Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-07-19

| Tue issue IS clearly made up. 1t Il
Grant or Greeley immense enthusi
asm and cries of Greeley, Greeley.
while these events were passing, The
Democratic Republicans, whom We
represent, held their Convention il
all the States. The Liberal Repub.
lican movement, the example of Mis-
souri,, the Cincinnati Convention, its
platform and its candidates, with theil
letters of acceptance, were all before
these Conventions, which were very
largely attended by their ablest men
and the paramount questions before
these Conventions were, shall we ac,
cept this invitation to cooperate with
the Liberal Republicans TGreat an.
plause. Shall we adopt their plat
form? loud cries of yes, yes, and
some cries of never Shall we nomi-
nate the same candidates Gyes, YES,
and shall we elect them, Ives. YES
yes, and loud cheering, or shall we re-
J fuse to cooperate [no, no. and nomi-
nate other candidates Tno, no, Gree
ley, Greeley, and strive to elect them
over both tickets already in the field ?
Gentlemen, these are the questions
which you are to decide now and here.
That you viii decide now and here
That you VIII decide them wisely I
cannot doubt, nor can any one doubt
who looks over this body of men, rep
resenting as they do, three millions of
citizens and who feels as every one
here must feel, the high and patriotic
purpose which inspires you. Gentle
men, what means this great and ris-
| ing movement which we every where
see? what means this proposed union up
| on three millions of Democratic ReDub-
| licans with million it may be, of
Liberal Republicans? What means
this union upon the same conditions,
a union so sudden, so compact, so ear
| nest, as to surprise its friends and to
cOnlound its enemies? Applause. !
| Which comes as the winds come !;
| which, to borrow figure, overWhclms
| the ordinary currents of public opin-
| ion as the great storms always run
| counter to the surface currents. What
| means all this? There are some
| things, gentlemen it does not mean
Il means no abatement of what is
| true, of what is just, of what is good in
human government. [Applausc. It
| means no union of the dead upon
dead issues, but 4 union of the living
upon the living issues of the present.
| Applause 1t means, no union for
the spoiis of office, [applausel but it
| means union of men with the same
faith, upon the great and paramount
issues of the present hour. A frank,
manly, honorable and equal union of
men who have the sagacity to see, and
the moral courage to accept the situa-
ton (goOd, good, and loud cheering.
with means union of men who have
the sagacity to see what is past, and to
deal with the issue Of the present, and
for the future to do their duty to their
country, their God and their fellow
men, (applaGse.) The issue Of to-day
is not the repeal Of the Missouri COM
promise, nor the question OfslavcTy in
the Territories, upon which alone the
Republican party was organized 1856.
It is not upon that which followed
when the Lecompton Constitution for
Kansas divided the Democratic party
in twain, and elected Abraham Lin
coin to the Prcidency, in 1860. 1t is
not the question of secession nor of
war to put down the rebellion, nor
the abolition of slavery in TIE States
by military order, or by Constitution
al amendments, upon which Mr.. Lin
coin was reelected in 1861. Nor yet
is it the question Of reconstruction, or
Va b2AO l. Jul SNOiibAf VI Va bAlS lAINI1lNI
amendment, nor the question of nc
gro suffrage, nor of its establishment
by Federal power, of universal negro
suffrage rs a condition precedent to
the States of the South having any
rights or any existence even as States
in the Union. 1t is none of these
questions that is now in the issue. All
these have been issued in the past
great issues sufficient in themselves TO
create and to dissolve political parties,
because ideas are stronger than men
or parties. But they are all past is
sues. They have been fought cut and
fought to the end in the forum or in
the field, and they are no more in is
sue to-day, than the Mexican war or
the war of the rebellion. Applause.
We could not reopen them five would
and they falsely misrepresent our
purpose who say that we would re-
open them if we could. Loud cheer
ing. This great union, therefore,
means-no step backward. Cheers.
Forward is the word Loud cheering]
and first of all 1T means, to day, for
all the other States of the South what
it has already done in Missouri
[Cheers.l Instead Of prescription,
test-oaths, suspension of habeaS corpus
and military despotism, it means per-
sonal freedom for the individual and
republican government for all. Loud
aDplause) Instead of negro suprem-
acy upheld by prescription and the
bayonet, it means equal rights to all
men, white as well rs black. loud
applause.) Instead Of showing a
Government organized to plumber
subugated States, it means the do
minion once more of intelligence and
integrity instead of strife, hate and
robbery. 1t means justice, liberty,
peace, loyalty and good will, and,
gentlemen, far over a country, East,
West, North and South, it means,
Instead of war-President trained only
in military school and whose whole
character has been formed in the ideas,
arts, habits and despotism of military
Iife-instead of this, it means the
election of a peace President cheers
trained in the ideas, arts, blessings
and republican simplicity of peace and
universal freedom-[loud cheers, of
peace, not enchaincd, of liberty, not
under arrest, awaiting trial, sentence
and execution by drumhead court
martial but that liberty and peace
which the Constitution secures by pla-
cling the civil law above the sword
loud applausel; by preserving in fuu
Vigol shP sacred writ of b06cds corpus
and by the right of trial by jury
TApplaUse.1 1t means another thing
and perhaps the most important OF
them all-it means no arrest the CEN
tralization of power in the federal
government. Loud cheers. 1t
means to assert the vital principle of
our republican system, in which it
moves and has its very being; that |
that constitutions are made by the |
people in their sovereign capacity, for
the express purpose of defining and
limiting the powers of government, |
Iapplausel the powers of all govern
ments, State or national; it means
that we are determined that Presi-
dents, and Governors, Congresses, and
State Legislatures, and every depart
ment of the government, shall obey
the Constitution prolonged applause),
Mr.. Doolittle concluded: Gentlemen,
/ have thus briefly stated the situation,
the duties and the purpose which