The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-10-24
POLITICAL MEETING IN THE THIRD CON
ERESSLl NAL LSE2

Mr. Sullivan must embrace the opportunities offered
this week, as his engagement ends on Saturday
next.
! POLITICAL MEETING IN THE THIRD CON
GRESSIONAL DISTRICT
meeting between the Hon. J. NJ. Harris and
W. P. Preston, Esq. for the expression of poti.
cal sentiment, came off on Friday evening at the
intersection of Caroline and Fayette streets. The
night was frosty and cod nevertheless good num-
bar of persons assembled to hear the discussion
which throughout was characterized BY the ut
most good feeling the part of both gentlemen
engaged. Mr.. Preston, by virtue of the correspon-
dence, opened in speech of an hours duration
followed by Mr.. Harris in a apeech of the same
length-each of the gentlemen having half an hour
for areply. At the controversy which comes off
at Towsontown tomorrow, the order is reversed.
Mr.. Harris opening and Mr. Preston CLOSING Du-
ring the course of the debate Mr. Preston was sew
eral times interrupted and had to request the an
dlence to be silent. So great was the confusion at
one time that Mr.. Harris had to appear whilst Mr..
preston was speaking, and ask of the people
not to make any noise or remarks as it was his
desire that the affair throughout should be charac-
terized by order and decorum.
MT. PRESTON then came forward and addressed
the meeting, defining the priucpes of Democracy
hoping at all times to maintain these principles and
believing that any desertion from them is antago-
nlstic to the best interests of the country. The
democratic party, as he understood, ought
to be regarded as that from whom emanated in
the first instance, opposition to British thral-
dom-the partvthat inaugurated the glorious Rev
olutlon, out OF which grew the Federal Con
stltuton, in view of which, he referred to the fact
that Thomas jefferson, the apostle of freedom was
a Democrat, of whose school he claimed to be a
pupil. He asserted that the first platform issued
by the American party was hostile to religious
toieraton. lie was of opinion that there never
ought to be union of politics and religion He
was utterly opposed to pickering and disturbances
at elections. If a chose to be an American
what right had another to abuse him for that or if
ne chose to be Democrat, what right had anv one
to use violence against him that account? Their
elections ought not to be like those of Louis Ma
poleon, who said, in substance, "All who
choose to vote for me do it, but all who do not
can stay away" Why was it, that in large city
like this, some l,S0O 1000 should be sub
scribing call to Reform a whole community p
The American party contend f,r certain r tue
growing out of the naturalization laws. The ma
turazation laws, they exist, are the laws Of the
land and if they to be altered let them be al
tered in a legal way. The time of last Congress
had been frittered away good deal by agitating
those Kansas questions, and by discussions caculat
ed to undermine the Constitution and destroy the
institutions of the South. 1t was a singular fact
that the 34th Black Republican Congress of the
United States aided by their American friends
could have controlled the slavery question and did
not choose to do so but spent their time not in re-
vising the naturalization laws, but in doing every
thing to provoke and wound the South. He charged
upon the American party, through its leaders, a
disposition to organize and affiliate with the Black
Republicans of the North.
He alluded to the election of EIr. L. D. Campbell
and asked whether he was entitled to his seat bv
reason of negro suffrage. Mr.. p contending that of
the majority of 10 by which he was elected l6 were
negroes. and turning to Mr. Harris, he asked him how
he voted (N1r Harris-I voted for Mr.. CampbelD
and, continued Mr. Preston, he was elected by the
negroes. He believed that, in that vote the whole
South compromised, and that the State of
MARYLAND I'm Ia oSlro ol
coming election was that it be fair impartial and
just.
Mr.. Harris spoke during the second hour, and
desired to go back to Congress if the people Thought
him entitled to majority of their votes, because
he considered the position to be honorable one,
and because he felt that he discharged the trust
heretofore reposed in him to the best of his abili-
ties. Abiding to Mr.. Prestons remarks in relation
TO Democracy, be Mr.. ii. was sorry to say that the
lustre of the Democrats sadly obscured and
dmmed by the present party. 1t might CRAFTY
MIR. Preston to look back to the time when there
was national Democracy, and to such men as
Thomas Jefferson when that party entertained
principles. but he would bring him to look face
to face with the prototypes of modern Democracy
Messrs Douglas and Buchanan. ''Iet the dead
past bury its dead? He came there to talk to the
men of the present about the interests of the pres
ent. Mr.. Preston had suggested that the two
great points of antagonism between the two parties
were intolerance in religion and the naturalization
laws. On religious questions he accorded to every
of his opinion, and the free privilege of worshipinr
in such manner the rituals of his church and
conscience might dictate, but the very instant he
laid his hand, IN the guise of religion his rights
an American citizen that moment he stood in oppo-
sition. On the naturalization laws he said it was
against the interest of the of the soil here and
nringed upon the right, of the ree-born people of
this country.
