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BANQUET 
 
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 HON. SIMON CAMERON 
 
 m.kt St i\i Mum' $sm, M^ 2i* i»<'2, 
 
 BY van 
 
 PEOPLE OF HARRISBURG. 
 
 HARRlSBURe^ : 
 
 PRIMTBD AT " TKliEORAPB " JfOB OFflC*. 
 
 \^' 1862* 
 
SPEECHES AND PROCEEDINGS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 OA.MERON Bi^NQUET. 
 
 HAEEISBtJRS, MAT 2, 1862 
 
 SeTorftl weeks since a number of our leading 
 citizens, personal friends of Hon. Simon Catn- 
 eroQ, desiring to testify their appreciation of his 
 namerous services and tbeir esteem and regard 
 for him as a man, citiaen and neighbor, hon- 
 ored him with the tender of a public supper, 
 previous to his leaving the country on the im- 
 portant mission to Kossia. Owing, however, to 
 Dumeroas business engagements, his acceptance 
 of this kind offer on the part of his friends was 
 not indicated until the early part of last week, 
 when the committee having charge of the mat- 
 ter at once commenced making arrangements, 
 and the banquet came off at the Jones' House, 
 in this city, on Friday evening, May 2nd. 
 
 THB raVITATIOS AND HS ACOEPTANOB. 
 
 Harrisbueg, Pa., April 7, 1862, 
 Hon. Simon Cameron, Dear Sir: — The un- 
 dersigaed, your personal friends and acquaint- 
 ances, act willing that you should leave the 
 country on your important mission as Minister 
 Plenipotentiary to Russia, without having re- 
 ceived some manifestation of the high esteem 
 with which they regard your integrity as a man, 
 and the entire coufidence they have in yoar 
 great ability as a statesman, desire that you 
 indicate some future occasion wtien it will be 
 convenient for you to join your friends in par- 
 taking of a banquet. In thus tendering to 
 you the honor of such an entertainment, we 
 feel that we are obeying the expressed desire of 
 a large portion of your fellow citiaens who are 
 not aware of this teader, bat who will gladly 
 
 assemble around any board at which you may b9 
 the distinguished and honored gueefc. 
 
 You will please "iadicite the time most con- 
 venient for you to partake of each a banqiiet, 
 in your early reply to this note. 
 Your friends, 
 
 WILLIAM BUEHLEB, , 
 
 A. J. JONES, 
 JNO. A. FISHER, 
 WM. DOCK, 
 GEO. BERGNER, 
 ROBERT A. LAMBERTON, 
 E M. POLLOCK, 
 DAVID McCORMIOK, 
 ROBERT L. MUENOH, 
 P. K. BOAS, 
 CaARLKSF. MUENCH, 
 WM. COLDER. 
 
 OS}?. Cameron's bkflt. 
 
 LooHiEL, Map 1, 1&62. 
 GenhiEMem: — Your note of the 7 th of April, 
 inviting me to partake of a banquet, aa a 
 manifestation of the high esteem of my friends 
 and fellow citissens, was duly received, but I 
 have been unduly delayed in answering, owing 
 to the preparations incident to my departure 
 for Russia, the embarrasmei^t of a prosecn- 
 ution growing out of the arrest of traitora 
 while I was Secretary of War, and the neces- 
 „ sity of my absence from home, in attendance 
 on the President, to receive final instructions 
 for the government of my embissy. These 
 having been disposed of, I am now at leisure 
 to acknowledge your veiy flattering note, and 
 also to accept your very friendly invitation. 
 It will afford me much pleasure to meet nay 
 
CAMBROW BiflfQOirr. 
 
 friends and fellow citizens to-morrow (Friday) 
 evening, if tliat time will meet the prepara- 
 tions of your committee. 
 
 With a high regard for the naembers of th« 
 committee, indiTidnally, I am, gentlemen, 
 Yours, truly, 
 SIMON CAMEEON. 
 To John A. Fisher, William Dock, William 
 Buehler, George Bergner, E. M. Pollock, 
 A. J. Jones, Wm. Colder, David McCormick, 
 Robert A. Lamberton, F. K. Boas, Charles 
 F. Mueneh, and other membere of the com- 
 mittee. 
 
 *HE OOMFANT IN WAITING. 
 
 "Bho cibizens interested ia the banqoet com- 
 menced assemblyiog in the large parlors of the 
 Jones' House at an early hour on Friday even- 
 ing. As the company arrived, they were usher- 
 ed into those spacious rooms, where they were 
 introduced to Gen. Cameron. During the inter 
 vals of the arrivals and the banquet it must 
 have been gratifying to the distinguished 
 guest of this occasion to receive the many 
 warm expressions of personal regard then ofler- 
 ed by those who had known him from boyhood 
 through years of stern struggle, to the hour 
 when he had fairly won some of the brightest 
 hoaors and largest confidence of his country- 
 men Whatever tribute may hare been here- 
 tofore offered to Gen. Cameron *in circles be- 
 yond this locality, where the compliments of 
 men are generally controlled by their own hopes 
 of iaterest or gain, those which he has ever 
 secured in the circles of his own home and 
 among the citizens of this city, have been of a 
 character which prove that he has a hold on ou 
 people which no outside attacks can affect or 
 destroy. 
 
 THB BAKQtTEX HAH. 
 
 While the company, with its distinguisbed 
 guest, were thus awaiting the hour for the ban- 
 quet, we availed ourselves of the courtesies and 
 privileges usually tendered to the reportotial 
 corps, to visit the banquet hall. This, of 
 course, was in the usual dining saloon of the 
 hotel, which was handsomely decorated and ar- 
 ranged for the occasion, present) og a scene of 
 the most beautiful description. The chandel- 
 liers peudant from the ceiling and brackets pro- 
 jecting from the walls flooied the large hall with 
 intense lustre, amid which the bilver, china and 
 glass ware of the tables, flashed with a bril- 
 liancy almost overpowering to the eye. The 
 tables, of which there were two running the 
 entire length of the hall, fairly groaned beneath 
 the weight of choice edibles, prepared in a 
 
 manner that spoke volumes for the good taste 
 and proficiency of Mr. David Hntchinson, 
 to whom Col. Ck)verly entrusted this important 
 part of the programme. 
 
 THE BANQCEI'. 
 
 About 8 J o'clock the doors of the banqueting 
 hall were thrown open, and the company, 
 numbering about one hundred and fifty, with 
 their distinguished guest, proceeded to occupy 
 seats aroimd the sumptously furnished table. 
 
 His Honor, Wm. H. Kepner, Mayor of the 
 city, occupied the h ad of the principal table, 
 flanked on the left by his honor Judge Pear- 
 son, and on the right by the distinguished 
 guest of the evening. Gen. Cameron. Am^ng 
 the company, we noticed Hon. Thomas B. 
 Cochran, Auditor General of the State, Wno. 
 M. Kerr, Esq., Judge Murray, Wm. Colder, 
 Maj. John Brady, Gen. E. C. Wilson, George 
 Trullinger, W. O. Hickok, Dr. Geo. Bailey, Dr. 
 A. Patterson, J. B. Rutherford, Wm. Euehler, 
 Es(i , Thomas C. Nicholson, of the Treasury De- 
 partment, John A. Weir, Esq., Charles F, 
 Mueneh, Samuel A, Power, of the Commisary 
 General's Department, Cyrus J. Reese, Davicl 
 Fleming, Esq., County Treasurer J. L. Speel, 
 A. J. Herr, Esq., E. M. Pollock, David Mum- 
 ma, Daniel Shell enberger, and a number 
 of other leading men of the city, who vied with 
 each other in their spoken and silent manifesta- 
 tions of regard for the honored guest ol the 
 occasion. 
 
 The supper was discussed with a hearty 2iest, 
 showing that the company fully appreciated ite 
 merits. The bill of fare embraced all the 
 choice delicacies of the season, divided off into 
 several courses, intermingled with excfclient 
 wines, and terminating with a desert of incom- 
 parable richness. 
 
 THE TOAST Off TH8 EVBNINO AND THE BI'KKOaKS. 
 
 After the cloth was removed, his honor May- 
 or Kepner announced the following toast : 
 
 Simon Cameron— A Pennsylvanian who bftS 
 nevtr forf?otten his native State— an American 
 who has always been faithful to his conntrj 
 and his cuuntrymen. His fellow citizens de- 
 light to honor him. 
 
 The enthusiastic applause with which this 
 sentiment was greeted having somewhat smb- 
 sided, . 
 
 General CAMiBONsaid: Mr Mayor and I'el- 
 low Citizens: I take it for granted that I am 
 expected to say something in retorn for tke 
 compliment you have been so kind as to confer 
 upon me, yet I cannot speak to you, my fellow 
 citizens, in any cold or formal language. Sinoe 
 
OA.MEROM BANQBTET. 
 
