Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1860-09-12
POLITICAL ISSUES OF THE DAY.
ADDRESS OF
HON. CHAS. FRANCIS ADAMS,
MASSACHUSETTS,.


adelphia on the 28th Aug. and ask for 1T careful
perusal by every voter into whose hands it may
come Mr.. ADAMS is the son of JOHN QUINCY AD-
ANS and in point of literary ability ranks fore
most among the shining lights of our Literary
republic Mr.. Adams. on being introduced, was
received with prolonged cheering, after which he
spoke as follows
| presume that address the citizens of a
place claiming to be the most conservative
city in America. By the word conservative"
l mean adverse to'change ,and most particular
ly unwilling to favor any movement which
seems likely to unsettle the established ideas
and the customary social and political relations
which time has sanctioned, and habit has rem
dered familiar to all. ssConservative." There
is much virtue in that word. Although COM
ing from different and more excitable COM
munity, think that |, too, may claim to be
conservative. /, too, am averse to change =
l, too, am very unwilling to unsettle anything
that is established on good and sufficient foun-
datons. | even desire to preserve much that
is called old, merely because it is old. For
that reason, when l am home l prefer to live
in an old house, rather than to build new
one. Not that think it the best, or the hand
soonest, or the most convenient, for in all these
respects we'll know that it is vastly inferio
to modern constructions, but solely because it
is old, and because my fathers lived there be-
fore me.
If choose TO put up with the inconvenien-
ces of small rooms, or narrow windows, or un-
even floors, for the sake of long habit and
pleasant association of ideas, l do not know
why any one has right to find fault. Even
if there were other reason whatever, it is
enough that like it and do not care to change,
to justify me in my choice. To this extent it
seems to me wise and proper to be conserva-
tive. Hence, if l apply this reasoning to mat
ters Of government, should say that am per-
1ectly satisfied with the Union and the federal
Constitution, with existing State, and city and
other municipal organizations, and do not,
therefore, want to make change. Nay,
would go further, and say, that do not care
TO favor any plan which should appear TO
threaten or to disturb the useful tenor of their
operations. This is what call sound, conser
vative, national doctrine. i suppose you to
approve of it with NE, so that to this extent
we may be said 10 be quite agreed. So far,
SO good.
But now suppose we go a step forward. Let
us assume that in course of time something
turns up that, if not attended to in season,
threatens to make very serious changes for
the worse, in the old system 10 which We are
attached. Supposng, in my old house, for
example, / discover the dry-rot beginning in
the timbers, that my foundation is starting
a little, or perhaps my neighbor is building to
shut cut my light, or that he is setting up a
business that affects the purity of TIE air; sup
posing that he undertakes to keep thousands
OF hogs in place so near that | have the
stencil in my rooms at all times of the day and
night What am | to do then 2 Must | he
conservative here too2 Must / make up my
mind that had better bear all this than make
any noise about it +? Must | insist on liking
this change. and calling it excellent, for fear,
if complain or resist, that may make my
neighbor cross or violent, and that he may
threaten to burn his house down in order that
mine may catch fire and burn down tool Per-
haps this might be considered the conserva-
tive course too. But if that is what You call
conservative, l certainly cannot agree with you
any more. Here l am no longer conservative.
/ should call such course Jolly, if not down.
right madness. Ny notion would be to act at
oncc--yes to demonstrated resist, and if alb
solutely Indispensable, to change altogether.
The true conservative policy in such a case
is not submission, but reform. Something
that will restore to me the advantages of my
old way OF life. Something that will prevent
me from suffering by most unpleasant change.
Fellow citizens--If l now apply the same
sort of reasoning to the present condition of
our political affairs, you will see at once where
/ am coming out. The time has arrived for
us to look carefully into the condition of our
federal government. If we have reason to
suspect that sort of dry rot is creeping into
the timbers, and moral stencil is spreading so
as to infect the air we breathe, then the ques-
ton arises whether it be conservative to let it
go on without any hindrance or attempt at
prevention; or whether it be not the really
wise course to set about plan of prevention,
so that we may continue to enjoy life as we
have done. In other words, our duty is now re-
form. We must be up and abate the nuisance.
We must look sharply into the causes that
make the trouble, and, if possible, put an end
TO them before matters grow any worse. Not
a moment is to be lost. If we act at all we
r;<,lf Of vpith Won't
delay. Is there anybody here that denies the
fact that some action is indispensable l
know of nobody, unless it be the office holders,
and their friends all over the country, who
consider themselves personally benehted by
keeping things as they are. With this excep-
tion, whatever else differ about, all, at least
IN the free States, and very many in the slave
states, agree on this point. Dissatisfaction
with the existing administration of the Gen.
eral Government is general, if not universal.
LOOK Tor moment at the various political or
gahizations that have sprung up in this canvass
ior 'ie Presidency. All but one of the four,
ana that one apparently composed of office
hoiders, insist upon reform.
At least two-thirds of what was lately the
democratic party in the free States are as
loudmouthed about this as any one. They de-
clare their want of confidence ir Mr.. BuchaD-
an and his adherents, and their conviction of
necessity for reform-that is, thorough
cnange OF men and measures. The friends of
Mr. Bell-in other words, the remains OF the
Oiu wing party-say just the same and the
nepuohcans are more emphatic than either on
'nat point. There has not been so much una
nihity OF sentiment on any one subject in pol
itics LOT thirty years, since the Time of. the
second election of James Monroe 1t stands
" S reason, then, that there must be very strong
siounds ~ Tor such singular result.
:. ms universal conviction among persons not
~ agreement about anything else, goes to