Year: 1866

4


| Mr.. PRESIDENT We are before you as
Committee OF the National Union Conven-
| ton, which met in Philadelphia on Tues


day, the I4th instant, charged with the du-
| ty of presenting you with an authentic copy
of its proceedings.


Before placing it in your hands, you will


permit us to congratulate you that on the


object for which the Convention was called,
in the enthusiasm with which, In every State


and Territory, the call was responded to, in


the unbroken harmony of its deliberations,


in the unanimity with which the principles


it has declared were adopted, and more es-


pecially in the patriotic and constitutional


character of the principles themselves, we


are confident that you and the country will


find gratifying and cheering evidence that


there exists amongst the people public SEN
timent which renders the early and complete


restoration of the Union as established by


the Constitution certain and inevitable.


Party faction, seeking the continuance of its


misrule, may momentarily delay it, but the
principles of political liberty for which our
fathers successfully contended, and to secure
which they adopted the Constitution are so
Claringly inconsistent with the condition in
which the country has been placed by such


misrule, that it will not be permitted much
longer duration. We wish, Mr.. President,
YOU could have witnessed the spirit of con-
cord and brotherly affection which animated
every member of the Convention. Great
as your confidence has been in the intelli-
gence and patriotism of your fellow-citizens,i in
| their present determination to reinstate and
maintain it, that confidence would have be-
come positive conviction could have seen
| and heard all that was done and said upon
| the occasion. Every heart was evidently
| full of Joy, every eye beamed with patriotic
animation, dependency gave place to the as
/ surance that our late dreadful civil strife end
ed, the blissful reign Of peace, under the
! protection, not of arms, but of the Consti
| tuition and laws, would have sway, and be in
every part of our land cheerfully acknowl-


edged, and in perfect good faith obeyed.
| You would not have doubted that the recur-
renee of dangerous domestic instructions
in the future are not to be apprehended.
IF you could have seen the men of Massa-
| chusetts and South Carolina coming into
| the Convention on the first day Of Its meet
ing, hand in hand, amidst the rapturous APP
| plause of the whole body, awakened by heart
| felt qualification at the event, filing the
| eyes Of thousands with tears of joy, which
! they neither could nor desired to repress,
you would have felt as every person present
| felt-that the time had arrived when all sec
| tional or other perilous dissensions had ceas-


ed, and that nothing should be heard in the
| future but the voice Of harmony proclaim
| ing devotion TO a common country, Of pride
| in being bound together by common Union,


existing and protected by forms of govern


ment proved by experience to be eminen1y


fitted for the exigencies Of either war or


peace In the principles announced by the
| Convention, and the feeling there manifest
| ed, we have every assurance that harmony
| throughout our entire land will soon prevail
| We know that as in former days, as was elo-
| duently declared by Webster, the nation s
| most gifted statesman, Massachusetts, and
f>South Carolina went " shoulder to shoulder
through the Revolution" and stood hand


In hand around the administration of Wash


ington, and felt his own great arm lean on
! them for support, so will they again with
| ike magnaninity, devotion and power, stand


round your administration and cause you to


feel that you may also lean on them for sup
! port. In the proceedings, Mr.. President,
| which we are to place in your hands, you
! will find that the Convention performed the
| grateful duty imposed upon them by their
knowledge of your =" devotion and interests
| of your country" as illustrated by your en-


tire presidential career, of declaring that in
| you they recognize a chief magistrate


worthy Of the nation and loyal to the great
! crisis upon which our lot Is cast" and in
| this declaration it gives us marked pleasure
to add, we are confident that the Convention
| has but spoken the intelligent and patriotic


sentiment of the country. Ever inaccessi-
| bic to the low influences which often control


the mere partisan, and governing alone by


an honest opinion of constitutional obliga-


tons and rights, and of the duty of looking


solely at the true interests, safety and honor


of the nation, such a class is incapable Of


resorting to any bait for popularity at the


expense of the public good. In the meas


ures which you have adopted for the restora-


ton OF the Union, the Convention saw only


a continuance of the policy which for the
| same purpose was inaugurated By your
| immediate predecessor, in his reelection


BY the pcpple after that policy had been fully
| indicated, and had been made one of the Is


sues of the contest. Those of his political


friends who are now assailing you for sternly


pushing it, forgetful or regardless of the
opinions which their support for his re-elec-
ton necessarily involved, being upon the


SAME ticket with that much-lamented public


servant whose foul assassination touched the
heart of the civilized world with grief and


horror-you would kave been false to the


obvious duty if you had not endeavored to


carry out the same policy and, judging now


by the opposite one which Congress has pur-
sued its wisdom and patriotism are indIcat-


ed By the fact that Congress has but continu-


ed a broken Union by keeping ten of the


States in which at one time the insurFection


existed, as far as they could accomplish it,


in thecondition of subjugated provinces, de-


nying the right to be represented whilst sub
jecting their people to every species of leg


islation, including that of taxation. That
| such state of things is at war with every
| genius of our governments. inconsistent
with every idea of political freedom, and


most perilous to the peace and safety of the


country, no rejecting man can fail to be-
| lieye.


We hope, sir, that the proceedings of the
Convention will cause you to adhere, If pos


sible, with even greater frmncss to the course
which you are pursuing by satisfying you
i thf. ,lo.,