New-York tribune., 1872-05-25
should be considered the strongest man for the race
hope you will attend the Convention. .y -
"Y0urs truly, bTAsLbf mArihh"o'

THE CANVASS IN ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY
GEN. +. A. MERRITT ADDRESSES HIS OLD FRIENDS.
On the evening of Monday, May 20, Gen. L. A.
Merritt at the written request Of many OF his former
neghbors in Perrepont addressed them the political
issues of the day. occupying hour and threequarters
He spoke substantially as follows to large audience or
the "stern yeomanry" and weto-do farmers OF this
section:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Fello,o- citizens, Friends:
Eighteen years ago you chose unanimously to the
highest Office in your gift That Office, you know,
entirely unsought by me- Since that day have had
other POSITIONS but may truly say that none of them
has been more gratifying to me than that first test
monia OF your confidence tried then TO discharge my
duties so as merit your approval And In my public
stations since have made the same endeavor believing
that conscientousy following what deem to be Just
and right for the maintenance OIL gOou "ouu
necessarily meet your approval.
Sixteen years ago meeting called In this place to
consider the situation The leading idea before us then
was mainly moral question, justified by previous com
promises the confinement OF Slavery 10 the original
Slave States We then as now In nebulous con-
ditiOn The result Of the movement theh before the
or, vas tbe successful organization OF the Repub-
ncan PARTY which finally abolished Slavery. Here fol.
lowed detailed statement OF the progress ol lueas ana
parties TO the close OF the war IN isoo 1 Trant
three years under his we are now 10 con-
slider what best to be done for the good O our
and lust. A republican government must uePenu Ior
its stability and on the loyalty OF ,ne people
This Is its Fundamental idea free country cannot
like the autocraccs OF the Old World be py
the pressure Of thrones and the comp1lsoI% % Oi ]
BEFORE the war free speech denied 10 tne hlcdn
citizen south Of Mason aud Dixons line and 10 TINS e1
tb s changed The slaves are free. and local issue
divides the people into sectional parties. ,. -
G SS SnSIu nTST SiTS NJ We should seek hghoned and
able men as representatives OF those pincpes. fOlegn
nations ndge of the American people by the men they
public stations. Hence We Sloulu ldhe
into the account all the elements when shoa DC iound
~ @ oo 40 of few millions in the expenditures Of
the Government would lead 10 the oNeLtaom ,, vi @ te
party par b ln TmlSrzed the people with the outlay of
millions in the place Of thousands ana we nave ost our
caTefuiness More red economy IN national affairs is
nreenty demanded. We should hold every officer OF
Government to strict account ior eyGTy cent OF tie
peoples money which passes into ms hahus helotn Is
needed in many things and must come ,,...-.-,
Parties are nothing except 50 lai as lney represent
nrtpcnIes No free feels bound by party action, or
bnud he inclined TO submit his shoulders To e aslngs
OF the party whip when the party as Represented ny s
regular organization longer represents Tue prncples
which led TO ITS formation which have continued ~ IN
mower and which by means OF the party ORGANIZATION
tbc neo,rle have labored to establish
'T T Vncpnati platform Insisting 1t does the
rat prncpes of liberty and equality before the law,
and ne ureseryaon Of nyioate national Iaith and the
accord with the fundamental principles which have
hithcrio hecn the life Of the Repubhcan party Cen
% os InctcG to the Presidential Office for his able
and patrioc services curing the war; For this result,
anu anu tiiTcifi1rns | anored with yOu and should,
Ti,e in the field had greatly favored him, and he
was elected soldier ~ Is tlue uIat ~ Tts i iOr
time doubtful which party woud nominate MN,
which nomination lie would prefer ~ ID true tIitt
he favored Andrew johnson lor 9 Te, td e1 ,bao aa
i'm Johnson's interest Such was the dlstuiDed conuon
Of the South, however, that 1t was thougnt heedu 10
elect tary man to control the dangerous clements
of the upreconstructed states. Grant was chosen Ills
education. training, and experience were an oi taIy
character and consequently narrow NO one ever ven
tured TO claim that Grant was elected as statesnan'
In that capacity he has been tIieu a. anu & o hncn ts
1 lind "
the second time the strength OF one maiy record
60 Taclson was not thus reflected and il Is safe 10 af
firm fat on such grounds alone no man can be reelected
In Grants case, Lincoln said, Iha po"uor mas Oeeh
In 1858 IL is stated upon good authority that Gen.
