Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-07-05

Babcock and Manton Marble, of New
York, to escort Gen. McClernand to tht
chair.
Gen. McClernand was then escorted
to the platform amid loud applause, and
spoke as follows:
| GENTLEMEN OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC
| CoNvENT1oN-l thank you for the distinguished
honor which you have done me in directing me tx
preside over your deliberatious. You are the del
egates of the Democracy or the whole union Of g.
states, once unnaturally estranged but forever
united in indivsible republic, brethren 81 ont
political family, with the same heritage of liberty
under equal laws and heirs of destiny. Shall
we make that destiny the most glorious in the his
| tory of free people. II your deliberations tina
follow to-day shall be wise, if your perception Of
the necessities OF our time, our country, our poll
| TICS shall be just and sagacious II your sympathy
shall be quick with the hearts of = great people
then beyond ali peradventcre we will transmit tc
our children and our chiloren's children, u1lm.
paired, this priceless heritage, and yours will be
better renown than the renown most priced by
the Romans Cosdstoree Imlperiruan far greater
than the founders of empires, or the preselvers OF
| repubncs. There are no enemies OF the union
to-day on this continent except that administrative
centrallsm which is congealing the vital currents
which ought to flow out through every part, giving
life to the farthest extremites of the body polite
and energy to all its members, except that corrup
ton which is the that centrasm has fail
Centrallsm and corruption have imposed upon ten
states the rapacious tyrannies of carpet-bag rule,
ana since the peace have added two hundred mil
lions to their debts. They have infected the gov
ernments of our northern states and northern
cities with the same disease of extravaganza and
fraud They have debauched the federal govern
ment itself, and made the names of scores Of its
nigh officers and public men our public scandal,
our open shame. The record is horrible. Inca
pacity, venality, waste, fraud, and the
party which has been powerless to bear
md foot ifa IJr,fiO
with stupendous effrontery, pledging itself to a
reform Of which it has become incapable. So that
party pledged itself to restore specie payments
every year taking us farther from specie payments.
so 1t pledged itself to protect American labor and
with its monstrous custom house taxation on over
5000 articles, it has impoverished American labors
few score of monopolsts, a few thousand corrup-
tionists have been enriched, but capital, in the
hands of those who earned it by industry and saved
1t by frugaity is everywhere dstrustfu and rusts
unused, while the honest laborer goes about the
streets begging bread. Is this then, the final out
come of century of Republican self-government?
Forbid it, gracious God But we have wandered
far from the right paths; we must return to the
constitutional principles, the frugal expenditures
and the administrative purity of the founders of
the republic. This is the first the imperious
necessity of our day and nation. This is the ap-
peal we have to male to fellow citizens of every
former political afliation; this is the supreme
commanding issue to which all others inferior,
| all others tr1vial-Reform, Reform, Reform. II
you shall recognize this imperious necessity, if you
shall guarantee in your platform the successful
! achievement of this arduous work of national re-
generation. If you shall select standard bearers to
your own high purpose and faithful to your pledge
victory in the November, victory in the October
conquest is already yours Incarnate the vital is
sue of reform in the candidate and platform, and
the States that have honored Douglass and Lin
coin, the States that to-day honor Hendricks and
Thurman, Hancock and Parker, Bayard and Til
den, these States, with all their vast population,
will rise like the winds and the woods that followed
the fleeing Orpheus, will rise and folle W you to
victory.
August Belmont, of New York, then
addressed the convention, introducing
the following resolutions, which were
referred to the proper committee:
We appeal to the honor and manhood of
the American people to begin this second
century of the American union and indie
pendence by tramping under foot and ex-
tinguishing forever these shouldering ashes
OF dlstrust, rancor and animosity between
the two great sections of the common coun-
try. We denounce with indignation the
calculated malignity with which the leaders
of the Republican party have l labored to
keep alive through eleven years of peace the
worst passion of civil war. The Machiavel-
liam motto of the Republican party has been
and is now, divide the people and we shall
rule them For the Democratic party we
rely, unite the people and make them
free
We denounce the Republican party on
this great issue, as one of false pretenses
1t is false pretense to assume the charac-
ter of national party, and at the same time
to exist only by sectional divisions; it IS a
false pretense to assume the name of a
union party, and at the same time to be an
obstacle to national party; it is false pre-
tense to assume the name of a federal par
ty, and at the same time to appeal to the
religious prejudices of the people; it is q
false pretense to claim the title of pro-
gressive party, and at the same time to turn
the people back from peace in the future
to the war in the past.
The convention then adjourned until
IL A. NJ. Wednesday.
After the adjournment, speeches
were made by Daniel VOORHEES, and
Sunset Cox to an immense and enthu-
siastic throng.