M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1856-07-03
SDeech Of Hon. 8. A. DOugias at
the Great Ratification Meeting
an WashingtOm City.

The HEeHt INa0hC9AtAOAA nACStasAo q
in washington City. e
Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, in response to-
reneated and enthusiastic calls, appeared on
the stand, and spoke as follows.
Gentlemen have declined responding to-
vour kind call before, for the reason that
was apprehensiye that the condition OF my
health. and especially Of my throat, would
NOT enable me to be heard. You all know
that am not Indifferent in any contest, in.
volyine. as 1t does, the great fundamental
nrinciples OF constitutional govenme mt,
Of civil and religious liberty, OF the
equality OF the States, and the night OF SELL
government in the States, and Territories
Subject TO the constitution. All that have
AT heart is CONDENSED into an intensity Of
feeling for the success Of the ticket and the
platlorm adopted at Cincinnati. lCheers. III
The platform is worthy OF the Democratic
party. and the democratic party and the can
didates ale worthy Of the platform. The
Democracy have more TO contend for, more
TO animate their patrio tism, more TO hope |
for the future in the success Of this election
Than of any which has ever taken place under
the constitution of the United States. The
combined enemy-for it is combination OF
all the incongruous material, OF all the FAC
tiOns and isms that are arTayed In hostility
10 the Democracy-the combined enemy are
now fighting with the form OF ticket +; but
thew are without platform, without princi-
ples, without anything by which they can
be designated, except as the enemies Of
Democracy. The telegraph Informs us that
they have madea nomination for the presiden-
cy, by taking man who came near getting
the Know Nothing nomination at New York,
as the Abolition nominee al Philadel phia.-
And why should they not7 Abolilionism and
Know Nothingism are allies. Everywhere
in the free States, the Know Nothings are
Abolitionists and the Abolitionists are
Know Nothings. 0fcourse none but X.
N. Aboltionist, or an Abolition Know
Nothing could be the nominee Of the Black
Republicans at Philadelphia. lCheers.
The black republican army is an allied
army, composed of Know Nothlngs, Aboli-
tionists, Free Soilers, Maine Liquor Law men
(laughter,) woman's-rghts men, Increased
laughter) Anti irenters, Anti.Masons, and ell
isms that have been sloughed eff from all the
honest parties in the country and have made
a combination against the Democracy. We
have got to fight this allied army; and when
we get them into line, ii is not material
which of them you slay, for they all belong
TO the common enemy. (Cheers.) Our bus
iness is to bury all the isms and all their
allies in one common grave in November
next,in order to restore peace to the country
and perpetuity TO the Republic. They arc
the enemies Of the constitution. The Union
was made through the constitution, and it
ought not to be preserved in any other mode,
for whenever the Constitution, the pallad ium
OF our liberties, the only guarantee that we
have for the Union, for our institutions, foI
all that is dear and sacred-wheneye that
Constitution is invaded with iinpunity, that
moment our liberties are at an end. But to
me, as a northern man, ii matters not on which
side of the Constitution the assault Of fhe
enemy is made. If foreign army were ~tC
invade the sacred soil Of this Republic would
stop to inquire whether the assault was
made upon the northern Or the southern from
tier--upon the Atlantic OF upon the Pacific?
Would not every patriotic very lover of hi
country every republican in heart and in spirit
seize his arms and rush to the Tescue,to repe
the insolent invader? Then what does i
matter whether the enemies Of the Constitu
tion are invading northern rights or southern
rights, eastern rights, western rights, wheI
they violate the Constitution OF our country
Every true friend Of the Republic; every Dem
ocrat, every lover ofhis country is bound t
rally to throw himself into tile breach, anC
repel the enemy, whether that enemy invadei
the rights OF southern States or northern
States, of southern men or northern men
under the Constitution.
Hence you see my friends, that the contes
in which we are now engaged rises to q dig
nifty and importance for above these petit
contests & partisan warfare where merely tn
administration Of the government and tn
spoils Of office are to be the result OF IN
J.. victory. 1t is question Of fidelity TO tn
!. constitution, and through the constitu
tion, Of the perpetuity Of the Union. tits
q question Of seff.govemment throughout Ii
world, a question Of the equality Of ehe State:
q a question Of civil and religious liberty,
- question whether man is to be prescribe
10 because Of the plQce of his birth. Thus a
2 the great elements ofour government are II
. volved in this coolest. The,combined enen
;s of know.nothings, aboli:ionists, and a
n the other isms, presume upon the intelligen,
r. Of the people by supposing that if they ca
6 only succeed in getting traitors from demo-
4 racy, renegade democrats for the
standard be arers, they can coax the democra
4 into their ranks. Whatever they are, in Il
). Philadelphia convention. in the New Yol
know nothing convention, or in the differeI
!, States, they hold that man must have bee
= traitor to his party and his principles,
traitor TO his friends, in order to be eligib
. to office under their reignl [Cheers.l 7:
merits of their cand dates consists in the fat
that they are renegades from democracy!
: confess, however, that even this fact is som
. thing in their favor. for IT shows that thu
= : have not sinned against the constitution I
= long as their supporters have. They mu
= have been apostates from the true church
order to be deacons in the new one! Tr
mendous applause. The merit Of these me
: consists in the fact that they were once
- good standing in the true political church,
: tho county They apos.alized fiom III
church; they have abjured the principles
their fathers and mothers reared them; tn
> which have proved recreant to all the ob!ig
!. tions that had been conferred upon them;al
y because Of their apostacy they are consider
as worthy standard bearers for abolitionisr
> w-rothingism, and all the other ism
.e (Cheers.]
u What other qualification have they7 T
y telegraph tells US that the nominee Of I
= Philadelp phia Convention ,as the Abol:ti,
?, :, Know Nothing candidate for the Presiden
y .. ha,