Grant was in favor OF the onetern principle because OF
the temptations to corrupt IaN9ll,lSH ana ualgeIoS
use of Presidential patronage. NOW Gen. Grant mas re-
yersed his position and made most remaFkaDie ana
i g. n Grants lack of knowledge Of civil affairs
shown when he attempted toput into the chief odce in
his Cabinet a man forbidden by law 10 mold the place
His military spirit shown when he asked Congress
hooT his personal friend His Cabinet mad
strucfcd His first appOintees, with two excep
tions were unknown 10 the country IN any
capacity. He made Secretary Of the Navy an
Old but respectable retired merchant who
trs Inf who had been Of some special personal ser
vice TO him When he failed to meet the requirements
OF his Office Grant asked him to name ms successor lie
Grant; :" never heard Of him" - lawyer over the
river friend Of mine," was the reply. And Roeeson
tary boutwell,. GEN PeasODtOn selected TO execute
IT. and would have succeeded had not Mr. Boutwell, made
n f@bt in Congress in his own defense have it
good authority that in this matter Gen. PcasOntOn took
no step without the previous advice and direction O inc
i5reeideut Gems Bahcock and Porter military adyen
turers without constituency at home or recognized
standing in politics. originated or got mixed up h tne
S"nto Dominro scheme which the President pushed
with all his power, but which the opposition OF one OF
our greatest Senators and the opinion O the people com
PEELED him TO abandon. He wisely dropped IL When IL
became too hot for him TO hold.
Grant has used his patronage more unscrupulousy
ha liEttla
for no other cause than not voting as some particular
fpiend might desire in INSTRUMENTATION of party
mittees. Capt. Atkinson removed from position
Once by direction of the President himself because he
did not vote in a certain committee meeting as Mr. Muir
phy dictated Mr.. De Camp was removed from the
Naval Office for like reason. Three men were turned
out under Gen. Palmer These, only few OF the many
which could name were removed by the President at
Murhys desire US Murphy admitted before the lnyes-
tigating Committee Of Congress In this INSCRIPTIONS
fV3ccEHe was smart to do that Il This Murphy was
regarded as O representative Republican, nor repre-
sentative merchant, yet ne, beng In faVor Win h
merchants Of New-York, and It is understood against
the advice Of every member OF Grants Cabinet except
one When he testified before the Committee OF Con-
gress after he resigned he showed utter Ignorance OF
the duties of his Office. He would "send Tor Clhcn
lifelong Democrat for instruction as to how he should
proceed in the simplest Casey, brothern-law OF
the President contrary TO law, kept the state Govern
ment of Louisiana in chaos for three weeks by keeping
members of the Legislature board U. 5. Revenue
cutter. Mr.. Akerman, former Rebel was, 10 the sur
prise OF the Cabinet and country, made AttcrneyGeh
eral. Gen. LOngstTee one OF the prominent Rebel
Generals, appointed TO high Official station lind
with this but claim that the principle OF honor
ing exRebels being established by Grant, his friends can
consistently anything on that against the
candidate OF the Cincinnati Convention.
opposition 10 investigation has characterized this
Administration; aud Grant has brought the Civil Service
OF the country into disgrace by appointing many OF
his relatives TO Office.
The Cincinnati Convention fairly represented the Re
publican opposition to the practices the present Adj
mnisratOn. That Convention, on a platform accepted
in all its main features by all of all parties, have
nominated Horace Greeley for President OF these United
American
day for forty years and no man is well known as me-
Voice" He Daied JEFF. Davis"l That, Sir was per
haps impOtc, but am bold TO assert that II was no
be generous act full OF magnanmity and goodness and
the result Of deep desire to make peace at the END OF