 T 
 
 I bave c©me into tbia room. all the thoughts of 
 businees and of duty which crowded upon my I 
 mind during thedvy hav6 fled, leaving only the 
 (remembrance of tbe associatioos and friend- 
 ships that I have experienced during the long 
 fears of my residence in this, my home- I 
 remember that this day foriy five years ago I 
 came to Harrisburg — a poor, delicate, sickly 
 boy— without any reliance but on the overruling 
 control ot Providence and the reward which I 
 had been taught to believe would always follow 
 proper actions. The only countenance of those 
 around me which I remember to have seen at 
 that day, was that of my friend who sits beside 
 me on the right, (Mr. 0. F. Muench,) who was 
 then a boy younger than myself, and whom I 
 met the day after entering the town. Ho was 
 an apprentice in a printing office iiere, to 
 which I went to obtain employment, and 
 which I left with a feeling such as can be 
 experienced only by those who are willing to 
 work, are without money in their purse, and are 
 destitute of friends upon whom to rely, when 
 told "we cannot employ you." I can now re- 
 member the name of only one living housekeeper 
 in the town at that time. I rater to Judge 
 Hummel. I made the acquaintance of the 
 honored gentleman at the same time that I be- 
 came the recipient of his generous hospitality. 
 The first place at which I stopped to rest 
 my weary limbs after reaching the town, was 
 beneath the shade of an old willow tree in 
 front of his house. He came oat and spoke 
 kindly to me, inviting me into his home and 
 we have been friends ever since. Sir, how the 
 world has changed since then ! —how has every- 
 thing about me changed ! A day or two after 
 I saw my friend Muench I obtained employ- 
 ment. I immediately went to work with such 
 a heart and will as never fail to win fiuccess. 
 During the daytime I worked for my employer 
 and at night I cultivated my mind. A few 
 years of assiduous toil made me the poEsessor 
 of a printing office. When other men slept I 
 tjontinued to toil, and felt certain that sooner 
 or later I would feel equal, not alone in this 
 world's goods but in the scale of merit and ca- 
 pacity with other men around me. Why, sir, 
 it was no uncommon thing for me to retire at 
 midnight and rise at four in the morning to 
 pursue my daily avocation. 
 
 I have lived to see what was then a hamlet 
 become tbe third city of the State. In my po- 
 aitioQ as a newspaper journalist I necessarily 
 came in contact with the political theories and 
 important questions of the dav and never fail- 
 ed to advocate what I conceived to bf) a wise 
 and beueficial State policy in regard to a sys- 
 tem of internal improvements. Siocethatday 
 to the present time I may say that I have ac 
 least hid something to do witu every work of 
 improvement connected with tbe progress of 
 chia city ,^nd State. The first efforts of my pen 
 were directed in furtherance of the great poli- 
 cy of internal improvements which brought 
 forth our canal system. I next labored for years 
 to seoure the erectioti of a reUrokd from 
 
 Harrisburg to Lancaster, though laughsd 
 at as a visionary boy who talked about 
 carrying cars, wagons and freight on rails by 
 steam. I am reminded here of aa expression 
 made at one of the meetinga which we held in. 
 favor of that railroad project — (for at that time 
 I was in the habit of persuading my friends to 
 go around the country and convene meetings, 
 by which means I might be enabled to talk 
 to the people on my favorite theme of the 
 desirability of railroad communication and its 
 importance)— one of the auditors upon this oc- 
 casion (the meeting being held at Elizabeth- 
 town) was one known as Abraham Harnly, a 
 very intelligent man, and one of the most active 
 in that neighborhood. During the cjurse of 
 my remarks I bad happened to say, " I have no 
 doubt, gentleman, there are many of yoa pre- 
 sent who will live to sea tbe day when a man 
 can eat his breakfast at Harrisburg, go to Phil- 
 adelphia, (one hundred miles,) fcaka his dinner, 
 transact his business there, and return nome to 
 Hariisburg in time to go to bed, as osuat, in 
 the evening." There was a simultaneous roar 
 of laughter from the audience, which had hardly 
 ceased when this old man very confidentially 
 whispered in my ear, " Simon, I am glad you 
 told them about going to Philadelphia and back 
 again to Harrisburg in one day, because that 
 will make them take the sheers, (shares ) but you 
 and I know all about that !" [Liughter] I leave 
 you to judge, gentlemen, whether my predic- 
 tion was verified. After having proved success- 
 ful in my endeavors in behalf of the railroad 
 from Harrisburg to Lancaster, I became engaged 
 in a project to construct a road from here to 
 Ghambersburg ; then again to Baltimore ; then 
 again to Sunbury, the place of my bo>hood, and 
 also to Reading; ; all of which, I am glad to 
 state, are now prosperous and in most suoce«8- 
 ful operation. I mention this gentlemen, not 
 boastfully, but to show what may be accom- 
 plished by a determined will and a right purpose. 
 In responding to the sentimentof our worthy 
 Mayor my intention, gentlemen, was simply 
 to speak to you familiarly as friends and neigh- 
 bors, without referring to my control of tba 
 War Department, over which I had the honor 
 to preside, but in view of a charge recently made 
 against me because of my exercise of the dele- 
 gated power with which I was entrusted, itniay 
 be proper for me to say to you a £357 words ia 
 relation thereto. I took a seat last year ia 
 Mr. Lincoln's Cabinet against my owa jidg- 
 ment; without consulting my taste for the 
 position, and, I may say, against my own 
 determination. I resigned that post, v;hefl. 
 I thought my mission was ended in organ- 
 izing, equipping, and supplying, under the 
 most adverse circumstances, a larger army 
 than had ever been raistd ia the Bamo spaoa of 
 time of human histcry. When I did accept the 
 place it was with the perfect uaderstanding b{^ 
 tweenMr. Lincoln and myself that whenever I 
 thought proper to resign should I be privileged 
 to do so; and when a vacancy occurred in the ap- 
 pointment to Russia, h^ o£(erdd ma the posl^ 
 
CAMBKON BANQUET. 
 
 and I was glad to accept it. Why, gentlemen. 
 I toiled in tkat Department as no man evCT 
 toiled before; I haye told you thatin my younger 
 years I worked for twenty bonrs out of the 
 twenty -four for euccessive months; but that 
 labor was nothing in comparison with the 
 OTerpoweriDg toil which I underwent at 
 Washington. To say nothing of the extra- 
 ordinary necessities of the Department, 
 arising from an unforseen and threatening na 
 tional emergency. The doors of my pri-vate 
 dwelling were besieged from daylight to the 
 latest boms of the ni^ht ; the department was 
 surrounded on all hands, and at all bours. — 
 Certain members cf Congress, who figure in 
 the vote of censure, were ever besieging 
 my doors, and often patiently waiting for hours 
 to catch a part of the drippings frcm the War 
 Department. Meanwhile I managed the deli- 
 cate and trying affairs of my situation as 
 wisely as I knew how. Of course I committed 
 some errors ; but I did not commit the wrong 
 with which I am charged in the resolution of 
 Congress. I solemnly assert that neither in 
 motive nor deed can I he justly chargeable 
 with the commission of any wrong in the ad- 
 ministration of those affairs , and I am proud 
 to say here in reviewicg my ofiBcial conduct, 
 that I see no act which I would not repeat under 
 the same circumstances Uion my appoint- 
 ment to the position, I fcnnd the depart- 
 ment destitute of all the means of defence ; 
 without guns, end with little prospect of 
 purchasing the materiel of war ; I found the 
 nation without an army, and I found scarcely 
 a man throughout the whole War Department 
 in whom I could put my trust. The Adjutant 
 Geneial deserted. The Quartermaster General 
 ran oft'. The CommisFary Gpnersl was upon his 
 death bed . More than half the clerks were dis- 
 loyal. I remember that upon cce occasion 
 General Scott came to me apparently in great 
 mental tribulation. Said he, "I have spent the 
 most miserable day of my life ; a friend of my 
 hojhood has just told me I am disgracing my 
 eelf by staying here and serving this fragment 
 of the government, in place of going to Vir- 
 ginia and serving under the banner cf my na- 
 tive State ; and I am pained to death." But 
 the old hero was patriotic, loyal and wise 
 enough to say that his friend was wrong ; and 
 he was right in remaining where he was. 
 
 It should be remembered, also, that in those 
 days of peril and alarm, an outcry went up 
 from all portions of the loyal States, urging 
 the GovorEment to procure arms, equipments, 
 and supplies, by any means, and at any cost ; 
 to disregard the usual routine of contracts ; 
 to cut through "red tape," and at the hazard 
 of encountering speculators and peculators, 
 to prepare itself to meet the immediate 
 dangers. Great as were the exertions then 
 made, they fell far short ol the demanda of 
 the people. The Administration was at that 
 time censured for its caution in guarding it- 
 »elf against imposition, because such caution 
 was an evidence of delay. 
 
 But to proceed. You all remember, gentle- 
 men, the day of the President's proclamation 
 calling upon the people of Pennsylvania (be- 
 cause the demand was made upon you here in 
 common with other States) for tioopsto defend 
 the national capital. My (on happening to be 
 in Washington, I si nl him thiiher with the ut- 
 most despatch and a^ked him to appeal to eve- 
 ry man he met in this town and through the 
 country to send dt wn every soldier who would 
 come. . Within three daj s after the issuing of 
 the proclamation foor hundred and eighty 
 troops from Pennsylvania arrived in Washing- 
 ton. They were the first to inspire the gov- 
 ernment with hopsj and courage to contend 
 with the awful crisis then impending. They 
 came there without arms and were lurnished 
 /rom the arsenal at that place. Directly 
 after this — wiihin two or three days — 
 three or four regiments were assembled at 
 Cockeysville, Maryland, by my order. At the 
 sirrae time a number of bridges on the Philad- 
 elphia and Baltimore railroad, via Wilming- 
 ton, were burned or destroyed. It was at this 
 time that the mob in Baltimore, murdered our 
 unarmed soldiers in her streets on their way to 
 the defence of the capital, and the Baltimore 
 and Ohio railroad refused to carry our troops. 
 At that time wbtn the loyalty of nesrly all thp 
 inhabitants was doubted, Mr. Seward, the 
 Secretary of State, in company with the Secre- 
 tary ot the Treasury, called tTpon me and said 
 "we must have somebody in New York to assist 
 the public officers therein collecting and for- 
 warding troops," asking me to name any in- 
 dtvidual whom I considered, competent for that 
 purpose. I was acquainted with but a few people 
 in New York, yet after a moment's reflection I 
 recollected Mr. Cummings, with whom I had an 
 intimacy when he was a cinzen of this State. 
 The two gentlemen theninformtdme that they 
 had appointed Mr. Cieto, of ihe sub-treasury 
 General Dix, now in the army, Mr. Opdyke, 
 the present Ma\orof the ciiy of New York, 
 and Mr. Blatchf(.rd,ft citizen of New York, and 
 as I have stated, k quested me to name kome 
 other gentlemen. I gave the name of" Mr. 
 Cummings and associated with it that of Gov. 
 Morgan of the Sia'e of New York. To show 
 how guarded I was in these appointments, I will 
 read the order that I gave upon that occasion: 
 
 Depaetiiekt of War, Jpril 23, 1861. 
 "In consideration of the extraordinary emer- 
 gencies which demand itBmtdiate and decisive 
 measures for the pnseivation of ihe national 
 capital and the defense of the National Gov- 
 ernment, Ibertby autboiize Edwin D. Morgan, 
 Governor of the State of New York, and Alex- 
 ander Cummif gp, now in the city of New 
 York, tomsike hll necessary arrangements for 
 the transportaiioti ot troops and munitions of 
 war in aid and assistance of the officers of the 
 army of the United Siate.^, until communica- 
 tion by mail and teb graph is com pletely re- 
 established between the cities of Wai^ington 
 and New York. Either of them, in case of 
 
ClUKRON BAKQrST. 
 
 iQability to consult with the other, may exei- 
 ciaa the authority hereby given. 
 
