The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1872-10-15

iut pdTG IOWaTu Tue IeCOnclilaIlOu u tHt
whole American people to their Govern.
ment, and toward the up buildings to-
ward the perfection, the rounding out Of
the American Republican Nationality
Prolonged cheers. ar.. @ -1'
...s4a Speech at Day ton. ,e.7ay
Fellow CITIZENS OF DAYToN-1 have
but few moments which can be spared
me, to address you, and / entreat you
to maintain perfect silence in order that
at least a few of. you can hear me-. Thus
far since left home have spoken for
my country, her unity and her peace. /
have said very few words for myself
On this occasion L propose to notice
one or two of the million calumnies
which have been aimed at me. !. / take
up the Day ton Journal Of this forenoon
1 find myself there credited with saying
at Vicksburg last yenrthat 1 hope the
time will come when the soldiers that
fought with Lee and johnson will oc-
cupy as proud a. position in the hearts
of the American people as the soldiers
who fought with Grant and Sherman
No such words as these ever escaped
my lips No such thought as that ever
entered my heart Cheers. 25. tars
What did cay, speaking of that,war-
wasted, heart broken people, is this
That / trusted the day would come
when the soldierly qualities and military
genius of Lee and Stonewall jackson
would be regarded as part of the herit-
age of the American people / cheersI |;
that they would be spoken of as Amer
icaD soldiers who, Though in a cause
which think a bad cause, illustrated
the military capacity, the genids and
energyfof the American people, for, af-
ter all, fellow-citizens, they were our
counlrymen, our mistaken countrymeih,
our misguided cotintrymen, ferries OF
''That SOL, our brave, but fatally er
ring countrymen They are dead. and
are now our dead countrymen / did
tsay that snd iftany man sgrudges that
little word of consolation to that heart
broken people, let him vote against me.
4 A voice-''We don't grudge it'll 1ttu
, Onelword mere, fellow citizens At
Pittsburg, last Thursday evening, / saw
At to explain the condition and circum-
stances hhder which i was induced. in
the winter of 1901, to propose that in
preference to giving up the Territories
to slavery On the, one hand, and the
country to waf and devastation on the
other, ], for one, would submit, / said
to the Bisunionists you claim to be the
South. i dehS that the great mass OF
people living in the Southern States de.
sire to break up this great and glorious
Union. Now, l asked you to let us
come before the people, discuss The
question, tell them that the Union is as
it is, and what it does for them. as well
as for US, and let them decide by their
votes when there has been no blood
shed, whether they would stay with lis
Tor 60 away, and l will respect their de.
cision. / said then what ! believed to
be true and l say it now after looking il
all over, that between the peril of losing
the Union in bloody civil war and lo.
sing the Union by the vote of the South
ern people, the former peril was very
much the greater, that do believe; but
never proposed, never Imagined thai
now, after the question was settled. the
fight was over, we would Cd back an6
submit the question, whether there was
to, be a Southern Confederacy OF not. Q
That has all passed away There il
no more disunion party. A few indi
viduals are stolid and obstinate anG
perverse L would desire in no wise tc
aggravate their bitter feeling / vii
trust to time to soothe them. But I dc
mot believe, do not imagine, that ont
State or twenty States, have any mori
legal, moral or constitutional right t.
| dissolve this Union. Great applause.
Men whom We are now fighting did say
they had such right; they said Sc
then, and on the side of slavery the,
made greater advances toward the Soutl
than ! ever made on the side of liberty
Bit I do insist that all questions abou
disunion are now as dead as the ques
ftion of American dependence on tn,
British crown. [Cheers. They hav'
all gone away, ahd he who now under
takes to tell you that the people ar
trying TO dissolve the Union, or that
want to let them 60, simply dares no
meet the issues before the Eohntry-
! Cries of .that's So and cheers. HI
lis trying, by falsehood and misrepre
sentation, to prejudice and mislead yol
with regard to the great questions of th'
Iday-those questions concerning recon
cilation #f '4a.- e5'-1
| We are one people, and shall eve
more remain one people Shall we b,
a harmonious people; shall ours be (:
{union cemented only by bayonets, O
lshail it be union of hearts and hopes
) and hands? am for the latter union
tTApplausc. | l am here. not to exul
lover victories won in the late war .
lam here not to meet one particle o
lprejudice or triumph. / do not rropos
to do anything that shall make tn
ISouthern people feel bitterly, that tn
| Union between us is one of exultatiol
on our part ane humiliation on theirs
think he is not patriot who woul
try to intensity the bitterness and sore
ness that those who fought against u
must feel in view Of their great defeat
Theirs is lost cause, but they are no
: a lost people, for they belong TO us
they are our brethren, they have com
2 hack to us under ,compnlsion, if 70
t say so; but. wish to change that CON
gpulsion into affection, for that is state:
|manship, [Great applause. That wor
| am seeking, as far as ! can, to do.
.lsa Fellow citizens Of Ohio, since the da
: left home !. have made a great man
little speeches like this, but no man ha
7 heard floh me one word implying dii
respect or disparagemett for that EN-
8 nent citizen and public servant,t the Pres
Q ident Of the United States. No ,wor
8 from rhe has thrown disparagement o
t his public services or dishonor on hi
: high Office. IA, >..-s, s~,a.
l am among you citizen, speakin