The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-22
THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN IN NEW YORK
HON. JEFFERsoN DAVIS IN THE METROPOLIS

ing the In nyitaton TO meet yo here 1t and 10
hear not TO speak have listened with pleasure to the
language addressed to you by your candidate for the
highest Office in the State because it Is the language Of
patrotism il is appeal TO the common sense OF the
people in favor of THAT fraternity on which our Union
was founded, and en- which alone IL can exist have
reocod hear the applause with which such sentiments
when he uttered thc have been received by those here
convened and trust it is but an indie on Of that on
ward progress Of reaction whicn believe has already oc
Cured and which to sink beneath the lowest depths
Of forgeuness the long struggle which has agatcd the
country, aud prompted you to wage an nernecne wal
against those who your counti Jnen. Applause.
Truly has the distinguished gentleman pointed out to
you the extreme absurity OF attempting to excite you
upon the ground of northern aggression. We have
nothing to aggess upon. We have not now, as ho has
told you, the power, though we had, to Interfere
with your domestic institutions We never had the Will
TO do So And II we hal the power now, true TO the
instincts and history Of our fathers would abstain
from intcrmeddling in your private affairs Applause
have purpose this any other occasion to min
gle In the consideration of those questions which
are local to YOU l am not sufficiently learned In
conchology to do it If would, [laughtcr and have
too great respect for community Independence to do
it If could. My purpose then is simply in answer
to the call to offer you few reflections such as may occur
to me, as ! progress, upon those questions which
are ALL and which belong TO the memories
of our fathers and linked with the hopes of chill
dren. Applause.l IT. then, without preparation do
it in unvarnishcd phrase il cannot carry YOU along
with Inc because of the want Of that flowing dcion which
cause, for it is the cause Of your country II is the cause
Of democracy, it is the cause OF human liberty. lap
plaise Who stand arrayed against the democratic
party? The relations into which have been divided
have been changed What now Is the basis of opposition
to the democratic party? 1t is two fold inter erence with
the negroes of other people, and interference with the
right of foreigners to to land. Hear, hear,
and applause To each community belongs the right
decide for itself what institutions it shall have TO
each people, sovereign within their sphere, be-
longs, and to them only belongs, the right to de-
eide what shall be property. You have dideced IT
for yourselves Who shall gansay your decision Mis-
sssppi has decided it for herself Who has the right to
gansy her decision 1t lies ut the foundation of that
Declaration of Independence to which you owe your ex-
sence among the nations Of the earth TO that declara
ton which led your fathers into and rough the war of
the revolution 1t that which constitutes to-day the
doctrine of Sate-rghts upon which it is my pride and
pleasure t. stand Applause. Congress has no power
to determine what shall be property any where Congress
has only such grants contained N the constitution
And the constitution confers upon it power to rule
with despotic hand the inhabitants of the Terrific
res. Within the limits of those Territories the common
property of the Union you and are equal we are joint
owners Each OF us has tho right to go into those Terri
tories with whatever property may carry TINT 1t is
recognised by the constitution of the United States Ap
plause Congress has no power to limit or abrSe that
right But the people of the Territory when they to
form State government when they recciyethat urise'c
ton which belongs to the people of New York any other
State have the power to decide that question and
power upon earth has the right to decide before that
time Applause.
IAt this point the Young Mems Democratic National
Club with banners and tansparenccs, entered the gar
den, and were received with enthusiastic cheers.
The dull remarks my friends which was in the
of making TO you have been interrupted by beautiful
episode, which am sure will more than exceed the
whole value OF tho poem, If may thus characterize my
dull speech And glad that foremost among all the
transprcnces and banners this flag which speaks
of the Yo oung Mems Democratic National Club Three
cheers for Davis. 1t is the young that rely
have found that in every struggle Of political
principles where the contest upon the side for
principle and upon the other for the spo it has been
the haired father and the boy with the peach bloom
upon his cheek upon whom have had to rcy for sup
port, My generation-and regret to say it's
stepped too much in the spirit and rckery OF politics to
be able to arise above the influence Of personal and po
tca gain into the pure field of patriotism beyond And
therefore glad TO the "Young Mems Democratic
National Club leading this procession aa b.
But to return to the argument was making / said
that Congress had power to legsae upon what should
be property anywhere; that Congress had power to
discriminate between the citizens of the different States
who should 60 into the Territories, the proper
ty of all the States but that those Territories of right re-
manned open to everybody with every species Of property
recognised In tho constitution, until the inhabitants
should become people, form fundamental law for
themselves and take upon themselves the powers dutes
and obligations of State. And now, my friends would
ask you further Of what value would the congressional
act upon that subectbc If it be constitutional right
as contend 1t is then it is matter for judicial de-
cision If Congress should assert that such is not the
right OF each of citizens and the courts appointed
abiter in such should decide that it is their
right, the law would therefore, be void If, on the
other hand 1t ia not right but Congress should
it to be one and the courts Hhoud DECLARE that such
right exists under the constitution then Congress has
power to create 1t and is in this that Congress
has not the power to establish prohibit slavery any
where Applause. What, then, has been the founda-
ton of all this controversy? Your candidate has Justly
pointed out to you that unpatrotc struggle for sectional
aggrandizement which, feeding, and growing it feeds
upon ITSELF has brought about this contest it
were between two contending powers struggle for
onal predominancca contest upon the side to
large the majority IL possesses and contes upon tho
other side to the power it has lost and become
the majority. This is the attitude of hostile nations
and not Of States bound together In fraterna unity
This is the feeling that one by one cutting the strands
which originally held tho States together You have
your churches divided you have trade turned
aside from its accustomed channel you have seen ea
and growing stronger day by day until at last it
tnuc, the cord Of union between the States will not
longer hold these States together You united
by every tie of fratcrnal feeling Shoulder to shoulder
step by step, fathers went through the revolution
because of their devotion 10 the principle of popular
lihsrty They struggled against the mother country be-
that country endeavored to legsae for the colo
mics, and the colonies claimed right that they must
not be taxed except by their representatives and
refused to submit to unconstitutional legislation. II
now in this struggle for the ascendency in power
section should gain such asccndency would en-
able 1t TO Iegislqp for the other 1t would throw us
back into the condition Of Tip polones, And IL in
the veins Of the sons flows the same blood az floyed
In the veins OF their sircs, they would not fail to
redeem themselves in the same way from tyranny by
resort TO revolution Appause And what the other