Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1860-08-04
Mr. Breckenridge at Home.

Mr. Breckenridge at Home.
Mr.. Breckenridge delivered the follow
ing speech at Frankfort, Kentucky, in re"
ply to Il demonstration OF welcome by the
citizens, Oh the Sth inst :
FELLow-UITIzGNs 81 thank you out
Of the tulness Of a grateful heart Tor this
cordial welcome to my home. | feel,
f1llow citizens, the improperly upon an
occasion like this Of doing much more than
returning to you my cordial and graf ful
acknowledg cement for your kindness. Per
haps, however, | may be allowed here,
i'll tn midst Of my old district, and sur
rounded by my ne1ghbors and friends,
on the soil Of kentucky, to make one Or
two explanatory statements, and iorbeur
on this occasion to enter into any state
meut or argument in reference to the cir
cuMstances that occurred at Baltimore,
and which resulted unexpectedly to ne
in placing ne before the country for the
office OF President. But think 1t due to
you and to myself to say, that being
cognizaut of all those facts, having obser-
we'd all those transactions, having ponder
ed carefully over them, having Consulted
with my friends, unconscious altogether Of
being animated or sustained by hot
ambition, feel that the position which |
occupy to-day is right [Grcat cheer
ing
| teel that | could not have shrunk from
I u,itb b.i leo 70 fol
to my friends, and false to myself Con-
sequcntly L accepted the nomination with
all its responsibilities. 10 those who
take advantage Of the position of silent
man to heap upon him execrations, say
pour on can endure. Applause. |
/ leave it to others to explain more fully
the facts and circumstances Of this nom
ination. Perhaps, also, | my be allowed
to say that the claim that | stand before
the country as Il sectional candidate can
not be true, whether reference be had to
the number OF States which co-operated in
the nomination or to the character of the
principles which animated them. When
you find the Democratic organization al
ded by large conservative clements in all
the Southern States, and in those two
States upon the Pacific Ocean which have
been SO far removed from the contest oi
the Atlantic and Mississippi valleys that
) their Judgment as to what is sectional ought
to be conclusive, and when you find that Il
J majority Of the Democratic organization
, OF the State Of Pennsylvania, and sup.
} posed majority of New jersey, Connection
| and Massachusetts, with large and i'm
, posing organization ia all the other STATE.
, cooperating, how can such nomination
rs that be properly called sectional. A
, majority OF the States Of the Union see
tional, and at war with the principles upol
which the Union itself is founded -
Fellow'cltlzens, as to the charge that the
. Convention to which owe my nomination
supported, or that | myself am taintec
with the spirit OF disunion, how absurd L
= make a response to kentucky audience
/ and in tins old district too. | am m
, American citizen--a Kentuckian, who
never did an act or cherished thought
that was not full Of devotion to the Con-
stltutlon and the Uuion-who feels as Won
DO upon this subject. But perhaps it would
} have been better, both in your behalf and
in mine, il had refused to respond to the
sentiment Fellow citizens, this is, per-
haps, the last time that l shall have aIl
( opportunity to say anything to my neigh.
bors and friends during the pcudcncy Of
this canvass, While, therefore, [ shall
enter into no argument upon the particu
lar topics of the day, perhaps you will
pardon Inc for making two or three OBJ
serVatlons, which, it seems to me, should
where.
Fellow citizens, we live under the best
| government on earth. We are the only
country in the world where the experi-
ment is demonstrated that free institutions
may be established over a great population
and large area of territory, and be con-
slstent with public order. 1t has been
demonstrated in our case for the first time