 SIMON CAMERON, 
 Secretary of War. 
 
 It will be seen that I did not iatrurt those 
 gentlemen with the expenditure of any money 
 I was careful to give them no authority to act 
 independent of the military officers of the gov- 
 ernment. Sometime afterwards, I received a 
 telegram signed by Messrs. Morgan and Cum- 
 mings, asking for authority to draw money, 
 which I referred in the ubuaI manner to the 
 Treasury Department. That is all I had to do 
 with the matter, and at the ead of fourteen 
 days, oommuQloation having been restored, 1 
 revoked their authority, as will be seen by the 
 following note: 
 
 .War Dbtartmbni', Kay 7, 1861. 
 
 Qentlgiceh: — The extraordinary emergency 
 which demanded immediate and decisive mea- 
 Buree for the preservation of the national capi- 
 tal, and the defense of the National Govern- 
 ment, rendered it necessary for this Depart- 
 ment to adopt extraordinory means for that 
 purpose, and having fall confidence in your 
 iatelligence,. experience and integrity, you 
 were authorized to make all necessary arrange- 
 ments for the transportation of troops, &c., in 
 aid and assistance of the officers of the army 
 of the United States, until the re-establishment . 
 of communication, by mails and telegraph, 
 between the cities of New York and Washing- 
 ton. 
 
 Uninterrupted communication between the 
 two cities being now again established, and it 
 being desirable that the duties heretofore at- 
 tended to by you should be hereafter perform- 
 ed by the officers of the army, to whom- they 
 properly belong, I beg to tender you the thanks 
 of this Depirtment for the very prompt and 
 efficient tnanner in which you have discharged 
 the duties assigned you, and to request you to 
 ceaee making purchases, procure transports, 
 or attending to other duties under authority 
 given, which could be justified only by the 
 emergency now happily, no longer existing. 
 Respectfully, yours, 
 SIMON CAMERON. 
 Gov. E, D. Morgan and Alexander Gammings, 
 
 Esqrs., New York city. 
 
 Now, gentlemen, in regard to the Congres- 
 sional cooamittee of investigation of which the 
 country has heard so much, I have reason to 
 believe that the origin »1 iateation of its 
 ^ appointment was to control the War Da- 
 partment and place money in the pockets of 
 its members. The second or third day after 
 the aunoaucdment of the committee, its chair- 
 man called upon me and desired that I should 
 authoriae him to famish a certain regimient 
 with arms, munitions, clothing, etc. I refused 
 his application, because I thought from my 
 knowledge of his character that he was un- 
 worthy of a trust. After a further colloquy 
 with the chairman, I orderel him out of the 
 War Department; and of course I was attacked 
 by that coratulttee. 
 
 The committee of investigation have made 
 the additional charge upon me in my official 
 connection with the government, of having 
 bought a greater number of guns than were 
 needed. I did order a large number of arms ; 
 but I will take this occasion to answer that 
 charge. It must be borne in mind that I was 
 supplying an army of more than 700,000 men, 
 and that the lose of arms in a single cam- 
 paign has been estimated by military men to 
 reach as high as fifty pur cent. In a glance at the 
 statistics I tind that in round numbers I ordered 
 nearly a million of muskets, almost one hun- 
 dred thousand carbines and perhaps as many 
 swords. When I took possession of the War 
 Department I found that there were but few 
 muskets in the arsenals, no swords of any ac- 
 count, and scarcely any munitions of war. — 
 Within a short time after the proclamation, it 
 became apparent that there was no diffionlty in 
 getting troops, but there was great difficulty 
 in procuring arms. I found the ordnance de- 
 partment without a head ; the person having 
 charge there being an old man, who was con- 
 ceded by those in whom I had confidence, In- 
 cluding Gen. Scott, to be incompetent for the 
 duties of the position. I superceded him, and 
 put in his place one who was believed to be 
 fully competent, but who soon proved in 
 the opinion of my associates to ^ unequal 
 to the crisis. I felt, personally, reluctant to 
 enter into any contract myself, as I had no 
 time for such details, and therefore dkected 
 Mr. Thomas A. Scott, my assistant, to aot 
 in conjunction with Col. Ripley, and tkat 
 he stiould 630 that every contrswt was 80 
 guarded that, in case of failure at the end of 
 thirty days, the contracj should be revoked, 
 leaving to Col. Ripley to determine the qual- 
 ity and price of the arms to be contracted for. 
 At this time Governors of States, officers want- 
 ing arms, cabinet ministers, and members of 
 Congress were constantly making application 
 for arms, charging the Ordinance Dapartmeat 
 with inefficiency, stating that if consent were 
 given they could be procured, and I therefore 
 directed Mr. Scott to act in conjunction with 
 Colonel Ripley and to contract with every 
 man who was willing to make a musket or 
 furnish a sword, and from whom the other 
 necessary munitions of war could be obtained, 
 at the same time instructing him to see that 
 the chief of the ordnance department uhould 
 fix the price and datermine the chaiacter of 
 the arms. The allygiition has been repeat- 
 edly iterated that I made these contracts with 
 an eye to personal preference. But I hava 
 already proven, gentlemen, that the furthest 
 limit of even my official action in the 
 matter was simply to order the making of 
 such contracts as were necessary, leaving all 
 that regarded price or quality in the hands of 
 the ordnance department, and to this a'»7. J 
 scarcely know any of ttie indiriduals with 
 whom contracts were male. ,,. * 
 
 The special contract escitmg public at- 
 tention was m.ftde with a party by the name ot 
 
CAkEROJy SAN^eBT. 
 
 Boker. On the fifth of September, uader cover 
 from the President, I received a note, which I 
 now read : 
 
 Washington, Sept. 4, 1861. 
 Hou, SmoN Cameeon, Secretary of War: 
 ia.Sia:— Our resident partner in Europe ad- 
 vises us by last steamer of a lot of upwards of 
 one hundred thousand stand of arms — rifidd, 
 percussion muskets — new and in good eondi- 
 tiou— having been placed in iiis control by 
 making advances thereon. 
 
 We desire to oQer them to your Department, 
 and should it appear to you of sufficient impor- 
 tance to secure the immediate deliveiy there 
 of 60 large a quantity of good arms, we would 
 invito your attention thereto. ' 
 
 4^We offer the arms at a price not exceeding 
 (^hkm dollars each, subject to the inspection 
 and approval of an armorer whom you shall 
 select to accompany our authorized agent. If 
 the article is not satisfactory, the Government 
 will iccur no expense, and if approved, you 
 ^1 secure an article much needed. 
 ' We also control by advances thereon over 
 18,000 cavalry sabres, which we offer as above, 
 at a price not to exceed $7 60 a piece. 
 Yery respectfully, 
 
 Tour obedient servants, 
 
 (Signed) HERMAN BOKER & CO., 
 
 ^ 50 Cliff street. New York. 
 
 Also of Liege, Solinger, Remscherd, Birming- 
 ham, Bown. 
 
 This was at the time when the Queen s pro- 
 clamatioB had prohibited, among other things, 
 the exportation of arms to the United States. 
 You lemomber, gentlemen, we sent an agent 
 (Mr. Schuyler, of " New York,) out to Belgium 
 to procure arms for our government. He suc- 
 ceeded in purchasing one hundred thousand 
 guns ther«, but being unable to ship them all 
 directly, he sent a portion to England, where 
 (the proclamation to which I have just referred 
 being soon after issued) he was prevented from 
 trasspoTting or using the arms in any manner. 
 In this extremity of the large army of sol- 
 diers in and about Washington, not two hun- 
 dred thousand of them were armed. Upon the 
 lotter I have just read was the endorsement of 
 One President in his own hand writing in these 
 words: _ • 
 
 " I approve the carrying this through mrefuUy, 
 cmiiauihu ofid expdiliously. Avoid conflicls and in- 
 Urferance. A. LINCOLN." 
 
 —the literal meaning of the endorsement was 
 that the world should not know of our military 
 deficiency and weakness until the evil had been 
 remedied and that care and caution were to be 
 used as heretofore in keeping inviolate the se- 
 cret of our defect. Fully coinciding with 
 the Pretident, and in obedience to his order, 
 I promptly directed this contract to be closed ; 
 and I assure you gentlemen, without the arms 
 it produced, we should not have been able to 
 achieve the lata glorious victories in<the west. 
 
