Year: 1872

TERRE HAUTE, Ind, July 18.-In ac-
cepting the Democratic nomination
for Congress at the Convention in
Spencer to.day, Mr.. Voorhees, made
long and elaborately prepared speech ;
the most interesting portions of which
are given verbatim in the following
extracts


GENTLEMEN OF THE CONVENTION =
You have done me a great honor to-
day, the greatest | have ever received,
and greater l think, when all the cir
cumstances are considered, than usual
ly falls to the lot of public men in this
country. You have one and all re.
fused to listen to what has been said
to my disadvantage and you have de-
manded that i should remain in your
service. You know me better than
all the world besides. We have labored
together in the past, and you have be-
slowed upon me already ten years Of
official life. If, therefore, after so
much experience Of each other, you
find me in any degree worthy of such
confidence as you have here manifest
cd, may indeed feel that ! have not
lived altogether in vain. call you
to witness also that l have not sought
this nomination but urged that it
might be given to some one else. 1t
is prize, IL is true, coming from the
source it does, which is equal to the
highest ambition, but circumstances of
purely personal and domestic nature
led me to declare two years ago pub
licly in every part of the district that
| was then making my last race for
Congress. Again one year ago l re.
peated my wish 10 quit public life and
bestow what ability and energy /
possess to my private interests. 1t
cannot, therefore, be said that all the
reluctance, which i have manifested
in regard to the present contest, is of
recent date.


am not here, however, to shun the
events of the last two months, and the
new and peculiar responsibilities
which they impose. This is an occa-
sion for perfect frankness between you
and me. / will talk TO you, therefore,
as if 1 was seated at your hearth
stones, and il the outside world is lis.
tening, / trust it will hear Of nothing
of which we will be ashamed.


A close observation of tho lawless
and outrageous conduct of the present
administration and the great and in.
creasing disgust in the public mind,
convinced me that an easy opportuni-
ty would be presented this year for
the Democratic party, by presenting
one of lis ablest and purcst men for
the Presidency, to regain its control
Of government and re.establish civil
liberty and equality in the burdens as
well as the blessings Of the Republic.
gave honest Republicans tho same
credit, which they now give US, in
believing that they would sufficiently
rise above party TO vote against cor
rupt administration without regard
To the company in which they per
formed 80 noble an act. ! still believe
they would have done 80; that any
ono of the four or five Democratic
statesmen, who might oe named, emi.
ncnt for ability and purity of charac-
ter, could have been elected to the
Presidency over the present very un.
popular incumbent. Entertaining this
5ninion with the force of an absolute
conviction. | made an earnest effort
To have il prevail in the minds of 9th.
crs in view of the approacbinp Ma.
tiopal Democratic Convention. / ex.
ercised nv right as member of this
Democratic marty in pointine out
what I Thought its action ought to be
This is a rip6t for which | am behold
inc to no one have no APOLOGIES IA
make for having exercised Il as I did
| / would do 90 asain under similar cir
cumstances do not claim 10 be \
sbrewd ond MANAGING nolitician h
sbre wdnoss and man n eoment consist,