The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-08-04
Meeting of Hayes and Wheeler Club.

thusiastic audience, numbering many ladies
who seemed as much interested with tn,
mysteries and miseries of politics as thei
sterner-sexed companions.
Gen. w. Y. w. Ripley, president of thu
Hayes and Wheeler club, presided, ant
upon the platform, supporting him, wer'
many distinguished gentlemen from abroad
and several of our best-known citizens
The Bristol band, stationed in the gallery
did the musical part of the programme in Q
manner which reflected credit upon them.
selves, and afforded the vast audience nc
little pleasure.
The chairman in calling the meeting to
order delivered a slngularly felicitous open
ing address of unpretentious proportions,
Substantially as follows
In behalf of the Hayes and Wheeler
club, bid you all q hearty welcome to our
meeting. Especially do l welcome the
members OF the convention which met here
to-day and whose work being done is adj
| journed. l congratulate that convention
ON the wise and deliberate thought which
| characterized its action, and / call upon
you to ratifyit by the customary majorites
at the polls. | also greet the members of
the young mems Hayes and Wheeler club.
1t is hopeful and suggestive sign of good
10 come to see young men earnest
| ard active in the interests of the men and
measures of their choice. The thought of
the American people is sure to be right
| finally, and the direction of the thought
and action of these young men will surely
bring them into advocacy Of the right men
and right measures. l extend welcome
here to another class, the LADIES' Though
| debarred from exercising their rights at the
polls, their influence for good upon politics
is potent. The influence of American
mothers and sweethearts in politics, we
| should all be willing to recognize. We can
never forget their heroic support of thefl4g
in its days of danger, their sef-sacrifcing
conduct in the camps and hospitals, nor
how they labored and prayed at home. Nor
can we forget, while the poetry of the war
lasts, that in the dark early days Of that
gigantic struggle it was woman who,
with prophetic vision, fiji st cav the "begin-
| ming of the end, and sang, "mine eyes
have seen the glory of the coming of the
Lord" and "as he died to make men holy,
let US die to make them free"
also welcome heartily those who differ
from US politically-and l see many ia
miliar faces of that class here. ! am glad
that you have come. | want you to listen
carefully and weigh candidly what will be
said here tonight, and perchance the seed
may fall upon good soil, take root and
eventually fructuate in good. l now in
troduce to you one whose name is and has
been for hundred years as household
word in Vermont affairs, the Hon. l.. Il.
Chi.tenden of New York. .
MIR. onITTENDEN's ADDRESS.
Mr.. President, ladies, and-I think ]
may we'll say-fellow citizens; for l
hope shall never lose my right to be
Vermonter, aud hope if ever come back
among you to be able TO regain my birth
right. | have come at considerable incon-
venience to address this meeting for the
first time that speak in this campaign. l
come because in my deliberate judgment
this campaign is just as important as either
that of 1860 or that of 1864. Those had
for their object the saving Of the country.
This is for the preservation of the fruits of
the war.
No doubt Vermont 10 going as she has
done since the organization of the republi-
can party in 184S; still, the election, COM
ing as it does so early in the campaign, 1t is
important that the republican vote should
be polled in its full strength, without any
diminution.
Now gentlemen and lades-1f you ex-
pect anything eloquent. or amusing, or en-
pertaining from me, you will be disappoint-
ed. This is a serious matter and propose
to discuss it in a serious vein, and as it
ought TO be discussed before this, as intel
ligent an audience as lives on the face of
the earth. l am not going to deal in abuse
or throw hard names at anybody. desire
to give every one all credit due and then
go to your judgment and ask you which of
the two candidates best deserves the
votes of the intelligent and patriotic voters
of the American people in this centennial
year of the republic,
The republican party was planted in Yer
mont. In June 1913, a number of gentlemen
from the three then existing parties, met in
state convention at Montpelier and organ
| ICED, and threw to the breeze flag bear
| ing the motto "Free soil-no more slave
territory" Some of the gentlemen who
comprised the Montpelier convention were
invited to and did attend, meeting of
democrats who were opposed to Gen. Cass
on the question of slavery. Jnly I'd, they
met, and on the eve of the Sd went to Kin
derhook, the residence of Van Buren,, and
organized the free soil party. Its organ
zer in New York, the chief man in getting
up the famous Buffalo convention, was
Samuel j. Tilden, the present democratic
candidate for president of the United
States.
You know how it turned out. Van Buren,
was defeated. We thought that the New
York democrats were honest in that move
ment, but really, while we fought for prin-
ciple, they strove only for the defeat of a
particularly Objectionable candidate. Til
den was an original free-soier and if he had
| followed his colors he would to-day stand
with you and l in support of Hayes and
Wheeler. But his wing of the frec-soil
ranks and eventually elected Buchanan.
| We opposed him.
Fifteen years ago the democrats surren-
dered the government for the first time
| into the hands of the republican party. How
has 1t been keptr How, and why shall
we hand it back? You know how af-
fairs stood in 186l-ten states in
open, declared rebellion and four
or five more in secre. sediton. The army
and navy were disorganized the southern
men had almost entirely deserted both
branches. They handed over an empty
treasury from which they had captured all
the loose money, and had pledged the
credit to its farthest limit. On the 4th of
March, 1861, there was not enough money
in the treasury to pay the stationery &C
count for a month, and not credit enough
to get it on trust. The first attempt TO sell
bonds, bearing semi-annual interest in gold,
in quantities, was failure, and seventy
five cents on the dollar was all that could
be obtained.
Such was the condition of the country
when the republican party came into
power War and all its consequences fol.
lowed. That party crushed the most gi.
gantic rebellion the world had ever known.
1t did more. Itrestored to unbroken union
the band of states and emancipated 3,000,-
900 of slaves. 1t made the constitution of
the land and that of every state free. II
asserted the dignity of the country and
made England both pay and apologize. 1t