The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-10-04
A RINGING SPEECH!
THE WAR GOVERNOR
FOR BUCKALEW!

FUK BUUkALEW! !
andre vi G. CURT In!
AT an immense meeting held in
Bcllefontc on Saturday night last, Gov
ernor Curtin spoke as follows:
You see, my friends and neighbors,
that ] am glad to meet you. A resi-.
dence in distant aud foreign country
Of different associations and political
organizations, SO far from weakening
my ailt ;tion5 for my native country
and my admiration Of its free aud gen.
erous Institutions, has strengthened and
confirmed them. l returned homo af-
ter an absence OF three years and half,
separated from all the political asperi-
ties which divide men and country
mon too often in this land, feeling none
of those violent opinions which excite
men in political. contest such as now
find engaging the vast people of my
country. Away from the newspapers
and the party drill, have not imbibed
that fierce political hatred-for ii is on.
ly political hatred-which seems TO
have inspired parties and men in the
United states. Why, it is strange to a
| man absent so long from his country to
| find "thief," "liar," "traitor" modest
words in the political literature of the
country. Traitor is common word,
YET man who Independently in this
country attempts what he believes is
| right, must be denounced. My fellow
citizens, [ have long acted with the
party called republican. l received its
honolS, / discharged its duties. tried
to discharge my duty. [Applause.l II
was the pleasure of the people of this
State TO lift me to the position of their
highest honor in years, long years of
great suffering when tho country was
torn and convulsed by civil war. /
witnessed that struggle with regret. /
did not measure its magnitude nor did
| 1 understand its full consequences. /
was for my government intackt and
did not believe that any state or COM
bination of states had right to secede
from the Union, certainly, that they
| had no right to plunge this country in.
to a civil war. When the war was
| over l belonged to that class of men in
the republican party who believed in
general amnesty and the ballot. What
could we do? Could we kill all the
mon in the rebellion, or could we tax G
them back? A "voice take them
bacl."1 The general sentiment of the
best statesmen in the land was that we
should take them back into the fellow
ship Of the Union, and if they REBEL.
ed again, teach them again that we
could compel them to obey the laws
| L believed at that time and believe
now that we could have had peace
| throughout the land ifa general amnesty
could have been proclaimed and
the ballot with it. Applause.
My fellow citizens the war came on
through the teaching of certain south
ern politicians who supported a doc
trine commonly called states rights
Now l fear, my fellow citizens, that
the pendulum has swung too far in the
other direction. Applause. And
while we had just reason to complain
of the insidiOus doctrine of state rights
we have also just right to complain
1 that there is too much Capitalization
of government now, overlooking the
just rights Of the states. come now
to speak of Pennsylvania. My friends
and neighbors, all your rights of prop
erty, all your rights of personal liberty
are found protected in the government
Of the state. You scarcely felt the i'm
press of the national government. Oul
courts are state courts, our laws arc
state laws. You find your rights, your
interests protected in the government
of the State. Now, am told, nay,
was told in England, that the state o.
Pennsylvania must elect ticket put
into the field because it effects the elec
ton Of President. 1 hold TO no such
doctrine. l would not humiliate my
state by such doctrine. l would pre-
serve TO the states all the rights guar
antCId to them by the constitution, and
would accord to the national govern
ment all the powers given it by thai
instrument. The protection of Tho
people CT Pennsylvania and the pres
ervatiOn of the purity Of their govern
mcnt is question for themselves, il
which other states have comparatively
little interest, and which has no con
noctiOu with the national politics.
Now, my fellow citiAons, | have de
clarcd in letter recently written, ant
which has given oilenso to some of III!
political friends, have declared tina
l would not support the ticket put il
nomination last spring and will sup
port for governor Charles II. BuckaleW
GApplausel. l know Mr.. Buckalew,
have known him for over twent,
: years. lie has made his mark upo
/. the legislation and the constitution c
: the state. have differed with him Il
! political opinions and have acted wit
the party in opposition to his views
have never received his support for Il
p office in my life, but know he is pur
and honest man, Lapplausel, Now m,
fellow citizens 1 have nothing to So
against General Hartranft, he was
gallant soldier and served his countr
P faithfully, but in an evil hour, in h
Il ambition he wanted to become govei
5 nor of Pennsylvania. If he had bee
: governor for six years he would not
;, quite 50 ambitious of the honor. Llaugl
e ter. lie connected himself with rim
/, surrounding the treasury of the sta
- not of recent date. 1t has been