Year: 1866

Hon. Dan. w. Voorhees, made speech
before the Democratic Convention at Indi-
annapolis, of which the following is an ex-
tract:


Under the circumstances, in the midst Of which
/ have returned to Indiana, a welcome such as
you have given me is peculiarly gratifying. I at
tribute it, however, but to one thing not to per-
sonal merit, bat to that integrity that has com
manded the respect of our fellow citizens ever
since it was enuneiated in Holy Scripture: II
have fought the good fight, and kept the faith -
My first thought to day is of fervent graf tude
TO Almighty God for the changed circumstances
that surround us since was IN Democratic Con-
ventioa i'm indiana. There are no cannon now to
the right or LETT of as and no bayonetS around or
about us. as there was then. [ congratulate the
Democrats of Indiana that they have a compact
organization; that it stands firm and true, where
it has ever stood, for the Constitution of our
country, for the Union of our States, for liberty
and law. We are now rapidly advancing int
terrible conflict in behalf of our ancient principles
We are approaching one of the most eventfu cri-
sis that has ever occurred in the history of polti
cal parties in this country. The contest is not
with any new or unknown fDe


am not an old man, but have met this enemy
before. We fought that party before the late war
thirty years ago, when it had disunion, the higher
law, disruption of the bonds of harmony inscribed
as now upon its banner 1t is represented now
by the Congress of the United States. The Union





serVatiOn of civil liberty, is to day, so far as civil
Iower can represent it, represented now by the
President of the United States. TGreat cheers
Here stands the two contending parties; the Con
vention that met here on the 22d of February
madc their choice; they choose to say ir the mis-
cradle insulting resolution to the President that
they would stand by him while he stood by the
Constitution, and that they would judge how far
and how long he stood by the Constitution but
that Congress was the proper depository of power
10 enunciate the principles of restoration; and
further, that they would support Congress at all
hazards. On that resolution the issue is presented
to the people of Indiana. | have said that the
party to which we are opposed is a disunion party.
It is represented by the Stevens and Summers the
leading disunionists of the land. But for them
the Southern men would never have moved in
their schemes of disunion.


These men were not for the Union in the be-
ginning. when the South attempted to secede.
Witness their neWspapers-the indianapolis Jour-
nal. Cincinnati Commercial New York Tribune,
all saving Let the South CO." They talk about
us being the disuniOn party. When and where
was there ever a convention. township, county,
State or National, but what resolved that the Un
ion of these States must be restored The only
difference between them and US was that when
the war broke out, these men that never loved
the Union, seeing schemes Of plunder and politi>
cal rule looming up, thought they would slide in
10 power on profession of patriotism and of being
honest men. What do we see now? Are they
for the Union of the States They say the South
ern States shall not be restored except upon their
destructive, despotc tyrannical partisan princi-
ples The war is over and those States desire to
return. The President desires to assist them to