Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-09-24
Extract from Speech by Hon. John NJ.

mona. Me ON d0y V Angust, 1000.
Well, now want to say o word about tn,
Cincinnati platform, before get through will
Mr.. Buchanan. The first resolution read a.
| follows: 2 M
Resolved, That the American Democracy
place their trust in the intelligence, patriotism
and discriminating justice of the American peo
pie. That we regard this as distinctive fea
ture of our creed, which we are proud to main
tain before the world as great element in &
form of government springing from and upheld
by the popular will and zoe contrast it arith til.
the creed and practice Of federalism, unde,
soaateuer name or form, schieh seeks to palsy tht
gote Of the constituent and which conceices M
impostnrs too monstrous TOR the popular cretuti
ty."
Gentlemen, 1 will thank you to stick q pin in
that. Oaughter) / will read the next resolu.
ton:
"That the Federal Government is one of linn,
tied powers derived solely from the Constitu.
ton, and the grants Of power made therein
ought to be strictly construed by all the depart.
ments and agents of government, and that it is
insxpedient and dangerous to exercise doubtful
constitutional powers"
Gentlemen, stick two pins in that if you
please. (Laughter) The next resolution
reads:
"7Aat the Constitution does not confer upon
the general government the po,cer to commence
and carry on a general systens Of Internal I'm
prouement."
I want you to stick three pins in that
[Laughterl
Next comes tho fourth resolution, which |
will also read:
"That the Constitution does not confer au-
thority upon the Federal Government, directly
or indirectly, to assume the debts of the several
States, contracted for local internal improve
ments, or other State purposes; nor would such
assumption be just or expedient."
Now then let US look at the last OF these reso-
lutions.
The last resolution adopted by that Conyen-
ton, which is no where to be found published
in any Southern platform that have seen; let
me repeat it, the last resolution adopted by that
Convention which is no where to be found at
tached to the platform Of the party, as published
in any Southern paper, SO far as my observation
is concerned, declares:
''That the Democratic party recognizes the
great Importance in political and commercial
point Of view of a speedy and safe overland COM
inunication between the Atlantic and Pacific,
and that it is the duty Of the Federal Gocern-
ent to exercise llreasona6le Constitutional polo-
er for that oect, thereby binding together the o.
MON of the States in indissolube bonds, opening
the rich trade of the East, and uniting the coun-
try from the Pacific to the Mississippi and the
great lakes of the North"
Here they first tell you, that there is no i'm
posture too monstrous for the Federaists, as
they term US, to practice upon the credulity Of
the people and that Congress has no constitu-
tional power to appropriate money for works OF
internal improvement; and then they wind up
with declaration that they will expect the in
incoming administration to make appropriations,
from the public treasury, for the most gigantic
scheme of internal improvements that was ever
projected in this country, being nothing less
than line of railroad from the Atlantic to the
Pacific. cloud cheers) This resolution was
offered in the convention after they adopted the
platform and before they nominated acandidate.
The resolution was introduced and adopted by
an overwhelming majority, and the excuse that
they give for not publishing this resolution in
connection with the other resolutions of the
platform is, that it was no part OF the platform
that it was mere resolution And what is
the rest of the platform but resolutionsf What
are the principles but resolutions on paper 2
And what is the platform but the principles
that are proposed to be laid down for the gov
e. .nment of the party2 1t is matter of no conse.
quence, at which time the resolutions are intro.
duced by which it is intended to bind their can
didates. This resolution, though distinct from
the Others as we are told being introduced af.
ter the adoption OF the Platforms as binding
upon Mr.. Buchanan, the mum candidate, o.
they used to call Gen. Harrison, as the platform
itself
And this is the party that has the unblushing
effrontery and impudence to declare, in one OF
their resolutions, that the re is no imposture too
monstrous to be imposed upon the popular Gre
dulity by the Federal Party, as it has suited
their taste and their purposes to designate US.
But this is not all that is to be brought into
contrast between the professions and the prsc-
tice Of that party. They say Congress has no
power tu assume the payment ofthe debts of the
States-yet they are the only party in this coun-
try that has assumed the payment of the debts
of the States-which they have done indirectly
by voting millions upon millions of the public
lands (probably not loss than 2O0,000,0OO from
first to LAST for purposes of Internal Improve
ments of local nature altogether. Virginia,
say, owes $20,000,000. incurred chiefly if not
wholly for Internal improvements. She applies
to the General Government for aid and Congress
says we can't pay your public debt; that we
have no right to do; but we will vote you 20
O00, 900 acres of public lands worth $1.25 an a.
ere for purposes of Internal Improvements, and
if you choose, you can apply that to the payment
of your public debt, or what will answer the
same purpose, it will enable you to apply all
your own means to the payment OF the debt, ,and
this you can expend upon your local railroads.
Is this not substantially assuming the debts OF
those States to which the appropriations are
made9
Nor is this ALL They declare that Congress
has no power to commence and carry on gen.
eral system of Internal improvements. The
same democracy goes back to Congress, and they
pass bill making appropriations to some twen-
ty-fve or thirty works of Improvement. The
President interposes his veto upon the ground
that it is violation OF the constitution, and a
violation of their solemnly recorded opinion in
Cincinnati The bill goes back to Congress, each
item is embraced in q separate bill, and each
one passes both houses of Congress, BY vote OF
two-thirds in each, and thus becomes the law OF
the land, in defiance of the Constitution, in the
face of the PLATFORM and in spite of all their pro-
fessions of Democracy, of purity, of unity and
consistency and yet this is the party that says
there is no imposture too monstrous for their
opponents to practice upon the popular creduli-
ty.
THE LADIES PAY MORE INTO THE TREASURY
THAN DO OUR Iron DEALERs.-The imports OF
silk have risen in value since 1847 from less than
$12, 100000 to over $24,ooo,Ooo, and the Gus
toms from 81, 1888, $50 to S6,l29,5s6. In these
nine years the total amount of duties received
into the Treasury from manufactures of silk is
S51 ,s93, ,s71, while the total revenue from iron,
manufactures Off iron, and iron and steel, amount
ed to only $50, 139,942.
RICHER THAN PRAIRIE "BorroMs." pa certain
lot in London is estimated to be worth at the
rate of four million taoo hundred thousand dol