Year: 1875

Danford.


A SOUND PLATFORM.


s'The School Fund Must Remain


Forever InviOlable.o


Seldom has there been such an audience as
sembled as that which came together in the
Opera House, Columbus, last week upon the
occasion of the meeting of the Republican State
Convention. Every foot of space in the low
er part of the house was occupied, standing as
well as sitting room, and even in the galleries
there were several hundred people assembled.
DECORATIONS, ETC.


The house was decorated gayly with the ma
tional colors, small flags being hung profusely
around the galleries, while across the stage inn
mense banners of red, white, and blue were
stretched, recalling to every mind present the
glories of the Republic and the sacrifices and
trials by which.the republic has been preserved.
On the stand were assembled more than
score of the ablest representatives of the press
in Ohio, together with some from New York
and elsewhere. On the ample stage, behind
the press representatives, were seated many of
the leading Republicans of the State. Taking
it altogether, it was noble presence, and even
at the beginning of the proceedings there ran
through the audience that electric thrill which
indicates that the spirit of triumph is among
them, and that it will only be satisfied by vic
tory, complete victory. at the polls.


THE PRAYER.


A buzz of expectation could be heard all
over the hall, and an animated conversation
was carried on by hundreds of voices, which
was suddenly succeeded by a most impressive
silence, stiffness as of death, when the Rev.
r. G. Hutchings, of the Brown Street Con-
gregational Church in Columbus, stood up to
address the Throne of Grace, 1t was signif-
cant of the deep interest taken in all the pro-
ceedings that, when Mr.. Hutchings first COM
menced his prayer, several individuals in the
distant parts of the hall, in perfect good faith,
called out louder Hr. H. prayed as follows


Our Heavenly Father, we bless Thee for
this goodly commonwealth which Thou didst
commit unto eur fathers, and which they have
enriched and transmitted unto us. We bless
Thee for its abundant material resources, for
its mines and quarries, and its fertile fields
and its majestic forests. We bless Thee for
the development Thou hast given to these sup
plies of Thy bounty, that we are permitted to
utilize them We thank Thee not only for
these material benefits, but especially for the
social, civil, and religious advantages Thou
hast conferred upof us; that Thou hast guard
ed the sanctity of home by Thy laws enacted
in our Legislatures; that Thou hast given us
provisions for the unfortunate classes
in our benevolent institutions; that Thou
hast given us the common school sys-
TEN and higher seminaries of learning and uni
versities. We bless Thee that Thou hast Civ
en- us all these temporal mercies; and especial
ly we bless Thee that Thou hast given US the
Christian Church, which brings us the light,
and Joy, and peace of heaven. And now we
give Thee thanks that from generation to gen.
Grafton Thou hast preserved these privileges
and these mercies to US; that through the
stress and trial of war they have been continu
ed. We thank Thee for our national history.
We bless Thee that we are at last rid of the
curse of human slavery, though it were blot |
ted out in blood; we bless Thee for the unity
and integrity of this nation, which have been
vindicated. We thank Thee for the history of
the organization we represent to-day in these |
trials and in this nation We thank Thee for !
the memory Of the sainted dead. We ask
Thee that we may be true to all that is best in
the record of this party to-day. We thank |
Thee that we have these blessings continued |
unto us, gained by so much of sacrifice and |
guarded by all sanctions and laws. To this |
end wilt Thou put in the hearts of these rep |
sentatives sense of their profound response |
bility to the commonwealth, and to guide and
make them act with an eye single to the best |
interests of the State and the glory of their |
heavenly Father; we ask Thee that education |
may be guarded, and all that is true and love |
ly, and of good report in our commonwealth, |
may be guarded by the action of this Conven- |
tion to-day. Our heavenly Father, be Thou |
with those who shall prepare a platform for
this Convention, and may such principles be
laid down as the foundation Of this party that |
all honest and good men throughout the
commonwealth may give entire allegiance to
it. We ask Thee, dear Father, that Thou
wilt be with these representatives. in their choice
of candidates that we may have men as our
representatives worthy of the State, and wor-
thy of the sacred interests they represent.
Dear Father, we commit this Convention to
Thy guiding, and Thou canst turn the hearts
of men as the rivers are turned. We ask Thee
to guard the minds and inspire the minds of
these Thy servants, so that at the great day
of judgment, when they shall look back upon
the fulfilled issues of this present hour, which
they cannot now foresee, they shall have joy
and complacency in the work they have done.
These favors we ask for the sake and in the
name of Him who having not seen we love.
Amen.


SPEECH OF MR.. DANFORD.


Hon. L. Danford, of Belmont, was then in
troduced as temporary Chairman of the Con-
vention, and was received with applause. He
spoke as follows:


GENTLEMEN OF THE REPUBLICAN STATE
CONVENTION: Permit me to express my thanks
for the honor of being called to act as your
temporary Chairman. l believe that no man
who has been observant of public sentiment in
Ohio in the last few months, but must feel
that the people of this State are beginning to
realize the fact that it is not yet either wise or
safe to trust the Democratic party with power.
| Applause. And if we act to-day with har-
mony, with that reference to the wishes of the
people of the State that as the delegates OF the
people you are bound to observe, the ticket we
nominate to-day we will triumphantly elect in
October. [Applause.] The Democratic par
ty elected their Governor and carried the Leg
islature of the State two years ago. They
were entirely successful last fall. They had
promised to the people retrenchment, reform,
and especially higher order of the public
service, greater devotion to the interests of
the people, unselish patriotism. We have
had two winters of Democratic Legislature,
directed, aided and assisted by Democratic
Governor, and in that time in their unseltish-
ness, they have gone into the reformatory and
charitable institutions of the State. They
have to great degree impaired their useful
ness in turning out faithful public servants to
make room for partisans. They have created !
fN- h., in /,
the manner and matter of retrenchment they
have increased the actual running expenses of
the State government, and for the purpose of
keeping the word of promise to the public ear,
they have struck from the State levy as uffi-
cient amount, perhaps, to produce in the ag-