 I may add, in proof of the great anxiety of 
 ail to obtain arme, that but a very few days be- 
 fore I left the War Department, the 0Abki9t 
 
 agreed to adopt a conditional contract mado 
 by Mr. Schuyler for 100,000 guns in Belgium, 
 which I successfully opposed on the ground 
 that we had guns enough contracted for, and 
 with the encouragement which had been af- 
 forded to our own manufacturers, the supply , 
 would probably be sufficient for our future 
 wants. By this means $1,800,000 have beea 
 retained in the country to be expended in those 
 localities from which our soldiers have volun- 
 teered, and this occurred after all those con- 
 tracts had been completed, of which so much 
 complaint is now made. 
 
 The investigating committee of Congress have 
 said that the muskets made at the Sprinfield ar- 
 mory cost only $12 apiece. That assertion like 
 many others that have been made in connec- 
 tion with supplies for the army, is not the fact. 
 Without taking into consideration the expense 
 of superintendence, the cost ef buildings, ma- 
 chinery or capital invested, the mere net cost of 
 the gun for labor and material when there is no 
 competition in time of peace, has amounted 
 •to $12 60. But had those guns purchased oo. 
 my order proved to be twice more expensive 
 than they actually were, then, in view of 
 the fact that the army was practically use- 
 less without them, I would have done ex- 
 actly as I did with the beef contract, to which 
 other gentlemen have seen fit to refer. When 
 we expected large arrivals of soldiers from 
 Pennsylvania and other States, and there waa 
 nothing to feed them with, the Acting Com- 
 missary General came to me and said, ' 'I can 
 now buy two thousand beeves if I pay two or 
 three cents a pound more than they should be 
 worth." 
 
 "Well, I replied," "pay it," (applaose) — 
 ' 'pay a dollar per pound rather than a soldier 
 should suffer, but be guarded that your contract 
 ceases when a supply can be had at the custom- 
 ary price" — which was done. He made a con- 
 tract for two thousand beeves, and the whole 
 world rung with the announcement that the Se- 
 cret«7 of War had cheated the government in 
 order to enrich some favorite, and yet the con- 
 tract was made with my personal enemies. So, 
 again, I was censured at the time of the battle 
 of Boll's Run for not having sufficient cavalry 
 in the field. Yet I could not speak in my own 
 defence, for the safety of the government com- 
 pelled me to silence. Plenty of horsemen 
 offered their services ; but I had no pis- 
 tols, swords or carbines to give them ; and I 
 did not want the world to know that such was 
 our condition. My function was to raise an 
 army of the largest kind in the shortest possi- 
 ble time, and to supply them with whatever 
 needful material I could first lay hands upon. 
 As soon as I could obtain pistols, carbineff, 
 swords and holsters, I had cavalry enough. 
 But then the cry was "he has got too many." 
 Gf course, then again I was chealing the povem- 
 msnt, by giving my friends all the horse con- 
 tracts. [Laughter.] Well, Mr. Mayor, the 
 horses have been in the serviceand the coantry 
 hafl been saved. Those who then cried "no 
 
CAMBBOK BANiQUB*. 
 
 more horses," to-day can «ee advertisementB 
 for the purchase of ao increased number ; and 
 to-day I saw aJsu a published advertisement 
 asking for proposals to furnish more muskets. 
 
 Had the material resources of the government 
 Tbeen, in any manner, commensurate with the 
 emergency, the war would have been termi- 
 aated 'ere this. So far as concern; myself, I 
 would rather have had a million of guns too 
 many than that, a single soldier in any of 
 our battles should have been sacrificed for the 
 want of a weapon. I suppose that had I been 
 the willing tool of every man who wanted 
 to rob the gpvernment, and if in place 
 of attending to my duties, I had been content 
 to receive men at my house and treat them to 
 the hospitalities of my social and political posi- 
 tion, Of allowed them to control me in the 
 discharge of my duties, those men who now at- 
 tempt to slander me would still be most profuse 
 in compliment afld profession. More than this, 
 had I remained in the War Department until 
 this vote came off, I should doubtless have re- 
 ceived the compliment paid to my late aud es- 
 teemed colleague. Mr. Welles. [Laughter] He 
 was charged withhaving improperly etoployed a 
 man to purchase ships ; yet the House of Rep- 
 resentatives voted down a resolution to censure 
 him by about the same vote that they cen- 
 sured me for having secured the services of an 
 employee. Mr. Welles obtained the assistance 
 referred to long after the excitement and con- 
 fusion attending the commencement of the 
 rebellion had ceased, I did so at a time when 
 the country was almost totaliy bereft of a 
 government, and when we didnot know whom 
 to trust. • 
 
 Wow, gentlemen, I could narrate to you in 
 this way many incidents of official connection 
 with the War Department. Were it necessary 
 I would give you some particulars connected 
 with the history of this man Dawes, who appears 
 to be most active in the persecution against 
 me. I understand he is a little prosecuting 
 attorney living some where in Massachusetts. 
 l am well aware of the real cause of his enmity, 
 and I will briefly state it. Some people of 
 Massachusetts, especially about the good city 
 of Boston, own nearly all the stock in the Wil- 
 mington and Baltimore railroad. Notwith- 
 atandiogthat road has accumulated more money 
 on account of this war, by the transportation of 
 troops and war material for the government, 
 than it ever did before ia double the length of 
 time ; (which fact was chiefly owing to the con- 
 fid nee I entertained in its President,) yet the 
 management of the road were displeased be- 
 cause they woold not have an entire monpo- 
 ly of the Government business. When tbe 
 bridges on the Wilmington find Baltimore [ 
 road were burned, it became absolutely ne- 
 cessary to construct a new line of travel to 
 Washington. By my direction, the Presi- 
 dent of the Pennsj Ivania railroad, Mr. Thomp- 
 son, in connection with the Wilmington 
 road, made arrangements to run a line of ; 
 boats from Poriyville to Annapolis, and sue- ( 
 
 ceeded in getting the project into successful ope 
 ration. This new route was used until the Bal 
 timore and Ohio road was taken possession of by 
 me for the government, and until the bridges 
 of the Wilmington road were rebuilt. In the 
 meantime, an arrangement was made with the 
 Hirrisburg, Reading and New Jersey roads, to 
 reduce the fare from six to four dol iars from New 
 York to Baltimore, per soldier. Bug my action 
 in this matter tooli monoy out of tf^^ purses of 
 gentlemea in Bostjn, and Mr, Dawes, who ap- 
 peared to represant the interests affcjcted, be- 
 cime my enemy. This is the only reason for 
 his opposition of which I am aware. I do not 
 know him further thaxi that he was frequently 
 hanging about the War Departtnent in common 
 wifli otuer applicants for special favors. Hay- 
 ing my whole timt occupied iu preparing an 
 army out of raw and undisciplinucl soldiers, of 
 course I may have run counter to the "esires of 
 such gentlemen, and conseqaently, they now 
 return the disfavor 
 
 This theme is by no means a pleasant one for 
 me; but after llie recent wrong which has beea 
 done me I felt that, when talking to my old 
 friends and neighbors I would do my.salf the 
 simple justice to speak plainly. It would be 
 ceedless for me to attempt to onvince you of 
 my honesty of purpose and intention in every 
 official act of my life. I am known to you 
 personally, and I feel witling to abide by, and 
 will fully appreciate your decision upon my 
 character as your fellow citiz.n. [Great ap- 
 plause.] 
 
 I leave you with great reluctance. It has 
 been the dream of my life to go abroad in soma 
 position that woold enable ihe to catch a 
 proper glimpse of the beauty and grandeur of 
 the old world ; but as the time draws near 
 when I shall bid you a parting adieu, I approach 
 it with the pain caused by the separatian from 
 old and dear friends. 
 
 Perhaps I have said enough— it may 
 be too much. I desire to stats to you, 
 however, that my relations with the President 
 have been and still are of the most cordial 
 character. I ente.tain as gre*t a respect for 
 him as for any one with whom I hive ever 
 been associated. He is an honest, h}2;h-minded 
 gentleman, as well as a fditbfol public officer, 
 (A-pplause.) 
 
 This rebellion will be ended after a while, and 
 with it we will end the cause of this and all fa* 
 ture internal strife, as I hope. (Great applause.) 
 I have never he:m an abolitionist. • I am not ©ne 
 now. But if I had the power, I would call into 
 the field every man able to shoulder a musket, 
 whether he be white or black, that this war 
 might be brought to a speedy and certain close. 
 And I believe we will come to that. I do i xt 
 believe that, after a while, when tha hot 
 Southern climate is killing our soldiers who 
 are fighting for the government, our people 
 will be content to eee their sons and brotherB 
 die, when men acclimated to the South are able 
 to defend the country, and of thtir own 
 etrenglh and will, to drive all the rebels oat of 
 
10 
 
 CAMERON BANQUET. 
 
 thd land. [Applause.] There cannot be a 
 doubt aboat how tbia slavery qnestion is to be 
 settled in the end. But, so far as I am con- 
 cerned, I am willing to leave its disposal to the 
 Great Euler above. I wovdd not punish the 
 deluded rank and file after they have laid 
 down their arms ; I would not harm one 
 hair on the head of a single individual who 
 was enticed or seduced upon misrepresentaiioD 
 to join the rebel army ; but had I the leaders, 
 I would do with them as I said I .vould do witb 
 the Mayor of Baltimore when he asked the 
 President to send back the national troops 
 from Cockeysville, and not allow them to 
 pass through Baltimore. I saia "let me 
 alone, and I will hang him and his whole posse 
 upon the trees aronnd the War Department." 
 Had I been allowed to do so, our troops 
 would never have been impeded in their march 
 through that city, and by such a course the 
 rebellion would now have been crushed. Such 
 are my opinions on that qnestion, which, per- 
 haps, I sometimes express unwisely for my own 
 good ; and this is another reason for the 
 passage of the resolution to which I alluded. 
 Every border State Representative who thinks 
 his brother or son or kindred in the rebel ranks 
 ' does cot deserve hanging for his treason, voted 
 in favor of that resolution. 
 
