From the beginning of the war he had illustrated the highest accomplishments of political oratory in bewailing, like the fabled prophetess of old, the coming woes--which never came.

In his address on the present occasion he arraigned the Republican party for imposing oppressive taxes, for inflicting upon the country a depreciated currency, and for enforcing a military despotism.

Like all the other speakers he affected to see a serious menace in the nomination of General Grant.

Referring to the Republican platform and candidate he said, "Having declared that the principles of the Declaration of Independence should be made a living reality on every inch of American soil, they put in nomination a military chieftain who stands at the head of that system of despotism which crushes beneath its feet the greatest principles of the Declaration of Independence." And with this allusion he proceeded to condemn an assumed military rule with all its asserted evils.
Extreme as was the speech of Mr.Seymour, it was moderate and conservative in spirit compared with other displays and other proceedings of the Convention.

The violent elements of the Democratic party obtained complete mastery in the construction of the platform.
They presented in the resolutions the usual declarations on many secondary questions, together with an elaborate and vehement arraignment of Republican rule.