Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: REVIEW. I would most heartily, fellow-citizens and friends, tender my personal congratulations, in view of the joyful intelligence that has been coming to us for the past few days, particularly as it seems to present to us the crowning scenes of a long- agitated reform. You have rejoiced, I do not doubt, more in the. fact, that the success of the Federal arms is the triumph, in a large measure, of right, and justice, and liberty, than in the mere fact of a sectional or of a Federal victory. But we .cannot fail to remember, as we stand here in the broad light of this joy, that a little time ago, the laborers in the great cause that now so gladdens our hearts were very few, and those few socially ostracized. If, therefore, we rejoice aright, we are to-night prepared, though we should stand single-handed and alone, to lift up’ our voices in behalf of another great reform, which is not foreign to the spirit of the hour, but is illuminated and quickened and made welcome by the gladness within us. One of the great benefits of a republican or democratic government lies in the fact, that the citizens of that government are at liberty to discuss, and are by the very form of the government incited to discuss, the most vital principles and the most vital social tb,emes. We do not, therefore, bemoan adversities, in our attempts to carry forward great legislative measures, promotive of the social welfare of the people. . Overthrows and defeats are oftentimes made the most powerful instrumentalities for the advancement of the cause they Beem for the moment to retard. In speaking to you to-night, in compliance with the request of a committee of the State Temperance Alliance, and also iii accordance witli my own feelings, sympathies and judgment, I represent to you the temperance friends…