 [After a short pause Gen. Cameron concluded 
 as follows:] 
 
 Gentlemen, this is a contest in which we all 
 have a direct interest. Pennsylvania has a 
 moral power which no other State in this Union 
 possesses ; and therefore every citizen of Penn- 
 sylvania can do a great deal towards bringing 
 this war to an end. I have no right to give 
 advice, but I shall be glad, in leavingthe coun- 
 try, to believe there is to be no party here but 
 the party of the country — the party for the war 
 and in favor of supporting the Administration 
 in conducting the war ; because whether men 
 were.opposed to Mr. Lincoln or otherwise, by his 
 administration alcne is the war to be conducted. 
 If Pennsylvania will stand by his wise and pa- 
 triotic measures, she can aid the President and 
 control the result. I remember that in the 
 war of 1812 every man who opposed the war 
 was considered an enemy of his country. I 
 trust that the same beneficial role will be ap- 
 plied in the present case. [Applause.] If we 
 falter in patriotic devotion, the people of the 
 south will be encouraged to persevere in their 
 rebellious arid infamous design; for the war 
 can only be ended by a determined and united 
 policy here in the north. Why, it was only 
 the other day that a letter was seen from the 
 wife of the traitor Davis, seating that "Jeff, 
 was cruelly deceived in Pecnsjlvania and New 
 York, where he expected the support of half 
 the people, because he was led to believe 
 more than one half of the people in both of 
 these States were going to join tim." That is 
 the current delusion in the Sooth ; and so 
 long as we give theoji aid and comfort by divi- 
 sions among ourselves, just so long will they 
 be encouraged to fight the goveiumttat. Let 
 
 us all, with one heart, looking solely to bt| 
 'coe object, go through this war ; and that be: 
 ing over, we caVi rake up the uld political can 
 casses ot days gone by, and again attack eacl 
 other with all the spirit of Whig and Demc 
 cratic fury. In the first place, lei ns finish (Aj 
 war. [Long continued applause] Short as th 
 interval is before my departure, I confident! 
 expect to be able to carry with me the news c 
 further vital successes, which will prove to th 
 powers of Europe that the Uuion is safe, ani 
 that the redemption of the nation is drawini 
 nigh, and is even now at hand. 
 
 In answer to repeated calls, Eobert A. Lam 
 berton, Esq., addressed the audience 38 followej 
 
 Mr. Mator. It gives me pleasure to responj 
 to such a call upon such an occasion. If 
 sixteen years unbroken friendship with our diij 
 tinguished guest enables me to know anythin 
 of his mind and heart, this I surely knovi 
 that wherever he may go, this evening will 1: 
 a very pleasant memory to him, and whatev^ 
 years may yet be allotted to him— and ma 
 they be many — he willne»er forget this gathei 
 ing of his friends and neighbors. And why; 
 Because he can appreciate at its full worth th 
 manifestation of the confidence he enjoys am 
 the esteem in which he is held by those amom 
 whom his life has been spent. However fiercti 
 ly he may be maligned by those who know his 
 least, he will remember with pleasure that the 
 who know him best neither doubt nor foreak| 
 him. [Applause.] 
 
 There is, perhaps, no surer test of charactei 
 of what a man really is than the deliberate, we 
 considered judgment* foimed of him by h 
 home people, those among whom all the day 
 of his manhood have^been passed and wit 
 whom he has been associated socially and i 
 bueinefs. Here, then, have eome togethe- 
 alike irrespective of party ti._ or partizan affi 
 ation, the old man with hi. experience and ti 
 ycuug man with his hopes, the neighbors an' 
 the immediate fellow citizens of our honore« 
 guest, to give a clear, distinct and emphatiti 
 utterance of their belief in his integrity as i 
 man, his usefulness as a member ot our com 
 munity and his fidelity to his convictions o 
 duty when in official position. There, sitting 
 by his side, as he has just told us, is the friem 
 of his earlier and later years — one of the verj 
 few left among us who has known him from th< 
 day the orphaned boy, seeking work, came t< 
 our capital, though poanilees, yet with th< 
 stout heart of a man, to enter upon the battle 
 of life. There is the friend tt a lifetime, whost 
 confidence has been unshaken during all the 
 years that have elapsed since he who is become 
 the Bepresentative of our Government, t^ 
 stand in the court of ti.e Cut, was the humbl 
 printer boy. We are all here, on the eve c 
 the departure of our friend and fellow ciliuen, 
 to bid him the good-bye and wish him the 
 God speed. [Applause.] 
 
 Sir, ha has referred to the malignant e«saalti^ 
 which have been made against him by his ene-} 
 mies. Thus surrounded by his neighbors who 
 
CAMERON BANQUET, 
 
 11 
 
 know bim, the shafts fall hurtless at his feet. 
 Whea he is gone these cruel blows may still be 
 aimed at hioi; but they will not ryachfhim : 
 he leaves too uiaay friends, who will not snffcr 
 the abseni to be wronged. Wb' a he returns, 
 ho will show that he possesses abundant ability 
 to take careof himself and fighthis own battles. 
 [Applause ] He has been bitterly followed bv his 
 enemies ; he has been cl< se y surrounded by 
 his frieods. And this is always so with the de- 
 cided, energetic resolute man. The positive 
 man in life who coutinually presses forward Id 
 the struggle with the world must, in his pro- 
 gress, come in contact with and pass over those 
 who are in his way. Suah a one wins devote i 
 friends and makes carping ecemies. 
 " But, sir, whilst we will not forget the true- 
 hearted, open-handed friend and citizen, he is 
 eminently entitled to our regard as a Penns^- 
 vanian. To whatever dt-ptbs of baseness his 
 vilifiera have descended, no one of them that 
 I can now remember has been so false as to 
 challenge or doubt the devotion of Gen. Cam- 
 eron to the interests of our own Common- 
 wealth. , Devoted to the Union of our fatberH, 
 he was always a Penosylvanian for Pennsyl- 
 vania — Pennsylvania in and of-the Union. He 
 has ever exhibited a just pride in her va&t re- 
 sources, her inexhaustible store house of min- 
 erals, her manufactures, her farms, her schools 
 and her churches ; and moved by ttiis ptide 
 and his inextinguishable love of home, he has 
 sought, both in private life and official station, 
 to advance her prosperity and pr' mote hej- 
 greatness. As Pennsylvanians we honor him. 
 [Applause ] 
 
 And now, sir, let him go away assured that 
 as the loyalty and. truth of Pennsylvania have 
 beea in the past, so will they continue. From 
 within our borders shall go f«rth no uncertain 
 sound as to the suppression of the infamous re- 
 bellion convulsing the land. P(!nn6ylvAniaha-; 
 given more than a hundred thon.=and of hirr 
 children as a free will offering on behalf of the 
 maintenance of our government. Her arm^ 
 has gone with the stern and fixed resolution 
 that the Union shall be preserved, treason 
 crushed oat, and traitors brought to the rope. 
 Our guest has mentioned a remark recently 
 made to him by a lady friend of the head of 
 the psetido government of the Confederate 
 States, that Jt flterson Davis believed that the 
 one-half of the men of Pennsylvania and New 
 York would be with him and his fellow conspi- 
 rators in the disruption of the Union. Upon 
 what a foundation of sand did the arch traitor 
 build bis hopes ! How little did he understaod 
 the people of the Keystone and Empire 
 States! Why, sir, in their truth and honest 
 frankness, they could not believe that men- 
 Senators sworn to support the Constitution (!) 
 could be so perjured as to raise the 
 bloody hand against it and against our 
 good government. But Sumter awakened 
 them. When the dastardly assault was made 
 by armedthousandsupon that little half-starved 
 garrison, and the aational emblem was sub- \ 
 
 JKcted to villian us iosult, then it was that the 
 North becfime aroused as a strong man from 
 his sleep, and Pennsylvania ind New York.like 
 giants linked arms and rcished forward to the 
 dt fence of toe capital and the life of the nation. 
 Let us all take courage ; the heioous crime of 
 treason will speedily he punished— let our 
 guest, and all of us remember, whilst the blood 
 of our brethren— of kis brethren—is crying aloud 
 from the ground to Him who rules in the hosts 
 of Heaven, and upon earth, tliat He has said 
 "Vengeance is mine " That veogeauce is mo- 
 ving forward and Southward like a pillar of 
 fire b> night, at the head of our armies. It is 
 moving with tbe grandeur and sublimity of the 
 storm in its wrath. Already the wail of the 
 detiponderit rebel is heard. 'Even now the key 
 of the 14:issisB;ppi valley is ours ; the old flag 
 flies in triumph over the Crescent city, and 
 soon the great North-west will again have ac- 
 cess through its freed aud opened channel to 
 the gulf. [Applause.] 
 
