Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-09-10
SPEECH OF GOV. REEDER
Delirered at the Tabernacle, Ne,c York, .4ug &c

Gov. Reeder said 1 thank you sincerely,
fellow citizens, for this demonstration. 1t
pleases me to know that at least here, in this
thronged audience there is some sympathy
for the men who struggling for their dear
est rights upon the plains of far-off Kansas
If there is no sympathy for them among those
who occupy high places in our Government,
there is at least sympathy for them among the
masters of our oficials-among those who
have given them the little brief authority
which they have so prostituted IN the face of
high heaven and before the eyes of this Re-
public. IApplausel. | come before you upon
mission from the Free-State men of Kansas
to tell their tale of wrongs and to appeal to you
for that aid, which, as citizens of one common
Government you are pledged by the Constitu-
ton and the laws you have adopted to grant
them. l come to you not as politician to
urge the claims of any candidate for Office
l represent party who have but one article
in their creed-the making q Free State in
Kansas. AS citizens of Territory, we have
no vote in the coming election, and shall not
therefore undertake to dictate yours. l come
not here to speak in behalf of or advance the
candidate of any special party. Applause
l shall not disclose what | have to say to the
ear of any man, nor repel the confidence of
any man or set of men by asking who is his
candidate, or what is his party and If any man
has come here to night expecting from me an
eulogy of any Presidential candidate, any
partizan speaking with reference to the cleo
tion alone, shall be compelled to disappoint
him. TCheers.J But if, on the other hand,
any man has come here expecting me to omit
aught that bears on the condition or destiny
of our poor down trodden people, he will be
equally disappointed. TCheers.l | shall go
as straight to my object as my intellect will
admit, and | shall deviate neither to the right
nor the left for the sake of any candidate or
any party. If however, the truth that l shall
have to tell, and the remedy that l shall sug-
gest, incidentally help any political party in
the land, it is their duey and shall have no
word to take back. If, on the other hand,
those truths shall iniuriously affect any party,
! the responsibility is upon them, not upon me;
and | shall have no regrets for my own actions
whatever may have for theirs. ICheers.I L
| come to you, not upon a mission of partizan-
ship. 1 come before you to discuss question
| that rises far above the common aims OF poll
| ticians, and involves the character OF this
| great and (as we are complacently accustomed
| to call it) this model Republic, not in any mi
nor or sccondarily important matters, but IN
| that which constitutes its great strength and
essence. have come to discuss no less
| question than whether the character of this
| great model Republic, that rears itself IN all
the panoply of self complacency, PRIDE ana
| graduation upon its past achievements, snail
| in the future be entitled to the admiration of
all the nations of the earth whether it has the
ability to protect its own citizens in the essen
tial right of Republicanism-that of self gov
ernment itself. 1t had been customary with
us to challenge the admiration of the world 10
the fact that during the 5000 years which
have rolled around since the creation OF the
| globe, it was reserved for us to demonstrate
| the problem of sef-government, and prove to
the world that it has never accomplished be-
fore what has been demonstrated in our expe-
rience IApplausel. 1t has been the fashion
for us to claim that self-government was no
longer problem, but that it had been redu
ced to a positive and absolute certainty. l
tell you, my fellow citizens, that events have
been transpiring within the last few years that
cause every thinking man to stop and inquire
whether we have indeed demonstrated that
problem. Let us see, in looking over our past
, history, whether there any events thai
NAV lead the monarchists of Europe to shake
their heads in Joyous doubt whether that prob
lem has been solved. Look over the face o.
this land. You see one of the States of thi:
Union, that for the last six years, with Con
stitution such as yours, has been struggling
to sustain itself, and to grant to every lndlvld
} ual under the shadow of that Constitution III:
legal and constitutional rights, but failing II
this experiment they have been obliged tt
| cast aside that Constitution and resort to al
absolute revolution in order to protect thei
) citizens in their social, civil, and legal rights
The Government of California has at least pro
we'd a failure, and it needs the corrective o
revolution in order to bring it back to its orig
inal purity. This is not the only instance tha
1 should teach every man to address himself t.
, the solemn consideration of the present STATE
of our country Look upon the plains of Kan
sas and who is there with burning eloquenct
sufficient to depict the state of things that ex
ist there Baffled and defeated before you,
confess my total inability TO convey to you