Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1859-09-01

~ .'S" Hi'l'SAf eh. enS 49, tAie'
Mr.. Blair has been invited to deliver a
speech in the courthouse shows that a
great change has taken place in public
sentiment. Ii must have been peculi.
airy irritating to the Pro- lavery por-
tiOn of the audience to listen to Mr.
Blair's sanguine predictions of the tri-
uph of Freedom in the State Ma
tiioal Era.
From the Elwood Kansas Free Press.
At s Z. NJ, the courthouse in St
Joseph, Mo-, was filled with an au-
dience OF four or five hundred, those in
the foreground being the prominent
Pro Slavery citizens of st. Joseph,
while scattered around were the la
boring men of the city-the honest,
hearty, Free State men of the section.
III. b. Branch introduced the speak
er, who was received with loud ap-
plause.
Mr.. Blair was tn ankful for the large
attendance present, and must admit he
felt some embarrassment in addressing
them. knowing that so many differed
from him, and so widely. / shall ex-
press my views frankly and fearlessly,
yet striving not to wound the feelings
of those who disagree with me.
| have been reared in the strictest
sect of Democracy. l have not changed,
but still remain a sound Democrat:yet
| differ essentially from the theory of
politics held by the so-called Democ-
racy of the present time. They have
apostatized and abandoned every
Democratic measure, and are not ca
-pable of uttering Democratic senti-
ments. They have forsaken every
measure heretofore held as Democrat
ic; and were | to adduce all the proof
of this, l should detain you till to-
morrow morning. shall only select
some Of these points upon which to
touch.
The President met the last Congress
with a proposition for protective
tariff. Where did he learn such De-
mocracy? His administration came
into power with a surplus in the
Treasury Of twenty millions, and at
the end of nine months he asked for
an issue of twenty millions of shin
plasters. Where did he learn such
Democracy? This was soon gone, and
he asked for twenty millions more,
which was voted; and the next session
another twenty millions was asked for,
and granted. All of this was required
by Democratic Administration, and
voted by a Democratic Congress-
The expenditure of the Administra-
ton has been one hundred millions q
year-more than we expended when
we supported an army in Mexico
Economy used to be cardinal prin-
ciple with the Democracy, but now
extravaganza. You know that the
Secretaries of Mr.. Buchanan have
hardly escaped impeachment. Mr..
Floyd sells the military reserves pri-
vately for less than fourth of their
value, and buys Willett's Point from
his friends at a much higher price than
it had already been offered the Gov
ernment; while Toucey lavishes the
funds of the people on political and
personal favorites by coal and live oak
contracts.
The Democratic party originally
framed the land policy of our Govern
ment, and for the benefit Of the peo-
pie; but the last Democratic Congress
would do nothing about it. Your two
Senators defeated the Homestead bill.
This party has abandoned oil Demo-
cratic measures, and gone over to the
Lecompton Constitution, which the
people of Kansas opposed, as since
shown, even in the face of Demo
cratic Administration attempting to
bribe them; this has been the sole mea-
sure Of the present Democracy. You,
from your position, know the truth of
my statement. In the late election in
Kansas. the Democratic party have
been forced to ignore the Administra-
tion, and declare themselves the genu-
inc Free State party. This Democrat
ic Administration has not only apos-
latized, but striven to break down the
West; it has opposed the pre-cmption
and homestead policy which made the
west democratic heretofore, because the
Democracy were loyal to the rights of
the settlers, and for which they were
paid by the confidence of the people,
and sustained by their votes. The
South demanded the opposition to the
homestead bill, fearing lest the
thrown open of the public lands to the
poor white men of the North should
exclude Slavery and erect tier of free
States across the continent Slavery
demands this, and that Western Dem