 Let, then, the minister to Russia depart with 
 fresh hope and renewed faith. Let him, when 
 away over the waters and across another conti- 
 nent, as he stands near the Emperor of the 
 Riissias, that firm and fast friend of onr 
 nation, assure that sovereign that our people 
 are as one man ic their devotion to the Union 
 in this baptism of blood through which they 
 are p'ssiog, and that they will sweep from the 
 
 face of the earth the traitor and his treason. • 
 
 Let him be assured that ow government will. 
 pass through the fiery ordeil and come forth 
 purer, better and stronger than ever. FAp- 
 nlause.] ^ 
 
 And, sir, let us now say to our friend and 
 guest that he bears with bi;u our wishe:j for his 
 prosperity and success in his mission. Whilst 
 he is gone he will hear of the advance of our 
 arms and of the valor of the sons of Pennsyl- 
 vania. Already written upon the banners 
 borna in front of the regiments of our State are 
 names indicative of brave and brilliant deeds 
 Already we may there read of Drainesville Ec- 
 anoke, Winchester, Falmouth and Shiloh 'fAn. 
 plause.] When he returns, may it be to meet 
 these same soldiers returned from the battle 
 fields, once more having resumed the avocations 
 of peace. May he then learn f-om them how the 
 same flags have been planted over Yorktown— 
 how they have gleamed above the rebel capitol 
 at Eichmoud, waved from the spires of Mont- 
 gomery and floated again at Sumter, and over 
 that nest of treason and traitors, accursed Cha- 
 rleston. [Applause] Let him come home, to real- 
 ize that agam,every where, from our most north- ' 
 erly limit to the Gulf, from the wild Atlantic 
 away off to the slopes of the Pacific, the brave 
 old flag 18 honored and respected— its stripes 
 woomg the evening winds, and its stars an- 
 swering back the light of the stars in the 
 firmament. May he return to live once moro 
 among m, and to realize that our people are 
 true to their history, worthy of their fathers 
 and that, under the smile of the Omnipotent' 
 
it 
 
 OAifflRON l^AhfQEraX. 
 
 they huve made oar Union as imperishable as 
 the everlasiing hills. [Applause.] 
 
 Hon. Thomas E. Cochran, -Auditor General 
 of the 8t:^te, was then loudly called for. He 
 rose and said : 
 
 Mr Mayor: — While it does me unfeigiied 
 pleasure torespoad to the call thut has just bt en 
 made, I may say it is altogether unexpictad. 
 I was not even aware of tbe entertainment that 
 was proposed, and only arrived in Harrisburg 
 at an hour quite late, when, upoa being iovited | 
 to como tjeje, I came with gr at pleasure. I 
 lecogniz-d in Ihe gentleman whom you and 
 citizens of Harrisburg have here ussembled to 
 honor, one who has well maiotained an emi- 
 Qent position ia the history of our State and oU 
 our country. I recognized in the name of Gen- 
 eral Cameron that of a citizen, who, in public 
 life, has been always remarkable for the inte- 
 rest he has taken in every project or measure 
 of public policy calculated to improve the con- 
 dition of tbe Comtnonwealth, to lift her in the 
 scale of hitter States, and to make her piomi- 
 nent. iuflneDthil and powerful in the Union, 
 which we ail so love And it is eminently fit 
 that, after having passed so many years of his 
 life bere in his native State, when he is about 
 for the first time to voyage over the ocean sur- 
 ges, and to spend some years in an honorable 
 and conspicuous position at a foreign court, that 
 his fellow citizeus, wLo have know him long 
 and well, should meet arouiid this board to 
 testify in the emphatic terms expressed by the 
 gentleman who has just taken his seat, their 
 confidence in his integrity, his character, and 
 their respect for the public services he has ren- 
 dered to the country. 
 
 Now, sir, it does not become me to speak of 
 the individoal in tbe terms which you here in 
 Harrisburg may well use, for although I have 
 been for many years familiar with the name, yet 
 I cannot pretend to have enjoyed thai familiar 
 intimacy v?ith the distinguished guest of the 
 evening which would authorize me to speak of 
 those personal qualities that have just elicited 
 such decided marks of approbation.- I may, 
 however, as a citizen of this Commonwealth, 
 (one who has lived in it the largest portion of 
 his lit'i,} submit my testimopy that on all oc- 
 oaeiouB when the interests of the State were 
 involved, throughout the public Cireer of the 
 gentleman who is now about to leave us, he 
 has bor je in mind as his cardmal object the 
 prosperity and welfare of Pennsylvania 
 first, but Ptnn^jlvania not superior to 
 the great national interests of the coun- 
 try. Pennsylvania as nearest to hia heart, 
 which was large enough to embrace the welfare 
 and the good of the whole nation. [Applause.] 
 And, sir, whatever detractors may say, and 
 bowever certain men may be willing at this 
 season, when the diverse and minute parte of 
 the governmental machinery have assumed a 
 certain regular position and operation — what- 
 ever ditraotors may say about the transactions 
 of different bureaus dtuing the early part of 
 
 the confusion and disseverance of affairs con- 
 nected with the outbreak of this rebellion, yet 
 it must be borne in mi..d by every candid and 
 fair man that that great emergency came upon 
 a country wh( lly unprepared to meet such a 
 grave and overwhelming issue as was presented 
 to it at that time. That is no fair charity 
 which will permit any man to scan with an eye 
 to censure measure.^ taken in that very great 
 emergency as he would scan them, very pro- 
 perly and justly, under circumstances of a very 
 different character. Now, sir, we know how 
 we were in Pennsylvania, we all must be con- 
 scious of the situation of this Stale at that time: 
 we had no military organization bere, we 
 were without exptrieuce in military matters 
 ,and had to do everything on the pressure'of 
 the moment, and that, too, when the enemy — 
 the rebels — were thundering at the very gates 
 of the national capitol. Was it possible for our 
 State government, without experience— was it 
 possible for us, without organization — was it 
 poe&ible for us, without the men and the means 
 at our command, to mske all needful aud in*- 
 dispensabln arrangements and preparations, 
 just according to the red tape formalities, which 
 were customary in the government at ordinary 
 times, when the nation needed no army but a 
 skeleton, to maiutain the peace throushout 
 every section ot our great Union ? Why, sir, 
 it is perfectly absurd for men to stand up at 
 this day and attempt to criticise, with a censo- 
 rious eye, measures taken in tbe very extremi- 
 ty of the national life, when it was at the point 
 of death. I say, sir, there is great iDJuetice 
 involved in any ce^isure of that kind, because 
 of transactions criticised under the circum- 
 stances that I have stated. It is an appeal to 
 the common sense, the fair judgment aod the 
 candor of every man who is willing to look at 
 the matter fairly ai^d without prejudice — 
 it is a fair appeal to all tha? is just 
 and right, which authorizes as to say 
 that no such censure is proper, and to fore- 
 see that no such cenfure will be sustained by 
 the honest, the fair and the candid judga.ent of 
 the people of this country. [Increased ap- 
 plause.] I do not know what selfish or im- 
 proper motives may lie at the foundation of the 
 recent hostility to Gen. Cameron, but I cer- 
 tainly do judge from the results that it could 
 not have emanated from a proper and judicious 
 discrimination, or a fair comprehension of the 
 state of things which existed, and which I have 
 attempted to describe, during Gen. Cameron's 
 adminifitratioaof the War Depaitirent. I may 
 be permitted to say without vain boas'ing, but 
 ^mply as a citizen of Pennsylvania, that after 
 a period of doubt — a time during which there 
 were grave suspicions entertained in regard to 
 official operations here in this State — now, at 
 this time, in the judgment of the government 
 at Washington the affairs of Pennsylvania are 
 admitted to have been managed with greater 
 care and economy, and with greater prudence 
 • than probably any other State in the Union, in 
 coJiQection with this war. Well now, sir, I t^|y 
 
CAMEHOK BANQUET. 
 
 13 
 
 it knowingly, for I had an official relation with 
 this matter, that I do not believe there was a man 
 connected with the operations of this State who 
 possessed that practicsU knowledge and neces- 
 sary diill which would enable him to discharge 
 those onerous and unexpected duties pertaining 
 to military matters according t ) discipline and 
 rule, or without making some mistakes. Yet 
 they were discharged tally and judiciously. The 
 single ohj :Ct was to promote the good of the 
 country, and the result has been that Pennsyl- 
 vaoia stands higher, I apprehend, in the esti- 
 mation of the Government a^ Washington th n 
 any other State in this Union. The gentleuian 
 in front of me nods assent to that. Well, now, 
 if that is so, why not apply the same rule to 
 the conduct of operations on the part of the 
 General Government as you would apply to 
 aflfairs in Pennsylvania ? I know, and I am 
 willing to state here as an individual, that mis- 
 takes were made in certain departments of 
 Pennsylvania, and there may have been mis- 
 takes made in the governmental departments 
 at Washington ; but those mistakes were 
 such as any man might make in the prosecu- 
 tion of his business. 
 
 Gen. Cameron. If the gentleman will allow 
 
 me to interrupt him, I will say now what I 
 
 have had occasion to state already. I have 
 
 l^reviewed my course since leaving the War 
 
 1 Department, and upon careful consideration, I 
 
 ' am free to state that during my ofliclal career 
 
 in the management of that Department, I did 
 
 not commit a single act which I would not do 
 
 again under the same circumstances. 
 
 Mr. Cochran. I have not the slightest doubt 
 of it. I have not the slightest doubt that every 
 measure or action undertaken by Gen. Came- 
 ron was essential, at the time and under the 
 circumstances, tor the welfare of the country. 
 That was the point of my argument, for I am 
 speaking argumentatively. Under different 
 circumstances, the aspect of the case might he 
 totally different, and Gen. Cameron would not 
 have done what he did ; but we must take into 
 consideration the circumstances existing at 
 the time, and base our conclusions upon those 
 surroundings. 
 
 But I have dilated more amply on that sub- 
 ject than I had any expectation of doing when 
 unexpectedly called upon. I am very glad to 
 see that the time has come when the people 
 of Harrisburg have gathered around a citizen 
 whom for many years they have had reason to 
 respect, and who, when he is about to bid fare- 
 well, they are glad to assemble here to bid 
 God speed. I hope the time will coafte when 
 this country will be restored in all its integrity 
 and prosperity to the full enjoyment of those 
 blessings and privileges which, under the 
 Divine Providence, have been handed down 
 to us by our fathers, and I hope that when the 
 gentleman who is the recipient of our farewell 
 greeting this evening shall return to this 
 coQQtry he will retain to a re-uaited and uq. 
 
 broken union, where every American citizen 
 will recognize every other American citizen 
 as a brother and as an equal ; and where, 
 from one end of this great Union to the other, 
 as it was constituted under the auspices of the 
 great men who have preceded our generation, 
 he shall find the same old flag flying, and the 
 same institutions existing. And I trust that 
 in that day not only shall he find these to 
 exist, but that he shall return here when our 
 affairs, socially and politically, are restored to 
 their ancient basis, and ourselves glad to greet 
 him on his return to a country which he will 
 no doubt faithfully serve in that quarter to 
 which he is now delegated, as he heretofore 
 served it in other official positions. 
 
