Year: 1875




advisers. Laughter and cheers, renewed


several times.


This Democratic party is calling thei1
State convention, assumed to be the ad


vance Of the Democratic party Of the


country | want to read just word OF


two. Never in the history of the Dem


ocracy has there been an occasion oil
more importance than will be in the com
ing convention. By fidelity TO principle


and unselfish devotion to our organiza


ton, the Democracy of Ohio have earned


for themselves the honorable position oi


advance guard We are no longer en-
! gagged in an ordinary State contest; the
| destinies of the people have been con
tided to the Democratic party Of Ohio.


"And, in view Of the Democratic Legis-
| lature of the State, l believe it would be
/ pious here to say, and may the Lord have
| mercy upon the people. Laughter.
! We must accept, gentlemen, in this issue,
/ to q great extent, the fact that it is not a
mere State campaign. As Ohio goes this
/ fall she possibly may so next year. We
are organizing for 1876 and we must beat
! that advance guard. LApplause. That
Is the duty devoivlng upon the people of
| Ohio. The advance guard of the lost
cause. l am not here to-day for the pur-
pose Of stirring up any bitterness toward
the people of the South. 1t was meet
and proper that the American people
! should stand at the grave of Breckin-
ridge, that we should forget, as far as
/ possible, the animosities and the bitter
ness of ten years ago; but to delegate
the power to a party that still clings to
the lost cause, is another and very diff
| ferent thing They have elected between
I-iz- III,
were concerned in the rebellion to the
Forty-fourth Congress. In Missouri
| they have elected a small Confederate
| General to take the place of Carl Shurz,
and when these gentlemen get power in
the government of the United States
they get power in the interests of that
lost cause Depend upon it we can have
peace in this country in thirty days by
| repeating the laws upon the statute
books of the nation for the enforcement
of the principles of the 14th and 18th
amendments of the Constitution, but we
will realize ere long, l think, that they
are not only hostile to these principles,
but that they are hostile to the credit of
the nation they are hostile to the hon
est payment of the public debt. This
Democratic party Of Ohio is the advance
guard of the men who followed, in 1868,





New York, with greenbacks pasted all
over the stars; the advance guard to-day
of that party who would initiate the cur
rency of the country for the purpose of
destroying the national credit. We must
look to it in Ohio, and defeat this ad-
vance guard. We should have no divis-
ion of sentiment so far as the Republi-
cans of Ohio are concerned. I believe
the Republicans of this State are dissat-
isfied in the main with the legislation of
last winter. We should have no division
of sentiment as to the condition of the
South, that the government of the United
States with all its great powers should
stand by the humblest citizen, no matter
though he may live in cabin in the
sWamps of Louisiana 1t is a part of the
Republican creed for them to do it.
Applause. We should have no division
of the sentiment of the convention in
standing by the public school system of
the State and of the country [cheers no
matter who may come in the way,
whether Bishop McQuaid, the Demo
cratic party, or the devil, Applause
We commend Gen. Grant for his execu-
ton of the laws of our country, for the
firm maintainance of those laws especi-
ally that guarantee civil and religious
rights to the people Of the South, but he
will honor alike himself and the great
party that has twice elected him to the
highest Office in the gift of the people of
the country he has SO illustriously served
by following the example of the father
of his country [applausel, and we regard
his late expressions upon this subject as
being in full accord with the sentiments
of the people of Ohio [Applausa.l


Cone word more, we must act with
harmony and for the purpose of carrying
the State this fall. Not so much, posi-
bly,, depends upon who shall be Governor
of Ohio for the next two years, but much
does depend upon the attitude in W hich
Ohio shall place herself this fall in the
condition of the next two years. re-
member an incident that occurred in the
Valley of Virginia during the war that
you all are familiar with, when the army
of Sheridan had lost their camps, and |
were driven down the valley. When |
Sheridan rode up from Winchester he |
brought the stragglers to the front. He |
faced them to the old enemy and he |
faced them to the flag toward the old |
campfire. As he rode along the line he
called: Now, men, forward, and we will |
go to the old camp tonight and they |
went. Cries of Good, good, and cheers. !
Now, Republicans of Ohio, let Us form a
line from the lake down to the river; let |
every man come to the front, face the
old enemy; let us have the old aggres-
sive spirit of the Republican party when |
it does face that enemy in this contest,
and take my word for it, so sure as the |
second Tuesday in October comes we will |
go back to our old camp Cheers.


Now we will come to the organization
Of the Democratic convention, and give
the report as found in the Cincinnati



A change in the atmosphere came on a
little before the hour fixed for the meet
ing of the Convention The clouds gath
cred heavily in the west and north and
a few delegates, warned by a slight sprin-
kle of rain, hurried to the Opera-house,
where they were afterward joined by
crowd only limited by the capacity Of
the building. The scene at IL o'clock,
when the convention was about being
called to order, was decidedly somber.
A heavy thunderstorm was passing over
the city, and Just as the temporary chair
man advanced to the front driving
gust of wind and hail and rain went
sweeping past, drenching lncllless tray
elers, and drowning with tremendous
roll Of thunder the brass instruments
that were vainly trying in the gallery to
amuse the halfscared audience The
wind tore off a portion of the roof the
building where they were assembled, and
the rain came drilling through the roof
and upon the platform where were seat
ed a squad of the notables of the party.


The Convention was called to order by
Hon, A. T. Walling member of Congress
-.