Year: 1876

/ "a. LsCG


5Oc each subsequent insertion.


Hon. Theodore NJ. Pomeray, of New
York, for that Office.


The motion was agreed to, and the


Chair designated Gov. Baldwin, of


Michigan, and Gov. Van Zandt, of


Rhode Island, committee to conduct


Mr.. Pomeroy to the chair. Upon be-


ing introduced, he spoke as follows:


SPEECH OF THEODORE NJ. PoMEROY,


Gentlemen of the Conrention-It thank


you most heartily for the compliment


conferred by calling me to preside over


vention. | had been so long with


drawn from practical participation in


political affairs, that it is in obedience


to custom rather than to my own in
clinatiOn that | occupy even moment
of your time in consideration of the


political situation, and OF the principles
so long and SO successfully intrusted to
the keeping of the Republican party.


Events have chased each other so rap
idly from the inauguration of Abraham


Lincoln to The closing year of the ad-


ministratiOn of General Grant, fraught


with such fundamental changes in the


whole theory and practice of govern


ment, that the briefest consideration of


them in the briefeSt manner is precluG-
ed upon an occasion such as this.


Brief as may be considered the exis-


tence of the Republican party, none
other in the history of the Nation has
for so long consecutive period con-
trolled its Government without en-
cOuntering popular defeat; and still,


Notwithstanding popular jealousy of po-


litical ascendency long continued, it is
in the power of this Convention to
designate the coming President of the


United States. Loud and continued
applause Our folly may conceive


what the wisdom of the opposition can
not achieve-our defeat at the polls in
November. But such defeat can come
from no other cause.


We are met here, not as cOntending
factions within the party, to test under
various leaderships cur relative
strength; but as representatives accep.-
ing high responsibility to extract from
the crucible of conflicting unions that
type of American craftsmanship which
shall be accepted as the worthy embod
iment of the principle of the party.
Applause. Men as well as measures
are to be weighed in the balance dur
ing the coming months, and neither
must be found wanting to insure sue
cess. Applause. The Republican party
cannot continue to live by reason of its
splendid achievements in the past, nor
the Democratic party expect to be re-
turned to power on its glittering prom
ises of reform in the future. Applause.
The former party has yet to present
men representatives of its principles
the latter must discover both its prin-
ciples and its men. Cheers and cries
of "good."1 In former days, when
party ties were firmer, when the i'm
mediate pressure OF impending Ma
tional calamities hedged US about and
compelled party fidelity, the platform
carried on the man, whoever he might
be. Party ties are looser now, and no
platform is buoyant enoug to float an
vnwOrty candidate. Applause.


The necessity for the continuance of
the administrative policy of the Re-
publican party, while not so apparent
in immediate results, is as command
ing in future consequence as at any
time in its history. We are told that
it has accomplished its mission, AID
that therefore it has no claims to meet.
Well, if the time for its dissolution has
come, it can die triumphant, like the
apostle of old, exclaiming, 81 have
fought the good fight; have kept the
faith" Loud and continued applause.
1t has many missions unfulfilled. Its
mission at its birth was neutraliZing
the effects of the repeal of the Missouri
in saving to freedom the
great Territories of the Northwest, and
bringing Californis into the sisterhoOd
of States undefiled by slavery and
like bride in the glitter of her
golden adoInment. The mission of the
manhood of the Republican party, our
mission of to-day, is to establish on Sc
cure foundations, and make secure for
the coming ages, the fruits of the war,
debt and taxation through which the
present has been achieved. The four
teenth and fifteenth Constitutional
are to be secured, through
such appropriate legislation as Congress
may devise. 1t fulfilled the mission of
its youth in accepting tine irrepressible
conflict, and it was a mission worth
living for to have saved a nationality
like ours, to have freed four millions
of slaves loud cheers and raised them
to the dignity OF American citizenship
renewed cheers and to have recon-
the Federal Constitution so as
to place the liberties of the citizen and
the credit of the nation upon founda-
tions strong enough to endure any,
thing except the


/ ask the freedmen of the South if
they are ready to accept the Democrat
ic party as the source of power no! mol
from which is to flow the appropriate
legislation to give effect to those
ask a candid public if
the only anarchy that exists to-day in
the South is not the anarchy caused by
the position of the Democratic party,as
such, Tcheers to the principles adopted
in the march of reconstruction, and
now part of the fundamental law of
the land? The Democratic party
claims to accept the situation respect
ing the sacredness of National credit,
but twenty millions of dollars will not
make good the annual loss to the
American people from the indefinite
and indefinable attitude and intentions
Of that party in regard TO the payment
Of the principal of the public debt.


In the prosecution Of the war to over
throw the rebellion, for the purpose OF
the ready money to pay the
army and navy, to provide the I'M
mense material of war, it became ne
cessary to suspend specie payment, aud
to make forced loan from the people
by declaring greenbacks legal tender
in payment of public and private in
1ebtedness. Yet, while claiming to be
In favor of resumption OF specie pay
ment at some indefinite time, and by
means OF some indefinite process, al
though eleven years have elapsed since
The close of the war, it bitterly opposes
the payment of the forced loan, or the
taking of the first practical step toward