 Hon. Judge Pearso.v was next called tO! and 
 spoke as follows : 
 
 Mr. Mayor, I have not recently been addicted 
 to anything like public speaking ; but there 
 are some matters to whicu I would call your 
 attention for a moment. We ought not only 
 to consider the present situation nf affiiie in 
 judging of a man's actioiis, but also the cir- 
 cumstances previously connected therewith. 
 My friend across the tabl-^ was called upon to 
 preside in the War Department at a time when 
 it was in the most distracted ovinditiou. No 
 previous preparation of any charucter Lad been 
 made for wagina: war or defending the country ; 
 he was called upon in an ■extreme emergency ; 
 and now at the distance of many months, when 
 our army <e efficient and our navy triple its 
 former standing in strength and cfliciency, we 
 should consider the actions of the depirtments 
 of the government at Washington wbolly in 
 view of the means at their coiumaod. At that 
 time preparations were making by thi lebelB 
 for attacking Washington city, yet iha nation 
 was without an army at the National Capital, 
 and with but limited means of bringing goldiers 
 upon the ground. The vaiious depirtments of 
 government were filled with disloyal ( lerke and 
 rebel sympathisers who were awaitiQ:^ an op- 
 portunity to do all f bey pissibly could do in 
 aid of the rebellion. Especially were these men 
 to he found in the War Department ; und when 
 Gen. Cameron took the chair of Secrafary of 
 War; having no confidence in his su! ordinates, 
 he was required to employ agents whom ho 
 could trust. At this time, when viverything 
 has changed, it would appear that men have 
 C'^asfid to consider the extraordinary posture of 
 ffaira that then existed, and proc ed to pass 
 judgment upon his actions as coolly as though 
 he had no pressing emergencies and overwhelm- 
 ing responsib'iliticB to meet, and as though he 
 had been able as was the present Secretary of 
 War to send twenty or forty thousand soldiere 
 to one point, and a like number to another, 
 Gen. Cameron with difficulty obtained fifty 
 men to defend the capital. 
 
 Judge Pearson further referred to'the difltU 
 culty experienced by the War Department ia 
 orgaaizing and equipping a large army, in pio= 
 
14 
 
 CAMERON BANQUET. 
 
 onring means of transportation for the troops, 
 etc. Yet in that most perilous times the gov- 
 ornment bad been accused of negligence, not 
 to say corruption in the filling of contracts for 
 the sustenance of the army. This State ad- 
 ministration was not long since an object of 
 censure for the indiscreet appliance of certain 
 funds in clothing and arming her soldiers ; but 
 a patient consideration of the circumstances 
 attending the operations of the State Executive 
 and his officers had convinced the people that 
 all charges of impropriety were groundless. 
 Such was the case with Gen. Cameron. Had 
 the movers and supporters of the resolution 
 recently passed by Congress understood the 
 motives and objects of the Secretary of War, 
 or viewed them from the proper stand point, 
 they would have at least hesitated to pass cen- 
 sure upon Lis official acts. That gentleman 
 could at least console himsflf with the reflec- 
 tion that no one of his ;i( qnaiutances or those 
 who kuew him wi uld prett-nd to nay he had 
 ever been found other than true to hie country, 
 faithful to the interesth < f his State aud dear 
 to his friends. [Great applause ] 
 
 Mr. Daved Flbminq theu responded to the 
 call as follows: 
 
 Mr. Mayor: After the able speecbea you 
 have beard, I shall not undert ike to say tnore 
 than a few words, espeiially with my present 
 feeble voice. I merely desire to bear my tes- 
 timony from the observations I have made as, a 
 private citizen, of the integrity and ability wiih 
 which our distinguished friend has managtd 
 the affairs of the War Dopartment during the 
 time of Lis adminietration. As has been said by 
 thedistinguiebed gentleman who just preceded 
 tat, we must look at tbings from the proper 
 stand point. Now, I remember very well that 
 just alter this rebellion broke oat, that honor- 
 able gtntltman, (Judge Pearson,) who is not 
 likely to be moved by anything like, sudden 
 distuib.iDces, was then so much moved that, 
 contrary to every principle of his nature, he 
 was willing to connive at the selling of liquor on the 
 SaJbbath in this town. [Laughter !] . 
 
 Now, sir, when that is the cafe we do ncJt 
 want auy thing to conviuce us of the state of af- 
 fairs at that lime. No man cjuld then safely 
 prediit that w^ would have a government to- 
 day ; uo man knew who of his neighbors was 
 faithful tg the government. Here were soldiers 
 comiug and going without arms and without 
 the likelihood of obtaining them at Washing- 
 ton. There was Gen. Cameron in the War De- 
 partment required to find money and arms 
 without any assurance of obtaiaiug either. I 
 think it was only the providence of God that 
 placed a man of his energy, business and in- 
 dustry at the head of the War Department, in- 
 stead of a man whose hsnds h^ve been tied up 
 with "red tape" ad his life, and who might not 
 be willing to undertake such a leeponsibility 
 without the usual red tape formality. I repeat, 
 gentlemen, my firm belief that the appointment 
 of Gen. Oameren was providential ; for certainly 
 
 history does not exhibit an instance of any man 
 who has performed the same labor and brought 
 about the same results within the same length 
 of time. 
 
 But in regard to what has been done by C!on- 
 gress, I have only to say that the advocates of 
 the resolution of censure upon General Cameron 
 are men who know but little about him. H« 
 was where he could do longer serve them, and 
 I suppose they acted on the principlf that a 
 "livicg dog is better than a dead lion." As I 
 did not intend to make a speech, being called 
 upon, I have said thus much for our distin- 
 guished Iriend ; and, when he goes to Europe, 
 I say "God speed" to him, and hope that upon 
 returning he will find our country happy, uni- 
 ttd !ind invincible. 
 
 Mr. Charles F Muench then made some re- 
 marks referring to the buyhood days of General 
 Cameron und himself. He said that General 
 Cameron had ever been his friend and protector, 
 through whose pecuuiary aid he was enabled to 
 start a printing office in this town, and for 
 whose assistance upon many occasious he felt 
 extremely grateful. The speaker alluded to 
 bis declining heal'h, and that it was with diffi- 
 culty he could leave his home; but he could 
 not forego the pleasure of again meeting hia 
 old friend, and assuring him of <he gratitude 
 and friendship which would continue through 
 life. 
 
 Col. A. J. Here, District Attorney of the 
 county, was the next speaker. He said: 
 
 Mr. Mayor, I do not feel disposed to respond 
 to the call, becaiise the sentiment which was 
 just announced by my elderly friend, Mr. 
 Muench, has stirred an emotion in my heart 
 which I think ought to be expressed. It is 
 simply this, that if I had my choice as to what 
 sijould be engraven upon my tombstone after 
 death, of all high sounding praise or lettered 
 sentenced, I would prefer to have simply this: 
 "Here lies the poor niau's friend." (Applause.) 
 When it happens that such an eulogy should be 
 uttered of a living map, in the presence of re- 
 spectable and intelligent citizens, I think it iB 
 the highest meed of praise that one man can 
 bestow upon another. 
 
 Well, now, Mr. Mayor, we are all here aa 
 friends and citizens, gathered together solely 
 for the purpo^ of testifying our respect and 
 e.steem for a pbilanthiopistaud a statesman. The 
 motive is c rrect. It is one in which we cannot 
 too frequently iodulgt — and one which, when 
 indulged, invariably give*i encouragement to 
 merit and genius in every department oi life. 
 If is this de«ire to win the applause of their fel- 
 low men which gives energy and encourage- 
 ment to the toiling young ; and every good 
 motive that finds an utterance in its execution 
 generates like motives in the breasts of others. 
 Now, thi n, what position does General Came- 
 ron occupy in our midst ? He is a man who 
 was raised among us, and who has been con- 
 nected with many of the internal improvemebfai 
 of this town and county. He has shown by hia 
 
CAMKRON BANQUBT. 
 
 1& 
 
 gy and public spirit that he is possessed of 
 a true principles that go to make a great 
 good man ; and we of Pennsylvania — of 
 county especially — are to-day the uacon- 
 18 gloaaers of the harTest which was sown 
 ttly tLrough the instrumentality of his 
 gy an i wise foresight. For what are we 
 Indebted to these railroads, which he la- 
 id so earnestly to buiid ? They are bringing 
 IS the comforts, conveniences and wealth 
 i make our homes happy. We are indebted 
 ur friend and fellow citiaen for the prosper- 
 of our city and all the appliances of the 
 road system. What, though he was the 
 ouscious instrument of securing this great 
 efifc to a community— what though he did 
 know of the responsible and truly impor- 
 t position— he lives now, in the Providence 
 3rod, to hear it said that to him we owe, to a 
 lain extent, the prosperity of this State. — 
 it certainly is a matter of which he should 
 proud (Applause.) 
 
 recolect it was bnt a few days ago that an 
 
 man in this town was lying upon a bed of 
 
 caees. He thought his days were numbered 
 
 I that his time had come, and naturally for 
 
 old man his mind reverted back to his early 
 
 8, and how well do I remember the eloquent 
 
 rs that spoke from his eyes when he referred 
 
 the goodness and kindness always shown him 
 
 Gen. Simon Cameron, and said he, '"for all 
 
 it I have been worth through life I am in- 
 
 )ted to the encouraging help of that friend." 
 
 at man talked thus when he had but little 
 
 pe of ever rising from his bed of sickness ; 
 
 he has been spared to be here and speak for 
 
 nself, and be has told us what he said to 
 
 self in his sick chamber. It is a matter of 
 
 ktification in my own mind to have heard 
 
 a use the expression that General Cameron 
 
 3 the poor man's friend, and m6re particu- . 
 
