Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-04-08

! But. sir, | propose to hold to thcs
defenders Of the Lccompton constitution
the emphatic utterances Of the leaders, tn
very magnates. of their party upon thi
I floor, during the discussion Of the cele5ra
ted New Jersey case, to which | have re
ferrcd; for. if it was right, if it was legal
if it was constitutional, to lock behind th
regular credentials of Representatives, an,
! to decide. before admitting them to seats
whether those credentials actually spok
the voice of the people interested, then ar
the gentlemen on the other side ''estopped'
{ to use that favorite term of the Lecmpton
/ ites) from arguing that. when an instrumen n
of such vital, far reaching importance, as
State constitution. is before us for ratiFica
ton, we may not also go behind even tn
+ fairest face that it may wear on the outside
to see if it is not fraud and an outrage,
/ tyranny and wrong.
My quotations are from the eighth vol
ume of the Congress Globe, session 0
1S39-40.
And, first, to all the gentlemen, from
the President down, who tell us so compla
Gently that the Lccompton convention wa
"a legal body, that their constitution was :
legal instrument, that its formation ha
all been technically regular, AMI that
therefore, we have no right to consider tn.
nearly unanim oa, protest against it by tn;
Territorial Legislature, an the overwhal
ming population of it by the people them,
selves. quote the outspoken language OF
Aaron yan.lerpool. then the leader of the
Democratic delegation here from the En-.
pirc Static:
These (saiI h.) were his views AMI an
swcrs to the technical points-thc mere
questions of form-raise,l here, to preclude
Us from looking at the real truth and JUS
ticc of the case" "He
implorel the House not to acknowlc lge it
self so I'm ,otem, or so mystfeiJy form as
To BE- M'nlei By suJst,nce; not to promul-
gate to the world that the potent voice and
will of the people of sovereign State, con
stitutionslly expressed. couldh here be prac-
ticaily frus,rafef AMI drowaa-i, even for a
season, blythe pitJM squeak:ng notes of
form anil tehaicaliy." Congressional
Giote, p. 8, 1899.
That was tine robust language in which
a Democratic champion ofthat era spurnei
the argument of "form and teclncality, y
and sought rather, as hc declared i'm anoth-
cr part of his speech, to ascertain what was
"the right anil truth anI Justice and con
science Of the case
Nor was this ALL After him stool up
the champion of thu Democratic delegation
from Ohio. who for years afterwards occu-
pied still higher seat in the other enl of
this Capitol. anil who now presides as the
Executive of the G ,ldcn State. Said ii ohm
b. Weller:
His object was to DO full AMI ample
justice to these men and the people of New
Jersey, AMI he was not to be tel dowa by
forms OF stand UPON techni-a,d 'es, when he
saw gross fraud practiced upon the rights
of people of a sovereign State"
" Whenever he saw an effort made 10 disre-
gurdhe expressed. ,cW ofh;e people, and
trample upon their constitutional rights,
he would be heard in their defense. Yes,
sir, as long as God gives me voice to
speak, that voice shall be heard in riadi-a-
ting lie cause Of aa oatrsgeI AMI insaltect
HtCiftc. --1ofu-, p ~. |r.r ..r..f
That voice, Mr.. Chairman, is still spared
to its owae.; an as it spoke so emphati
cally. when merely a representation in 4
single Congress was at issue. shall look
/, hear the solemn plc lg, which havcquo-
t Il most cloIuently re.ieemsl when John
B. Weller, from the Pacific coast. lifts his
voice in vindication of .sthc cause of an
outraged anil insultcl people," AMI con-
demns. in the severe Ian suage which he so
we'll kn )ws how to use, and will use if he
Is faithful to his vow, the imposition of an
o olious constitution upon protesting and
indignant community. -rs3 . : .5T
Virginia, too, in that day, spoke in diff
fcrent tone from her Representatives of
1853. but in striking accorlancc with ths
fearless declarations of her present chief
George &. Droomgoole-and
L need not state hero what rank he held a.
mong the statesmen Of the Old Dominion
-uttered language which was botl, truth
ful an prophetic. Listen, to his words of
warming: ayy ia 4esf--fF 80. ~,
IF You establish the principle that the
ere lentials given by the State authorities,
no matter ho,c fraudulent, no matter .how
much at rariaare ,ctA tie pU efAe people
ofhe Slut, as expressed in the elections,
shall outweigh the popular voice, you
strike atkke existence Of the eleaise frunchise.
and destroy every principle that makes de-
moeracy both lovely and practical. -
Page So aess a,~ss -.
And yet the successors of Droomgoolc
tell us that we cannot go bchini the Off
rial certificate of John Calhoun. to ascer-
tain whether the instrument he bears is ar
not ''at variance with the will of the pco-
ple." To them comes the stern conicm-
nation from their eloquent predecessor.
who, though dead, yet speaketh-"Ya gu
strike at the existence of the elective fran
:hise. anil destroy every principle that
makes democracy both lovely and practi.
:al." .u,.s -, os...s... n - ~. 4
Tins will not permit more copious quo I:
atoms, bnt must call yet another witnoss
,pon the stan |. who "still lives in. his
'wn State of South Carolina. allude to
Francis W. Pickens,- te.whom the Presi-
lent net long since stensleresi aoncs of his
most important foreign mission, aud who
heuld therefore be good authority at the
White House. a. we'll a. with his successors /.
lsre. Mr.. Pickens thus spoke in the same
cbatc, says the Globe: .dt a s.,,. -