American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-07-27

union, therefore, means no step backward
| [Cheers. Forward" is the word loud
cheersl; and first of all it means to-day, for
| all other States of the South, what is already
done in Missouri. [Cheers.l Instead of
proscriptive test oaths, suspensions of ma
beas corpus, and military despotism, it means
personal freedom for the individual, and re,
publican form of government for all loud
applause1, instead of negro supremacy up
held by prescription and the bayonet. 1t
means equalright to all men, white as well
as black. Loud applause. Instead oil
thieving governments organized to plunder
subjugated States, it means elective domina-
ton, more intelligence and integrity. Instead
of strife, hate and robbery, it means Justice,
liberty, peace, loyalty, good will; and, gen
tlemen, for our whole country, East, West,
North and South, it means, instead of War
President, trained only in the military
school, and whose whole character has
been formed on the ideas, arts,
habits and despotism of military life, Peace
President [cheers], trained in the ideas, arts,
blessings and republican simplicity of peace
and universal freedom loud cheersl; of
peace not enchanted, of liberty not under ar
rest, waiting trial, sentence and execution
by drum-he court martial, but that liberty
and that peace which the Constitution Sc
cures by placing civil law above the sword
loud applausel, by preserving in full vigor
trial by jury. [Applause.l 1t means an
other thing, and, perhaps, the most impor-
tant of them all; it means to arrest the cen
traliZation of power in the Federal Govern
ment loud cheersl; it means to assert the
vital principles of our republican system, in
which it lives and moves and has its very be-
ing, that Constitutions are made by people
in their sovereign capacity, for the express
purpose of defining and limiting the powers
of the Government-[applaus 1.-The powers
of all governments, State and Nation
al. 1t means that we deter
mined that Presidents and Governors, Con
gress and State Legislatures, and every de-
RI ,aptn r ha al nj he
Constitution Prolonged applause.l 1t
means, also, genuine Civil Service Reform,
beginning with the Presidential office. APP
plausel 1t means to put an end forever to
this Administration, which have driven so
many of the ablest Republicans to join this
Liberal movement, and which have deeply
wounded the hearts of all the Republicans
well Democrats in this country-[ap
plause practices which never existed under
any other Administration, which are but too
we'll known to all the world, and which our
nations good reputation will be consulted
also to give strength and stability to our
financial affairs and our national credit, by
bringing honesty, and economy, and
fidelity to every position, Federal, State
are collected and disbursed. [Cheers.]
1t means also the honest payment of all
our obligations [Renewed applausel. 1t
means to give higher tone and greater Wig
or to the administration OF our foreign and
domestic affairs, SO as to command the re-
spect and confidence of our own people, and
of all the civilized world. 1t means to place
in the highest offices of our Government,
men of whom all the world will say: "They
are honest and they are capable" [Ap-
plause.
Gentlemen, 1 have thus briefly stated the
situation, duties, and purposes which bring
us here. A great responsibility rests upon
this Convention. If its action shall be such,
and doubt not it will be, as to put an end
to the misrule which, for the last few years,
has afflicted our beloved country, this gen
Grafton and generations to come after us
will remember with pride and gratitude the
Convention at Baltimore of the 9th of July,
1872.
Amid loud and long continued applause,
Mr. DOOlittle took his seat