Year: 1865

I -


day Evening Aug. goth, 1865.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN tt did not
expect to address you this evening being
somewhat iatigued after my long journey
| from homo to this place, but | understand
that according to your arrangements am
expected 10 say something on this occa.
| sion.


Ii there ever was u time n our history
when tho active exertious of all the labor
ing and producing classes of the country
were called for to regulate the political
affairs oil the country, it is now. We have
just emerged from civil war Of the most
gigantic proportions, and we are pround
and happy at the result we congratulate
each other when we meet upon the TACT
that victory perches on the NATIONAL ban
ner, and that the Union Of these States,
the glorious Union bequeathod to us by
our fathers, has stood the shock of war,
| and that we have been able TO maintain it
against armed resistance. Iu our politi-
cal assemblies aud in casual meetings of
the citizens VIC fud everywhere men who
have borne arms in defence Of the Union,
The soldiers who went to battle for the
| Union have como back among US, and
they deserve to be remembered with graft
tutc by all; they deserve helping haud
from every Que of US; aud they deserve
] TO know from US in our political discus.
sfons SO much Of the past as will put us
as political partisaus and friends right
with them. | intend in all the transac-
tloDs Of life to stand the firm, unyieldine
friend OF the man who battcd for the I'm
ion; | will give him a preference in every
way that can, SO that he may be able 10
earn his livelihood during the remainder
of his days l am willing that the Treas
ury shall pay him pension for services
rendered, out Of the money collected by
taxes from the people So let it be under
stood by our political opponents who have
been SO ceusorious and have misrcprcsont-
ed us so much, that now that the war is
over and the soldiers arc coming home,
we, the Democrats Of the country, believe
that they arc as fit TO represent the people
in Office as the Rcpublican"stay. .at.homc
gentlemen who hive been robbing the
government for the LIST four years. Ap-
plause.


an aware that in somo instances old
| friends of ours come home from the army
with the feeling that Democrats hayo not
stood up shouldort to shoulder in this great
work. This is because they have obtain
ed their information through the only
| newspapers that the men in power would
permit to be circulated in the army, and
their statements as 10 US were almost en-
tircly false. The political friends aud as
sociatcs of these men, even their fathers
and brothers, were represented to the ar
my through these new, papers TO be opposed
to the war for the Union. Now, what is
tho fact? l have throug ghout my life held
one political association stand with the
men with whom | began; we are called
Democrats; we have always borne that
title. | never had any connection with
any other political organization. l am
somewhat advanced in years and am gen-
orally acquainted over the State, and l
get the honest grip Of Democrat where
ever go he unIurdon6 his soul TO me
he is not afraid Of me in any way. here
declare that / never in my life saw among
my po litlcal associates that man who
wanted this Union divided, who would
even agree for one moment that the cause
of secession should triumph. There was
no sympathy with the effort to break
down this government ia the breast OF
any Democrat that | ever met. But
have met maryland am OF that class
who, while dcvoting all their efforts to
put down the rebellion and ovrthrow Sc
cession, wanted the liberties oil the poo
pie preserved and the Constitution and
the laws OF the country held sacred and
not violated under the plea OF "military
necessity" The trouble with our Re
publican opponents was that this was the
first war they had ever supported, and
having always attributed political success
to clap-trap and to insincogc efforts to
blind the people, they sought to use this
occasion to plant themselves firmly il
power, While the war was being carried
on in manner creditable to the country,
there was but one voice the people with
out distinction OF party flockcd 10 tha
standard which was ever sacred in thu
eyes Of a Dcmocrat-the Stars and Stripes
of his country. Before an attempt wa
made to give the war partisan charac
ter, to bend it from its great and only lo-
gtimate purpose, there were more mel
volunteering than were required, That
however, was not the kind Of war tn,
party in power wanted. They wanted t
do some act that would call forth the cp-
position of honest men, so that they eoul,
point to those men as opposed TO tn


Presiden. and his administration, and
therefore opposed to the Government
they holding that the President and tn
/, men who with him are for the time bein!
invested with power under the Constitu


ton and laws constitute the Government


| think our Government will survive som
) of those gentlemen think we shall hav


a Government when some Of them are ou
OF the places they now occupy.


want the soldiers who have come nom
+ to understand that the difference betwcc
IS the Republicans and ourselves in regar


to the war, was not difference as t