The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1858-10-07

but L was soon convinced that unless
debased my manhood, and recalled all [
bad said in favor of the Cincinnati plat
form and the doctrine of popular sover-
eighty, | would be called upon to bear
the brunt of violent collision. And from
that day, from January, 1853, up to Sep
tember, when / spoke at Tarrytown,
there was no calumny too vile to be coin
ed and circulated by the organs of the
Administration against the journal of
which l am the owner aud the editor, and
the gentlemen with whom l am proud to
CO operate in this great cause. Every
friend who had been appointed to Office
and who still dared to sympathise with
me, in my struggle for principle, was e.
jected from place. was denounced, not
only as false to my party, not only as
false to the issues of 1856, but | was de-
clared 80 be under the pay Of the Black
Republicans" and, to cap the climax, the
same Administration organs were kind e.
noug ID to allege that | had proved myself
ungratelul to James Buchanan by refu.
sing to follow hi,n in his betrayal of Dem
ocratic principles. Appeals were made
to postm asters throughout the country to
attack me in my business, and to leave n
effort untried to cripple my enterprise
In word, there was IN Ingenuity of pro-
scription, fertility of falsebood, reck.
less mess of persecution. hich induced me
more than once to inquire in the language
of Governor Walker. whether indeed "we
were living in the last year of American
Independence, or the first year of the A
merican monarchy Z" [ saw the basest
wretcbes, men who had never been recoe-
nised by the Democratic party in this
State, and who i'll 1856 had scarcely an
opinion to avow, ready to 60 for Fren ont
or Fillmore saw these men not only
clothed with the power of the Federal
| Administration, but authorized to speak
( in deDunciation of men who had created
it. saw the money of the Federal Gov.
ernment expended to break down the reg
ular organization of the dem ocratic party
whenever and wherever that organization
was not committed to the scandalous K ian
sas policy of that Administration. | saw
Senators turned into spectators in order
to induce them to desert their written and
spoken promises to the people; saw Rep
resentatives purchased to betray their
continents, as Southern Shareholder
purchases bis slaves; | saw newspapers
openly and actively engaged with me Oh
the side Of conscience and the Constitution
threatened or bought into silence or ac-
| quiescence; | witnessed an era Of official
despotism, and an organization of official
insolence. such as, had it taken place un-
der an opposition Administration, and a.
gainst the democratic party, would have
hurled that Opposition into perpetual OBJ
security. 1t was in vain that patriotic
democrats in all parts of the Union, North
and South, East and West, held up their
hands in terror at this abandoned spec
tace. 1t was in vain that Wise of Vir-
ginia, protested, that Douglas protested.
that Packer protested, that Bancroft pro-
tested, that Ryerson protested, that the
nearest aud dearest friends of Mr.. Bu.
chanan protested-the crusade went on.
[ saw the Democratic party of Illinois,
standing under the flag which marshalled
US in the great victory two years ago,
traduced as traitors to that flag; saw
Stephen A Douglas leading the regular
organization of the party, to daily con-
Hict with the avowed enemies of that par
ty, and yet attacked front and rear by the
Administration; [ saw Hickman contend.
ing against the mereerary hosts of Office
in his district, Haskin struggling against
the custom-h house in his, Montgomery
with the regular nomination at bis back
opposed by the officials in his, and John
G.. Davis upholding popular sovereignty
in bis, against frantic horde of mercen-
aries; and it seemed to me that silence Oh
my part would be grievous cowardice.-
Accordingly | spoke as I did.
Cast your eyes over the wide expanse
Of the country, and observe the change
which has taken place in short timel--
Let us begin at Maryland, and there we
shall find that, at democratic Conven-
ton lately held in the city of Baltimore,
resolutions in favor of the Kansas policy
OF the Administrator were tabled by a
decided vote. From the same State was
publ he'd the eloquent letter of the Hon.
Revefdy johnson (wbose powerful speech
in Philadelphia, in 1856, will long be re-
memtered) against the odious test of the
administration and the insane proScrip-
tion of Judge Douglas,
! In Virginia, Governor Wise, the repre-
sentative man of the State, whose brilli-
ant and unequaled career against reli-
gious prescription will be remembered as
Hong as the name of the Old Diminion it
self, and who has always emerged the
victor from bis contests with factions
this remarkable man stands in the fore
i front of the scene, bravely denouucibg the
Kansas policy of the Administration in
all the phases, md especially that portion
of it which seeks to force upon Dcmocra-
cy dishonoring and repulslve test, The
4 old organ of Thomas Ritchie, the Rich