The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-10-20

Address of the Union Soldiers
and Sailors Reform CD
Convention.

To orr Former Comrades and Brothers -in-
Arms, the Patriotic Union Soldiers anu >"'''
| ors of America, Greeting.
! COMRADES: For a number of years
past. many good citizens, without ie-
gard to their former political afiinites,
have seriously deprecated aud earnestly
denounced the persistent and dictatoiial
| spirit In which Radical leaders have long
been and are still attempting TO rekindle
| the old war feeling of animosity, and To
make use of semi-miitary organizations
Tor mere partisan ends; these efforts,
tending to force upon the country the
false impression that Republicans alone
that none of the soldiers OF that army
can now bc expected 10 vote any other
| than the Radical ticket: that every Union
| soldier must stu array himself against a
section of our country. and continue TO
denounce the people lac helped 10 over
come in evil war; people who laid
| down their arms. surrendered 10 superior
mower, and returned To their duty and
their allegiance more than eleven years
ago: while no occasion has been lost,
since the war, in which grand national
| soldiers and sailors conventions and
reunions, swelled by parades of the
"boys in blue the G.. A. Il. and other
military ,olitico-associations ard leagues,
tina. they have not been made TO sub
serve the purposes of cngendering Sec
tional strife and perpetuating Radical
Republican misrulc. eE@
Longer iorbearance of this policy has
firmly determined that duty and honor
alike demand that we call tor Il general
enrolment of all our old comrades who
are sincerely DESTROYS Of the public good,
and who, untrammcled by party dicta-
ton, are opposed to the arttul revival OF
the old war cries without occasion, and
who see the necessity for the overthrow
OF the corrupt party in power and the
preservation OF constitutional govern
ment in the election aud triumph OF
7fiden and Reform.
At the close Of the war. in the year
1861, the Radical party had reached the
summit OF political power. with no check
to its intolerance, save the scruples OF
the president, and this was Insufficient to
RESTRAIN its vindictivencss. The ccn-
gress offered To the people the 18Th,
lith aud 18th amendments to the
! constitution as the basis OF
| its reconstruction. These amcnd-
ments were accepted and were ratified
by the Legislature ot three-fourths Of the
1 states. The congressional cnacimcnts
! passed to enforce these conditions were
submitted TO. and acT,icsced IN, in good
faith. The southern people were thus
restored to all their civil rights by ali
the forms Of law and it is now but a
mockery and reputation of the terms vi
their contract, at every returning elre-
| ton, 10 threaten them again with the
| grim trade If death, and to lit still
higher the bleeding testament OF war.
Bloody Instructions indeed. which will
return but 10 plague tie inventor.
We appeal to you to take up hi. work
with us and assist in carrying it forward
to a successful issue in every state which
sent regiment OF Union soldiers to the
war. We wish To see the enrolment OF
| avery friend nf nnr rausa uhn SaryeH in
the Union army, and we urgently recon-
mend the perfection, at the same time,
of such local, congressional and state as
sociations, as shall organize, complete
and bring forth TO the election, the SOL
diers' and sailors vote. in solid column,
along the whole line, and throughout the
country. Let us show to those now in
power, our firm convictions of the ncccs-
tutiopal administration of the govern
ment by our Independent exercise Of
suffrage. For this we fought in the bat
! ties Of the Union. The preservation of
that Union was duty paramount of all
Others, but the untrammeled exercise
of the citizens right OF suffrage is not
secondary to it. We should not permit
any consideration Of political advantage
or partisan associations 10 mislead us
from the duty which we owe to the pres
entsxigency as we'll as TO the future well
fare of the whole country. Let us show
by our voices and votes that we are still
100000 strong, after all our losses, in sup
port of the constitution We defend, and
for return to honest government In the
interests of the whole people.
The most encouragin. sign of reform
is to be found in the recent change and
overthrow Of a portion Of that combi-
nation of office holders, at Washington,
whose hold upon power has seemed to
defy all attempts ut resistance or opposi-
ton. At least four departments have
been upturned, the most serious irreyu,
larities brought to light by the public de.
mand for reform, and their direlict secre
taries driyen.iorth.
The successful Investigations by the
Democratic committees of congress, tt
which the administration was at las
forced to succumb, indicates with Ger
tainty the commencement Of a mora
revolution In politics that Is to he con
fined to no section and to no state.
Will you not join heartily in that im
perate demand for honest government
, that Is being re-echOed from all the land