Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-04-09
EBENsBURG, APRIL 8, 1866.

| dent of the United States.
His whole life has been one continued dis
| cipline for the exalted and varied duties o
the proud position which he is destined to ill
! AS member OF this hall, in early youth, ht
received his first lessons in the principles o
| State legislation and State rights. On the
floor of Congress, he was taught, in intellec-
tual conflict with the giant minds of America
the rights and duties of a representative and
Senator. In the Cabinet of a Democratic
President he was taught how to rule a free
people And now as our representative cl
his country in a foreign land, he is famiilarl-
zed with the diplomacy and diplomatlsts OF
lands beyond the sea These are lessons By
which he has been trained for the Presidency.
The hand of Providence seeas to have guard
ed and guided the course of bis life for the
fulflment of this splendid destiny. The full
maturity of his cultivated and powerful intel
lect, enriched by the experience of more than
forty years spent in the service of his country,
pre-eminently qualities him as the Chief of the
Nation America has but one such man, and
it gladdens the hearts of face people to do
him honor
Mr. President. | have merely glanced at
some of the incidents in the history of james
Buchanan We have seen the STRIPPING boy,
the favorite of the people of his adopted
county, but they were not permitted to retain
him. Pennsylvania demanded him, and he
became the favorite son of our great State !;
but the Nation is now demanding him from US
as the chief of our mighty people, The log
cabin boy of Franklin county, in the maturi-
ty of his intellectual power, is to-day the
greatest statesman in the world.
The young lawyer of the Lancaster bar has
ricap ctep bv aiUavS aayancinO with a
sure and steady progress-he has taken no
step backward He is first elected a member
of the State Legislature, next he is found in
the halls of the lower house of Congress !;
next in the Senate of the United States :;
from the Senate to the Cabinet Of President
Polk j; from the Cabinet to the Court of St.
James, and the almost united voice of free
people is now calling him to the Presidency
Of the United States. (Cheers)
Earth's honors have been or viii soon be
conferred upon him. He will soon be on the
topmost round of human elevation, and from
it he will have but one more step to take, that
step will be to the skies. Enthusiastic
cheering.)
HON. JAMES II PORTER.
l suppose, Mr. President, I must bow to
the will of the majority [ had not inten-
ded, sir, to trouble this Convention with any
remarks further than what was necessary to
the transaction of our business and-I was
confirmed in that position, feeling that l
should appear to great disadvantage after the
able speeches that | heard from other gentle
men, more accustomed to speaking than nv
self. Young America has the country In
ther charge and we old fogies must give way
to them, daughter and applause, and all
that we can ask of them is that they take a
little advice, derived from the experience of
age. Give us energy and resolution to help
US. backed by the experience Of age, and our
march viii be onward triumphantly to victo-
ry | have but word or two to say on this
occasion, for | never like long speeches, and
what | will say will be in relation to the
Know-Nothing party, and the violation by
that party of the laws and constitution of our
Iperhaps had the honor, for I esteem it an
honor, to be the first person to take pnblic ac-
ton in relation to their conduct Applause. I
[ held it to be my duty, when filling Judi
cial station and acting under the sanction of
an oath to discharged those duties faithfully.
to call the attention of the Grand Jury of
Wayne county. in December, 1854, to this
which L then held and now
hold to the contrary to the laws and Constitu-
ton of the country, and a violation of those
laws to a criminal extent, and held that any
member of the Association of Know-Noth-
ngs was liable to be indicted and convicted of
A conspiracy in attempting to deprive por-
ion of our citizens of the rights guaranteed
to them by the laws and Constitution of the |
United States. (Applause.) For this [ was
threatened by Sam and Dan to Beersheeba;
md heard that II was their intention to have
ne brought before the Know-Nothing Legis- |
ature of Pennsylvania, and have me removed |
rom office; told them to go ahead, that [ |
Knew they did not love to hear the truth. but |
hey should hear it there as well as in Wayne |
ounty. (Applause)
Now, sir, one OF the first amendments to |
he Constitution made at the very first session |
# Congress is this, {" Congress shall make no /
avs respecting the establishment of religion |
+ prohibiting the free exercise or abridging /
ne right of the people"
The Constitution of Pennsylvania declares
hat no man shall be called to account before
ny human tribunal for his mode of worship
ing God, but that he shall do so freely oc-
ording to his conscience [ give the idea
hen, sir, we have set of men coming toreth-
r-and although the Constitution of the
United States authorizes Congress and re-
uires them to pass laws for the naturalization
foreigners-combining and eonspiring to-
ether in secret for the purpose of depriving
citizens of the rights guaranteed
, them by the Constitution. There is an ex-
ress infraction of the law, and had an indict-
ent been brought before me against them,
assured you of the fact in truth, they
lould have been convicted. daughter and
oplause.) In that charge to the Grand Ju-
7 to which l have referred, gave an extract
the law of conspiracy from two decisions
le made by the Chief Instice of Massachu-