Mr. Preston does not approve of voting away public
domain, neither do |, said Mr.. H. He got caught
once voting away some public lands out West but
it takes man few months in the House of Con-
gress before he sees even single instead of double
but when he did, he got on the right side and kent
there. Abiding to rowdyism he said that the time
when the records of the city were stained with ru-
IN, was not done under an American government,
but when the party that the gentleman aspired to
represent held the reins and had all the pow
er in this good city of Baltimore. With re-
gard to the American party afliliating with the
Black Republicans, and that they were often
found on the same side with them, what the
gentleman said was quite correct. Sometimes
the Black Republicans offered resolutions to
examine into Navy estimates, and voted to sustain
the call and expose the fraud, but the Democrats
did not, but because their were found on the
same list with the ayes and noes ofthe Republicans
they were not to be charged with afating with
them on that ground.
In respect to Mr.. CampbelPs case, Mr.. Harris said
he voted for him, and there was but one nigger
who voted in that case not sixteen, as Mr. Preston
said, and the nigger who voted was the son of a
Democratic Governor of Ohio. He was getting
Amer
leans atiatng with Black Republicans
He would never un-South the district. Mr. Har-
ris read some statistics, in which he showed the
national expenditure to have increased from S40-
600 900 in the time of Fillmore, to about 100 O00
900 in that of Buchanan. After some remarks
upon the principles of Mr.. Douglas he concluded
by saying, "judge We, We the people; decide it
then in your best judgment and l will bow to your
decision"
Mr.. Preston then rose for his half hours reply,
and said Mr.. Harris wants me to say if | am for
Mr.. Douglas or Mr.. Buchanan, to which I reply
that pin my faith on mans sleeve. But what
has this to do with the question When / charge
him with being in afiliation with the Black Repub-
lican party, is that question answered by asking
me whether L approve of Douglas or Buchanan
! go for principles and not for men, at the proper
time | shall vote for whomsoever deserves my
vote, if he chooses to ask me whether l endorse
Mr.. Buchanan's measures, l say do, to the very
full He was astonished to hear the charge against
the present administration of being extravagant
and corrupt. He referred to the statistics of the
Secretary of the Treasury, Mr.. Cobb and said that
in 1852 the revenue of the United States from the
customs was $40, l65,933, and in 1857 it was S64-
III $40, making difference of Sl3, 900, 900
and Odds which revenue the Democratic admins
ration OF 1857 collected for $500 900 less than the
smaller revenue of 1852, the cost for collection in
both cases being upward of S3,0OO,OOO.
Mr.. 7. referred to the increasing prosperity of
the West, the establishment of mails, and the mo-
ney required to protect our cOuntrymen as they
progressed towards the Pacific, and to the money
expended in getting up Kansas committees, also of
the fact Of Congressman increasing their compen-
saton by their vote. He for doing every
thing that honorably ought to be done, in order to
maintain commercial Integrity and commercial
honor, the industrial pursuits, and the advance
ment of the mechanical interests, and the welfare
of the laboring man.
Mr.. HARRIS closed the meeting with his remarks
and said he understood the Democratic PRINCIPLES
of Mr.. Preston to be the same as those of Mr.. Bu.
chanan. Mr.. Preston had alluded to the Demo-
cratic principles of Jackson and jefferson, but Mr..
Ii. said he never came across Democrat on the
hustngs, who did not go back to antiquity He
asked his friend whether he would support a river
and harbor bill for this city and whether he beiev-
ed that Congress had the right to clear out our
river and harbor. (Mr. Preston on this question
was rising to respond but Mr.. H. objected and wish
ed an aye or no.
There such thing nationality in the
Democratic party. In regard to increasing the
compensation of Congressman, Democrats support
ed that bill. The President in his message lauded
Congress for passing this extra compensation bill,
characterising it of the wisest measures that
could have been adopted.
Everything passed off quietly, and the meeting
broke up at about halfpast ten o'clock, Messrs.
Harris and Preston having a cordial shake of the
hand at the conclusion of the debate.
la w TVTEELMENTE