wilderness, fighting every
day in the month of May, 1864. He
placed his army before Richmond, and
when the hour came, moved upon the
doomed city, and received the surren-
der of the rebel army at AppomattoX.
Nineteen battles behind him, ana all
victories He did not march his army
to make a parade through the rebel
capital, but started off alone, with his
carpet-bag in his hand, for Washington,
to stop the raising of troops and the
manufacture Of munitions, to make
preparation5 to disband the army and
save expense, and to save what he re-
garded, and what we all regarded as 8
very important thing, a general bank
rupty in the country.
We Republicans turned to this man
when Andrew johnson failed US, and
asked him to be President. He die
not seek the Presidency; he felt ano
said that his place at the head Of thC
Army was the post for him. We made
him President, and it was his strength
and commanding influence that carried
the fourteenth amendment. ThatSamt
potent influence carried the fifteenth
amendment, and gave the black men
the right to vote liz ali the States
When wall of distress came up from
the South, when poor black men pray
ed for protection from the murderOu
blows of the midnight assassins of tn.
Ku-Klux dens, Congress hesitated
falted, divided. Then il, was that h
came forth with tue brief message tha
rallied our scattered ranks like battl
ordsr. Clothed with authority he ha
cruelties of the strong. Many hundre,
members of the Ku-klux KIan have
been arrested. several have been con
victed, or have confessed their guilt
and thirty Of those chivalric assassin
are Ia the pehitentiafie4 The me
who stood by the CAUSE OF iahti SLAYER.
and the protection of the black, ma
have found in General Grant a ma
who has stood bravely,a steadily, an
consistently on the side OF freedom an
the equal rights ofalt men. iosEsas.s
General Grant has now been Pres
dent three years. He has eemn1itte
some errors, made some mistakes i
= his appointments. Bat his foreign an
domestic policy, the leading measure
OF his administration, have been an
are in the interests of the country. Th
masses of the people, who have no pei
s0nal grievances, who Onty want goo
government. see it, feel It, realize. i
With all its faults, they believe W
have the most refornatory, progressive
and best Administration the countI
has seen for forty years; and they al
right in their convictions. But he
followed by obloquy and repr0act
Again ne is passing through, the '"wil
derness;u it is darkened, not with th
smoke of battle, but the Storms of insiI
uation and accusation, detraction an
denunciation. But he will not scaH II
treat. The spirit that uttered, whe
the fame of battle opposed his marc
to the rebel capital, the Inspiring word
81 will fight it out in this line if it take
all SUMNER" is yet+sHbroken, and el
ultant foes may yet find that anothe
Appomattox lies before him. Al
plause. ~ HE
Listen not to the seductive voics
which proclaim that the work of I'll
Republican party of the United Stat.
has been achieved. The reforms of Il
past are not only to be assured, ,bt
other reforms of magnitude are pressir
for accomplishment. AT any rate,
has a great, if not its greatest, work y
; TO do. That work is TO humanize. col
yict, and convert the Democratic part
of the United States, dr-Appiause.l ,BI,e
cannot be wrong alpthe time for fort
years and be convicted offtheir folly
an hour. Until that political organic
tion has been convietsdI Of its Wieke,
ness, repents of its sins, and brings fort
the fruits of repentance the Cover
nent Of the United States cannot
safe IN IFS control. It's history and Il
elements of which it s composed alii
forbid that it should be again intruste
with power. The Democratic part
has at least one million voters. in j
ranks; men who fought against the
country with ballot and bullet; me
who are only sorry that they fougl
against their native land because the
faiied. You must tSreatirg Snto the
souls the spirit OF libertY, Justice, b
Jnanitv and Christ tisfllci ii iizHtios1t