The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-10-21
SPEECH OF GEN. MCCLELLAN.

u SfEECd VI GEN McCLELLhN'
r Gen. Geo. B. Mcclellan, who with his splen
= did army was defeated before Richmond anc
prevented from ending the war of the rebe!
lion in blaze OF glory in 1862 by the tactic
of Z. NJ. Stanton and the republican mana
gers at Washington, made speech at Day
ton, OHIO on the eve of the recent election il
, that state, from which we make a few ex
tracts. . .. ....
Having briefly reviewed the currup!ions o
: the present administration, and demonstrated
the necessity for change, he proceeded
| lay before you question which you car
answer for yourselves. How is the needed
change most likely to he accomplished! By
the party under whose unchecked cOntrOi
these abuses have grown up, and VINO never
breathed the word reform until alarmed ny
Democratic successes, or by that party whose
leader has not hesitated to combat abuses and
achieve reform within the ranks OF his own
party?
Why was 1t that nothing was seriously done
TO discover abuses, prevent their recurrence
and promote economy, until Democratic
House of Representatives came into power
| By whom were the efforts of the Democratic
House checked? We do not claim that every
! Democrat is honest; but we do claim that we
have punished dishonesty in our own party,
\ and, therefore, the country can rest assured
that when the power passes into our hands,
we may be trusted to reform the administra-
ton of the General Government We do not
for one moment suppose that the republican
party is composed mainly OF bad men. l, Tor
myself can say that some OF the friends whom
| most respect and admire belong to that par.
De-, do laf n gsl on
OF unchecked power has led to the inevitable
results of Decentralization and corruption; that
bad and selfish men have too often come 10
the front and that they have obtained so strong
a1hold upon the organization OF the party,
that the country can hope tor no radical and
satisfactory change, unless another party as
sumes the reins Of government. lfyou are IN
terested IN some busincss company, and md
that your agents have involved you in great
difficulty by their extravaganza, ana perhaps
, dishonesty, what do you doy You do not
trust their promise of reform, but at once re-
move them, and replace them by others, whose
ideas of business are In accordance with your
own, and whom yOu can trust 30 ought IT
10 be with the affairs of government. When
the people found that one party had plunged
| into extravaganza, and that too many of their
officials are corrupt, the only effectual rene
confer it upon their opponents.
But let me Return to the relations between
the different parts of the country.
The purpose of the vast majority of those
who entered the army, especially ut the be-
ginning of the war, was to pre- erve the Union
/ and uphold the supremacy of the General
Government over the whole land. The ques-
ton of slavery hardly entered then into the
minds of those who fought. AS the war pro-
crossed that question, slavery, came to the
'front.' and general emancipation ensued
accept, and the Democratic party accepts, the
result and its consequences viz. the negro's
right to vote and his equality before the law.
We intend, when in power, TO protect the ne
gro in his right of suffrage, of political equal.
ity. and full security of person and property.
The States once In arms agains. us have ac-
cepted these same results, aud have been re.
admitted to their full standing as members of
the Union. Since the war l have met great
numbers of Southern men, and do not remem.
Der single one who did not honestly accept
the new situation. That there have been in
stances of disturbance IN the Southern States
since the war, Is true; but they have been
confined almost entirely to those States where
the influence of the officials of the General
Government is most marked, and are very
rarely found in those where the whites pre-
dominate and can control.
But the great question for the present is,
simply whether the Southern States are in the
Union If not, we have miserably failed In
the objects of the war. The Republican lead.
crs insist upon waving the bloody shirt as
the banner of their party. We of the Democ-
racy are content with the glorious Stars and
Stripes, under which so many of our best and
bravest willingly gave their lives for their
country. For what did they fight and die?
Ii was that not star should be erased from
our grand old flag.
What did those slam heroes, what did you,
my countrymen, mean and understand by
union OF the States? Was 1t a union of brute
force; union such as that OF Servia and Bull.
garia with Turkey Far from it; 1t was a
union of hearts, OF common interests, of broth
crly love- of mutual confidence and respect
We looked upon our antagonists as misguid-
ed men, who fought bravely for Il mistaken
principle. We understood that disruption of
the Union meant ruin and continuous strife
Our purpose was to break down by armed
force, SINCE no other way was practicable, the
armed opposition to the Government, and,
when that was done, to pursue the policy so
unhappily cut short by the untimely and hOr.
| rid death of the lamented LncOln-a policy
of Cancellation aud kind feeling, of protec-
ton, OF forgiveness. Can any one in this
country doubt on which side Mr.. Lincoln
would stand to-day had he been spared by
that wretched assassins hanG? Against foe
/ in arms no course is practicable save that of
meeting him i'll arms. When that enemy is
defeated, il is IN accordance with the precepts
of Christianity, with the commonly received
sentiments of civilization, with soldiery hon
or, with selfintcreSt 10 treat him with mercy
and humanity, even if he is stranger for
eigaer a riva. of different race How much
more, then, it he is a fellow countrymen and
a brother? How, then, shall we characterize
the conduct Of men who, IN order to distract
attention from the corruption so rife in their
party, strive TO treat the defenceless South as
If still in rebellion, and who do their worst to
rekindlc tie fires of national luminosity? Eel.
low citizens and fellow soldiers, as honest
men and good citizens, II Is our duty TO see
that the results gained by the war are not i'm.
perlled by the Vaccinations Of those who en-.