The daily union., 1854-11-15
y,om ,ss cleveland ,Teun Banner.
SPEECH OF THE HON. S. A. SMITH.

From the Cleveland treun Banner
SPEECH OF THE HON. 3. A. SMITH.
Mr. smith according to appointment addressed iafg'
owd Of his constituents on Monday last at the court
boos The press of business regret say prevented
m from attending but learn that he made mastery
,naech one which received hearty approval from bis
hearers The following is notice OF his speech written
ant by friend Of ours at our request;
Mr. smith commenced by giving short but very inter
sstng history of the legislation In Congress for the last
nr Years and especially Of that portion in regard 10 the
yension OF territorial governments Kansas and Ne
braska He spoke at some length OF the importance OF
these Territories TO our population VINO are oesrous ol
nome In the West well the great principle that man is
be of segoyernment He spoke of the fact that we did
moi et that principle established without great struggle
and of the fact that when the struggle came there was not
sarv ,ybq from the northern States who came TO the
or of II and that il would have been lost but for the
ad Of ortyhree northern democrats who stood by the
CONSTITUTION and the South like men and assisted us III es-
,ablsng great principle lie spoke OF tls as Il mat
49, ~ history not TO harrow up the feelings of southern
wings for he said, TO their honor be II spoken poruon
of them had cut loose from their northern allies VINO have
aternized with the abolition party VINO go hahu IN had
with them in all things and that In fact and IN truth The
old wbig party proper had become thoroughly denaon-
allied and had ceased to exist by that once powerful name
He referred to Jones' Ready and others go9d oia wings
Of Tennessee for proof Of the facts OF winch he spoke lie
smoke of the orty-three democrats IN the North who stood
by the South this great crisis, knowing that political
death perhaps awaited them al hohe1inat 9ut oi '',at
number perhaps but about twelve would be there to de-
Send the rights of the South in the next Congress.
Mr. s. said the people had not come to hear him speak
of Kansas and Nebraskathey had come for different
purpose and they should not away Disappointed that
hs large and respectable audience had come TO hear him
sneak oil the order that had arisen in that mr-of
Nor,n that section where but very little heard but
opposon TO the Southland had spread over the North
ike magic and was being started in midst-to
wit the order OF kHop-nohngs He spoke of this order
not lightly but thing which he believed to be very
powerf to do evil but that it would not could not do
GOOD that had for its object the disranchsement of
portion of reow-countrymenhe naturazed foreign
e and Roman Catholic citizens He said that both these
objects were directly unconstitutional But aside from
their uneonstituonality allow the knownothngs to
cee in their attempt and they would do nothing else but
eyi--that good could come of such a crusade
In the first place todsranchise the foreigner they would
not stop immigration to this country except IN this way
they would stop the immigration OF men OF principle and
talent but that many of the worthless yagabond Of the
old countries would ever and perhaps none OF the
GOOD that Of principle and talents and learning
would to country where talents and learning
would avail them nothing and their places would be taken
BY those who void of principle and talent.
On the second branch he said that better devised plan
for the advancement of the Catholic church could have
been started than the proposed by the knownothngs
that all history went TO prove that any church would
grow faster under persecution than in any other way
hat By persecuting the Catholic church the way
make grow and hence this branch aswe the other
he could nothing else but evil in the workings of know
nothingism
Mr. Smith said he had been Graded in a prejudice
against Catholicism and yet retained it at the
time however he warned by the history of the past
against religious intolerance He referred to the history Of
religious persecution and intolerance IN the States OF Eu
rope and in the American colonies before the adoption of
the constitution and showed clearly that true religious
liberation had never existed in any country in the world
until the formation of government He planted him
self upon the principles of fathers of Washington and
of Jefferson and regarded the persecution of religious
sect in this country not only in direct violation OF the
constitution of the United States and of the State OF Ten
nesee but fraught with the most evil consequences
to the well-being of government He said he did
not regard it as violation of the constitution to
vote against Catholic Methodist Presbyte-
risn but that it in direct opposition to the spirit
Of that instrument for persons to meet in secret coucave
devise and adopt measures to deprive any religious
denomination of political rights in the United States He
believed however, that the object of this organization
TO elect office who had not the merit To rise uron
her persona! reputation published political creed if
not why conceal THEN principles Why not publish them
to the world that ireemen may know what they and
whether worthy Of upport That the constitution protects
al religious denominations in the United States and
pressly declares that every may worship God accord
ing to the dictates OF his conscience and again. that
roas test shall be required for any Office under
the United States BY these principles of the constitution
Mr.. Smith said be stood and by them he ready if
cessary to fall
He said that his friends had told him that IL be spoke
against know-nohingian it would break him down polt-
eally 1t IL was to be SO, let it he had placed him
self the platform where Washington and jefferson and
the revolutionary fathers sood-the good old platform
that Washington himself had madeha, OF religious toll
Grafton and the constitution of his country. That If be
had to fa in such conflict let it be not th"t h" in"
vited it challenged them but that he would rather die
thousand deaths politically than TO live the brief space
hour in the wrong That had perhaps been thought
OF him that be all things all men il go they bad
mistaken their man--tha he raised his voice now agair
this thing and long he could raise his voice hand
against they might him that way. Tie understood
that some few democrats going into this new organi-
ton He regretted the severance but let them go he
would not upon the constitution, would he give
up the great principle of religious liberation The able
speech of Mr. Smith has been merely glanced at in the fore
going remarks happy effort and will tell al the
proper time.