Eaton Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1843-1856, 1856-09-11
DEMOCRATIC MEETING Dr. FrEIDrNa,s
SPEECH.

4 H.
We had the pleasure on last Saturday eve
ming Of listening TO one Of The ablest areu.
ments in defence Of the principles Of the dem
%Ocrasic party, respecting he issues now before
the American people, that we have heard for
q long time. The speech was delivered BY
ID. FIELDINe, Of Sidney Ohio, an OLD Line
Whig, before the Washington Township Dem
%ocratic Club. He commenced by statinglh that
he was not aware until after / o'clock that
he was TO address a meeting here. He APP
peared before this audience in 1856, in the
same town and within fifty yards Of The very
spot, where, in 1917 he first exercised the
right of suffrage, and be remembered well that
old Capt. Hawkins received his first vote for
representative Of PEBBLE county, in he Stale
Legislature. He cid not appear before them
as a citizen Of Eaton, as q citizen Of their
county, OF Congressional District, but as a citu
izen OF the United States-h he came to discuss
principles Of vital importance TO the whole
republic, and he did not care whether he was
a resident Of Sanfrancisco, New York, Port
land, Main or New Orleans, he was deeply in
terested in the welfare ofihe Union. and had
a rightto discuss the principles Of public poll
icy. He said that he was o Clay Whig-C Clay
was his beau ideal Of a statesman, and he was
endeavoring to stand in the same position
which he thought that great and good man
would occupy, were he here 10 night. He
(Clay) would espouse the great principles now
advocated by the democratic party, and have
opposed the Republican party. He would not
say Black Republican, for he was opposed 10
and regretted to hear each party applying 10
the other, all the disgraceful epilhets they
could think. 1t was an unfair, and an I'M
gen tlemanly way Of arguing the question, aud
had no bearing upon the issue. Ii all we're
true that is asserted against either candidates
by the parties in opposition 10 them, instead
Of being candidates for the snffroges Of a free
people, for the highesl Office in their Gift
they should be incarcerated in the jails and
penittptiaries Of their respective States.
Why all this commotion Wherever we
go we find the people in a state of wild excite
ment-reason is almost dethroned, and a spe-
cies Of party monomania has taken its place
There must be som great mistake in princi-
pies which thus arrays party against party and
neighbor against feigbbor. We are in search
OF truth, and when we find it, let us put it in
practice. The truth is, the principles have
been Inexperienced, and being misappre-
hended have been ~misapplied, and this misap.
of a Inexperienced principle, has
oil this excitement.
Dr.. F. then referred back to the times that
tired mems souls'-when our forefathers
.ook their stand opposed 10 taxation without
'epresentation-wh when they declaring them
selves free and independent people, and plo-
ling their trust in Him who rules The armies
u heaven, and does His pleasure With The in.
labitants OF The earth, fought for the rigtt OF
Ell government. The ~colinies then, were IN
precisely the sane position now occupied by
'ur territories, and The people thsT declared
n the face Of their Mother Country he r;sbt
0 govern themselves. The gentlemen in Incl.
to day in your streets re fered to "an
rdinaace for the government of The territcies
I the United States northwes. OF the river
'hio," in which ordinance il is provided that
o slavery shall exist in said territory, except
crime, &c.-and they claimed that to be
roof positive tbst Congress had exercised The
lght oflegislatiDg upon the slavery question;
'ht the gentlemen forgot 10 state to their
carers that that ordinance was passed by the !
ofthe confederation on the 18th dsy {
July 1887, which Congress derived its pow. !
from the articles OF con federation adopted
q LII, and ratified by all the States in 1871 |
nd not from the Constitution, which was not 9
dopted until the 18th day of September 1887. !
ne O your orators 10 Jay spoke OF the man. !
CT o. counting negroes in the apportionment 9
! represeniatiyes-an and he spoke Of it in such
ra"ner as 10 leave the impression on the
Kinds of bis hearers, that The man who owped Z
lily negroes had thirty one yotes-thirty for S
Is negroes and one for himself. Now This Q
unfair. The slave holder has but one
IN counting the inhabitants 10 find I
0" many representatives theyare entitled to, !
We negroes are counted as though they were =
lree white men, whilst in the free States :
'ery negro is c~ounted-but even il the slave
older had an advantage overa non.slayehol n
~ in this matter, it would be wrong for us 10 !
to It now, because the Constitution 81
TO him that advantage. Where did v
e majority Of the thirteen original States ?
and on this question. Twelve of them were !,
ave holding States and one was a free State,
ID yet we are told that slavery is sectional Il
ID freedom national-slavery issectional and 9
,edom nationals. e. twelve OF the thirteen 4,
lglnal States were sectional and one was ma Of
'nal-twelye Of The thirteen component parts lo
a whole are sectional and one is general !
Dr.. +. eulogized The precision with which d
? machinery of this government moved on II
IN the time II was first sci in motion until a
10. Nojsr waS felt until that time-then :,
that circumstances occurred concerning "a
; admission Of Missouri into the Union, out
which grew the celebrated "Missouri Com te
which Dr.. F. pronounced, and prov. +,
hv eoonA nnd 1oo;5 -