The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1880-07-10
The Speeches of
GoU. Matthetcs and COL
oyee1 Ben. WJ1son, deliu-
cred at the Hancoc7c
G,Ytnd Ratification Meet-
ing held in Wheezin6,
June 25M.
COLONEL WILSON'S srEEcN.

COLONEL WILSON'S SPEECH.
l congratulate you, my Demo
cratic friends Of the county Of Ohio
upon this glorious opportunity 0
|jubilating over tho nomination o
tho next President of the United
States. No nomination las ovel
been more cordially received withir
my recollection. Congrntulatory
dispatches have floated along the
wires to tho successful candidate
from Ills competitors. Ratification
meetings, from the night after the
nomination up to this hour, have
been held and arc being held all
over the country, and millions o.
American frcemen arc rejoicing.
Your sister city Of Cincinnati
with its vast capacity, was crowded
with delegates and other citizens in
harmony with those who came to
select a candidate.
s9Tlley came rs The leaves como
When forests are rsHdGd,
They came rs tic waves come
| Wien navies are stranded"
and all came to swell the ..throng
and to domand the perpetuation ol
free government. Various candi-
dates were in the field, but tho
people's choice could not he asccr-
tained until the Convention, which
had packed the immense hall, had
assembled. The mention Of one
great name forctold tho coming
man--popular opinion seized the
bit and proclaimed rs the standard
bearer Of the Democratic party That
distinguished soldier, patriot and
statesman, General Hancock, Of
Pennsylvania. Cheers. My
friends, history is repeating itself.
The incidents BY which we are sur
rounded, and the condolences
which mark the past and present,
foretell our *ietory.
We arc now entering upon The
twenty-fourth presidential election
Iinthis country Twenty-four years
ago=a=National @DemocEttic=C Con-
yontion assembled at Cincinnati
which nominated the last Demo.
cratic=Presilcnt who was elected
and inaUguratcd, and now twenty
four years after that time another
National Democratic Convention
has assembled ut the same city of
Cincinnati and nominated another
Democratic candidate, who will be
elected and inaugurated President
Of tho United States. And mark
the coincidence one step further.
Both of these gentlemen, Buchanan
and Hancock, cume from The State
Of Pennsylvania,
will not reflect upon your in
tcIligence by asking who General
Hancock is. His nHnio is n house
hold word. We are all familiar
with his history and his illustrious
career. We MI remember that nf-
ter the war he was placed i'll charge
Of the district composed Of Louis
ianu and Texas, us military COM
mandcr-at q time when those
pcople were over-run and their sub
stHnra eatcn ont bv cNrpet- bnuGers
and scoundrels-wllcn they we're
crushed; that hc issued his famous
military order subordinating tho
military to tho civil authority, and
guaranteeing to those people the
right of trial by jury-thc freedom
of speech the liberty Of the press,
the right of property and the right
Of protection under the writ Of
hnLcas corpus. >. I challenge the seru-
tiny OF history that no man since
tho organization of this Govern
nlent ever proclaimed and executed
q military order, more in accord
with the great principles which un-
tlerly our Federal Constitution, than
did General Hancock on this Occa-
sion. His order should he carved
in marble and cncascd in steel.
1t ranks his name as Il fit associate
with thNt Of Washington.
desire to call your attention to
tic charge made by The press and
sneakers Of the Republican party
THAT the Democratic party is Il sec
tional one; that It's ideas and prin.
t,ciples are sectional, Now IL will
strike tho mind Of every fair man
that this is. not true. Run your
eye over the map and glance ut the
States under the control Of the Re-
publican party. They embrace
part Of the East and part Of the
Wcst-nothing in the South. Now
look Mt the States where Democracy
prepondcrates-they embrace all
the South, and III tho West the
great State Of Indiana; Hntl tn the
eastward the great Empire Stale Of
New York. They extend from the
gulf on the Soutl, to one nf the
Northern hikes. It may not bc ttn-
interesting to know that the pro.
tluctions from The field, the work
shop and tho mine in the Demo.
cratic States is fullEeqnal, or near
ly go, to the production in the Re-
publican States. They arc quite MS
important to the wealth and COM
mcrcc Of the country. I see il
stated that Tho amount Of money