St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-08-11
IILDRETH, EDITOR & PROPRIETOR.
4olihtal.
SPEECH
HON. JAMES HARLAN

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Before the Loca Republican State Coaue.tion.
, At Dcs Iolnes, June as, 1850.
FELLOW CITIZENS Whether dis
posed to praise or censure the Admin
istration of James Buchanan and
Franklin Pierce, all must admit
lst. The responsibility ofthe Democratic
Party for the present condition Of pubiit
affairs.
1t succeeded Mr.. Fillmore's Admin
istration in 1852. by the election of a
President, Vice-President. and a ma
ljority of the members of both branches
of Congress. The heads of the execu-
tive departments and officials through.
out the country were promptly super
ceded by the appointment Of Demo.
cratic incumbents. Having complete
control Of the entire machinery of gov
ernment, it was able to inaugurate
and enforce its own peculiar policy.
The justice and majesty, the good
name and fame Of the great North
American Republic among the ma.
| eoho oi TIC SoituJ WclC COlniultteu 10
its keeping.
Clothed with this great trust it
startled the ears of the friends of Re-
publicanism everywhere, and delight
ed the despots of the Old World, by
an unblushing denial of the truth of
the elementary principles of civil lib
erty, as proclaimed by the revolution
ary fathers, established in the adop-
tion of the Federal Constitution, and
observed in the administration of the
government for three quarters of a
century. 1t assailed the compromise
measures of 1850. 1t repealed the
law extending the principles of the
Declaration of independence, as en-
bodied in the Ordinance of 1857, west
of the Mississippi river, and inaugura-
ted its Kansas policy. 1t enacted by
government officials slave code of
laws for free people, and enforced
their observance with Federal bayo-
nets. 1t inaugurated its foreign poll
cy by the bombardment of Greytown
without authority of law, and the full
mination of the "Ostend Manifesto"
bearing the name of James Buchan-
an and the other Ministers Plenipoten-
tiary from this government to the
great powers Of Europe, as disgrace
ful in principle as dangerous in prac-
tice.
During the XXXIVth Congress the
House of Representative was divided
between the Democrats, Republicans,
and Americans. Neither had a ma
.jority of all its members. But the
Senate and all the executive depart
ments of the governpent, with all
their patronage and influence, were
still in the hands of the Democratic
party.
At the close Of Mr.. Pierce's Admin
istration, in 1856, the Democratic par.
ty continued its power by the election
of President, Vice President, and
majority of the members of the House
of Representatives it maintained its
supremacy in the Senate, and acquired
political dominion over the Supreme
Court.
During this period of more than six
years from March 4th, 1858, to the
present moment, every department of
the government, except the House Of
Representatives for two sessions, when
no party had majority. has been un-
equivocally in the hands of the De-
mocracy A Democratic President
has presided over Democratic Cabi
net "a Democratic president,
over Democratic Senate "a Demo-
cratic Speaker, over q Democratic
House of Representatives "a Demo-
cratic Secretary of War, over the ar
mics of the nation, and the construc-
ton of her public buildings "a Dem.
ocratic Secretary Of the Navy, over
our national fleets "a Democratic
Secretary Of State, and Democratic
Ministers, ambassadors and Consuls,
over our foreign policy "a Demo
cratic Secretary of the Interior. over
our great land system, Pensions, Pa
tent office, and Indian affairs "a
Democratic Post Master General, over
our Post-office system, extending into
every city, village, neighborhood, and
n
torney General and Supreme Court,
over our Judiciary system and nation
al police, ramifying all the States and
Territories "a Democratic Secretary
of the Treasury, over the Custom
Houses with the immense machinery
for collecting the revenues.
No one man is exclusively respon-
sible for the acts of this administra-
tion whatever of evil or good we re.
ceive at its hands is not attributable,
individually, to Mr.. Buchanan or Doug
las, to Hunter or Toombs, to Slidell or
Davis--it is due to the party organi-
zation--to the aggregation of the in
tluence Of men, of committees, of
conventions, township, county, State,
and national, which control its ma
chinery--it is due to the tenacity with
which individuals cling to the party
name, and vote for its nominees, even
while condemning its policy and meas
ures. 1t is not Mr.. Buchanan, alone,
who has done the mischief of which
the whole country is complaining
the machinery Of government is too
vast for this-he must have the sup
port of the heads of Departments, of
Democrats in the Senate, in the House,
in the courts, in subordinate offices !:
of the hopes and fears Of ten thou
sand score of small politicians, who
cling to the party name for future pre-
ferment-it is the Democratic party
which is responsible for the acts Of
this Administration. Does any one
vote for its nominees ?-if so he is
responsible for it's acts to the full ex-
tent of his influence AS citizen. You
must abandon the organization, and
repndiate it by your votes, to escape
responsibility for its acts. Any other
/ UemQrZatiE PresidAnf wonld have heen