Year: 1868

pay the claims of the different States
against the Government for money ad-
vanced by the various States to carry on
the war, a large amount of which have
collected myself since / have been Gov
ernor fthss State; and am going TO get
half million more before get through
money given for the purpose of paying
for the losses of property IN the hands of
loyal citizens during the war-another
portion of it to sustain the Freedmen's
Bureau, and which we did not sustain an
hour too long. l believe we abolished II
too soon, am not sure but we were too
hasty about this. The moment the Bureau
is suspended, l fear that the colorcd man
and the poor loyal white man of the
South viii be prosecuted and trampled
down by these bad people We paid this
money In this direction and for that pur-
pose and we are responsible for that We
have kept the credit of the nation unim
paired--we have saved the glory and
honor of the Republic, and now we are in
power so far as Congress Is concerned
and out of power so far as the Executive
is concerned, and we are responsible for
| the action of the Government so far MS the
/ National Congress can makeit.


have been telling you how the Repub
lican party stood during the country's
troubles. Now let us inquire where did
the Democratic party stand? Did they
say we could coerce the SouthY No. Did
they say we had the power to save the
Republicg No. But in the Democratic
party there were thousands and tens of
thousands that loved their country better
than their party They all voted with the
Republican party during the war, and
have very warm attachment toward
I0ntnnnnrut IN hn tAr
he had helped to free the country. But
the Democrat party opposed every step
we took to end the war. When the man
omission of the slave was effected every
Democratic paper and speaker In the
country opposed it, and every Democratic
convention wrote it down before the
world in their platforms. And after the
failure of secession, when the Fourteenth
Constitutional amendment was adopted,
the rebels and Democrats denounced its
provisions which prescribed the qualitica-
tions and conditions Of suffrage, laying
down rule that no man who has ever borne
arms against the government shall ever
hold any civil office of honor, or power or
trust, forever disquallfying him unless Con-
gress, by two-thirds vote, should remove
the disability, that the national debt shall
never be questioned, and that the rebel
debt shall never be paid. Every Demo-
crat and rebel in this country opposed
these just provisions and the Republi
can party has put another article into the
Constitution in spite of the oppo-
sition of these men, We carried the war
of the colored man and they opposed us.
We made him citizen, and they opposed,
They have opposed everything we have
done from the beginning of the war to the
end, and they come before the country in
| 1868 without a record.


| We indorse in our platform the recon
struction measures of Congress. We say
that the national debt shall he paid in full.
! We say that the nation shall be preserved ;
and we in our platform indorse everything
that the Republican party has done for the
last eight years-taking within its scope
that which made foreign nations in the
last six months abandon their claims of
having subjects forever. Our platform is
before you, not double dealing, but
fair statement of the case for the
American people. We present upon
that platform the best living soldier.
They ask you to 60 and support that
party that assailed the Republic
all through the war, that assailed Mr.,
Lincoln, that abused you and me and ev-
cry soldier from the beginning of the war
up to this fatal moment. What Leave
the honored flag of the Republican party
turn our backs upon our brilliant record,
and enlist In Their. ranks? That were
without any sort of ingenuity. They are
making grand display and assailing and
attacking everybody-poor, miserable or
ganization. What have they got to attack,
or what have you got to prove. You are
attacking the Republican party, are you
You are waging war of determination
against the Republican party, are you
Oh, how foolish you are, my Democratic
friends, If you expect man will hide his
record.


No wonder you wanted to pass by it!
No wonder you wanted the country to
turn away from your past career No
wonder you wished that leaf of your rec
ord to be let alone. Why if had be-
longed to your party, which never have,
l would be very glad to have my war rec.
ord of the party blotted out; and not
spoken of among men. Laughter and
cheers Well may the Democracy close
the record, and ask the world not to look
at their black deeds. But ! tell you we
will look at it, and will expose you to the
world. You are pretty party! Great
laughter. You Democracy They met in
the city of Chicago in the summer of 1864
right in the middle of the war, when
everybody else was nearly worn TO death
with anxiety for the safety of the Repub
lie, when every soldier, your friends and
brothers, were doing all they could to save
the nation, they met in the city of Chica.
go, and declared that Whereas, after
four years Of failure "-well, I'll get it just
right don't want TO misrepresent them.


Laughter and applause. "Whereas, af-
ter four years of failure TO restore the
country by the experiment of war, that
we are in favor of PEACEW Great laugh.
ter They met in New York the other
day to nominate Frank Blair for Presi-
dent He missed it, though - and
Frank Blair put forth his platform. lie
says that "Now, after three wears failure
in peace to restore the Government to our
country, am in favor of war" Voice,
"They don't read together"]


You see they are never satisfied with
what the good people of the country arc
doing for the good Of the nation. They
are always climbing up some other way


Laughter and cheers.


We'll, we conquered the rebellion: we
got through with the war, and made the
colored soldiers citizens of the United
States; we have reconstructed seven O
the Southern States without injustice OF
blunder-eight, 1 should say-and we shal
soon reconstruct the Others without
trouble. And the Democrats opposed il
at every step. They tried to keep the col
Ored men from the right Of citizenship
They made riots to hinder reconstruction
We issued bonds during the war, and every
bond that was issued to carry on the wal
they opposed, because they wished the
war to fail. Cries of "ThatS so."1 Wher
we issued the greenbacks they opposed
: them. Every Democratic lawyer said !
was unconstitutional, and they did all the,
, could to depreciate the value Of and to op
pose, greenbacks But we went on under
dire necessity, and IL was great necessit,
that impelled us 10 do it-eVen the preser
vation of our native land, and the home
} of our wives and little Ones-but we die
right we issued the notes and paid thl
soldiers. The Democracy opposed us
every step, denied the legality OF the issue
I tnOk the case intO the cOnrfe and in ohor