 !y is it gratifying to all of us here, when we 
 
 ow it is the honest expression of an honest 
 
 «t, 
 
 (Veil, now, Mr. Mayor, who can fail to recall 
 
 his micid many little instances he has heard 
 
 lerein our guest has extended a like helping 
 
 nd to other poor men ? Is there oue here 
 
 10 can truthfully assert that within his know- 
 
 , General Cameron ever add, be ye cloth- 
 
 , or be ye warmed, and yet did not give that 
 
 lich was needful for the poor ? Can any one 
 
 1 me that any deserving person in poverty 
 
 ever besought our guest and friend for 
 
 lip without receiving that help ? It is true 
 
 at the greatest compliment thai can be paid 
 
 him, or that can be paid to any one of us, 
 
 aving aside all intellectual pride, is just sim- 
 
 y that of "tLie poor man's friend." 
 
 General Cameron has filled many public 
 
 (sitions in life. He has been entrusted by the 
 
 tiaens of this Commonwealth with many of- 
 
 )es of trust, in all of which he has discharged 
 
 18 duty faithfully. Yet he has been assailed 
 
 id ruthlessly attacked. What is his crime ? 
 
 '^hy, Mr. Mayor, is it not a fact undisputed 
 
 li m old as the hills, that no vijctuo ever [ 
 
 \ yet raised its humble bead, which calamnjr 
 did not attempt to hiss to the earth. As iu 
 social life so it is in politics. Let a man rise 
 but a step above the herd and a pack of hounda 
 are upon his track to bring him down. Oi 
 course in some cases the political opponents or 
 personal enemies of a man are actuated by thoso 
 high toned motives that lead men to recogniM 
 merit wherever it may be ; but it has not been 
 the fortune of our friend to be so treated. Ha 
 has felt the sneer and scorn of^ his assailants, 
 yet, at the same time, with an endurance that 
 wins our applause and admiration; and he now 
 stands completely vindicated. ..[Applause.] I 
 believS that is our sentiment, that whatever 
 may have been the motives of the men who 
 stait.d the resolution in Congress, whatever 
 may have been the character of the men who 
 advocated its passage, still in our own midst, 
 where he has lived longest and is understood 
 the best, we must in justice say, he stands ac- 
 quitted with the assurance of our approbitioa 
 of his course, with the assurance he must feel 
 himself, and better than all earthly considera- 
 tions the assurance of an entire acquittal at the 
 hands of the Great Judge of all. 
 
 But when that man took possession of the 
 War office, need I repeat the coudition of the 
 country f need I repeat the shaoielul tale: our 
 forts dismaatled, our cannon and arms stolen, 
 the treasury depleted, treason in every depart- 
 ment ; no man knowing in. what he <oould 
 trust his fellow man Everything was in con- 
 fusion, and. yet out of chaos he brought order. 
 He did what I say, no other man under the 
 same circumstances could have done except he 
 had been raised up in the Providence of God 
 for that particular purpose. We saw the coun- 
 try in that "disturbed and distracted condition, 
 everything at sea, with nothiog that we could 
 lay our hands upon to claim or call our own, 
 no man whom wo could trast ; and yet out of 
 all this difficulty, he produced the harmonious 
 order that we see to day pervading our whole 
 country and array. We saw our flag insulted, 
 and men of the south proving themselves 
 to be dead to all the glorious memories of the past 
 as well as the blessings of the present and the 
 hopes of the future, endeavored to separate this 
 Union. But, gentlemen, we are here to-night 
 to feel thankful that at that paitioular crisis we 
 all throughout the North felt that thing could 
 never come to pass, bacause we knaw and heard 
 it from the hills and valleys of our own State, 
 that the genius .of lil)erty cried out against it. 
 We felt that all the glorious hopes of civilizition 
 plead against it; and we knew that Christianity 
 frowned upon it, and above all we could not 
 help but recognize the great fact that the physi- 
 cal geography of this country spoke ia charac- 
 ters of light as long as the Mississippi and as 
 broad as the Atlantic, that separation should 
 never be. fGreat applause.] And it was just 
 at that moment when all these sentiments wer» 
 caught up, when that cry of liberty was heard, 
 when the hopes of Christianity began to stir, 
 tkftt th»t man made up, with a creative talent, 
 
16 
 
 C'AMEJt6N BAMQOET. 
 
 the grand army of tbe Potcmac, that swore the 
 ^nion should never be dfetroytd. To him it 
 is that we are indebted, to a ctrtaiij exttut for 
 the creation of that army of the Potomac and 
 its thousands of solditrs who are now carv^iog 
 onr banner to victory. Well, is there nothing 
 to be proud of in that ? Is (here nothing now 
 for ue, 88 American citizens, to feel proud of, as 
 swe think to eureelves that the day may come 
 when the thiBtle of Scotland may wither, when 
 the shumroek of Ireland may dtc-iy, when tbe 
 lilly of France may droop, but the stars of 
 America, like the stars of heaven, will shiue 
 with undimmed radiance, "aaid the crash of 
 matter and the wreck of worlds." [Ap- 
 plause-l 
 
 Now, Mr. Mayor, let political theorists and 
 foreign stiateemen inquire where the power of 
 this government exists. It does not exist on 
 the statute books. But we know, and this war 
 proves dearly and conclusively, that it exists 
 in tbe hearts of the loyal and true men of this 
 country That is the life of this Dniou. and 
 this lile, like liberty itself, remains concealed 
 ■cntil it meets its opposite, and then, when they 
 do meet, it flames forth like angry ligbtniug, 
 io blast and blight all that oppose it. [Ap- 
 plause.] Here, then, in the masses of the peo 
 pie, is our strength. It lies in the strocg t ands 
 and true hearts of these who are bearing our 
 arms, as it is to them we should look, under 
 the Providence of God, for a vindication fit. al' 
 onr right^. Let us paw be cbankful tba' wo 
 have a government that governs, 'that we 
 have a Constitution thit must and shHil be 
 obeyed— if not obeyed when writtec in 
 parchment, wby then obeyed when clad 
 in steel — and which will be of«/«d at all 
 hazards and under all consequences ; and let 
 traitors know, it is now being written anew in 
 the blood of this uation, at the point of tbe 
 bayonet. These thoughts, I say, are started in 
 our minds by this occasion ; let us remember 
 that the present position of the nation, to a 
 great extent, has been brought about by tbe 
 agency, tke creative talent and endurance of 
 the uum to whom we have met here to pay 
 our honor and respect. And when he goes be 
 yond the sea, on the other side of the conti- 
 nent, and looks back here, I do not ssy that 
 the banners of victory from other States will 
 greet his visicu ; but I do believe— yes, I hope 
 and pray — that when ha stands before the 
 throne of the Caar of Russia he shall be able 
 to say 10 him in plain Saxon-Ecglish: there 
 is no divifion here ; we star.d one and indivi- 
 sible; and no "pentupUtic.V contracts Ameri- 
 
 ca's powers, but the whole continent is oure.- 
 [Great applause] 
 
 David Mumjia, Esq. , then made a few i 
 marks explanatory of the gentlemanly kindn< 
 and friendly intercourse for which Gen. Cai 
 eron had become proverbial in our midst, 
 referring to the appointment of thatgentlemi 
 to a sea; in the Cabinet of Mr. Lincoln, 1^ 
 M. stated that that appointment was eeGUZ< 
 by ihe friends of Gea. Cameron before he lu 
 any iutliaation of their intention. His wish 
 were not consulted in the matter, and it if 
 only upon the solicitationij of his friends th 
 he was induced to accept the position. '. 
 conclusion he expressed the sentiments of s 
 who are acquainted with Gen. Oameroo, in 
 full aud emphatic endorsement ot hie offici 
 career, both as a Senator of the United Stat 
 and at the head of what constituted the m( 
 important and responsible depaitment of ti 
 government. 
 
 BoBT. L. MuEMCH, Esq., was the last spea 
 er. Aft'Or what hbd been said in regard to tl 
 esteem in which General Cameron was held t 
 those present, he considered it a work of snper 
 gation to say one word in behalf of that ge 
 tleman. He had merely to say that, afl h 
 father's son, he would never forgot the frien 
 ship of General Cameron. He hoped that tl 
 honored guest of the evening would soon retu 
 to a happy and prosperous land, to enjoy t) 
 renewed fricndehip and regard of his fello 
 citizens 
 
 At the conclnsion of Mr. Muench's speec) 
 Dr. Baily proposed three cheers for Gen. CaB 
 eron, which were given with enthusiasi 
 These were followed by three more, as if 
 confirm the first in their will and sincerity. 
 
 The hour being late. Gen. Cameron ros 
 which seemed to be the signal for the endit 
 of the festivities. The company present th< 
 individoHlly took leave of Gen. Cameron, ac 
 as he stood at the head of the table, each a; 
 preached, took him by the hand, uttered ac 
 received a kindly wordof greeting and partini 
 and then retired. In these farewells, there wt 
 much that was pleasing, as they illustrate 
 how noble friendship can become, when ; 
 binds men together in feelings of kindness an 
 reciprocity. The scene was both irapressi'V 
 andeloqueot— one thatwill longbe remembere 
 by all who were present and partici,iated. 
 
 W4IS 
 

 
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