The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-07-13

Oil lanuS anu In every age.
The issues which this party presents may
be concisely and truly stated in these words :
The fathers rere Wrong; republicdnisn IS a
sham; democracy is a fdlsehood.
Sir, there is not single political truth Of.
fecting the rights Of man, asserted by the
great men Of the Evolutionary epoch, which
this party does not deny, not an opinion in
regard to fundamental principles which Il
does not scof at. The fathers held chattel
slavery, the merchandise ol men, to be wrong:
the democratic party say 1t is right. The
former regarded II as evil, the latter yaunt IL
as blessing. The fathers hoped and beliey.
cd il would bc Of but temporary duration,
tho democratic party (ior without the slave
holders this party is nothing, and less than
nothing, and vanity declare that it ought
to be and shall bc perpetual.
The brave men Of old, who pledged life,
fortune, and honor, to their country and to
truth, declared that "all men are created
equal :" they thought, in tho simplicity of
their souls, that this truth was 30 plain as to
be "self evident :" but the democratic party
pronounces the assertion "seLf.erident he. T"
The men Of l776 declared that among the
natural and .inalienable rights Of all men
were life, liberty and the pursuit Of happi-
ness !" the democratic party sneers ut this
sublime truth and calls il "glittering gen.
erality." Our republican forefathers main-
tanned that "to secure these rights, Govern.
mens were instituted among men deriving
their Just powers from the consent Of the
governed :" the democratic party insists that
Governments are not instituted, that this
Government, at any rate, was not instituted
TO secure life, liberty, and happiness, to all
men, but rather to secure and perpetuate o
system of bondage, the most CALLING and iu-
tolerable that exists upon the face Of the
earth and that 50 far from Government de-
irving its just powers from the consent of the
governed, there arc millions Of men In this
country who have no right, natural or polit-
ical, to give or withhold their consent upon
any question affecting the Government
The trainers of the Constitution have inform-
cd us that that instrument was ordained to
establish justice, and secure to the people
the "blessings Of liberty !" the democratic
party says that, so far from this being true,
It was adopted for the purpose Of recognizing
and affirming the idea-which Lord Brough-
am has denounced as "guilty fantasy
that man could hold property in man, and
to enable the Shareholder to carry his man
chattel into any Of the territories-and,
may add, Statcs-of the Republic, and there,
under its egis, practice the greatest injustice
that man can infict upon his fellow man.
The men who formed our institutions be-
lieyed that the legislative power Of the Gov
ernment was adequate to the exclusion Of
slavery from the territory belonging to the
Gnvarpmant on1 axara;SoI that ,,.,,yar
matter Of conscience and duty, by reviying
the ordinance of 1857, within year after
the adoption of the Constitution but the
Democratic party denies the power and duty
alike, repeals the restrictions and breaks
down the barriers interposed by the wisdom
and humanity Of the fathers, that slavery,
the "chartered libertine," may 60 free rs the
winds.
The fathers established the Union for the
sake of liberty; the managers Of the Demo-
cratic party say they will destroy 1t unless
they can extend slavery.
Mr.. Chairman, Mr.. jefferson and his COM
peers taught, and the old Republican party
held, that the people were the only deposito.
ries of political power, and that with them
was the ultimate decision of all political
questions but the Democratic party rejects
this old Republican doctrine, and maintains
that the Constitution has created tribunal,
and placed it above and beyond the people,
to which it has delegated the authority to
decide. finally and conclusiyely, all questions
of political right and power. This tribunal
is the Supreme Court of the United States,
and, us at present constituted. is composed
of nine Judges, Of whom majority are citi-
,c IL 80, a,I ala hnttara -
Here are our masters here is supreme, des-
potic, irresponsible power. II there DO q
tribunal anywhere which can decide all ques-
tions affecting the powers and functions of
the Government and the rights Of the people,
without appeal-which may declare that the
Constitution was not made for the Africans,
or Frenchmen, or Germans, or Irishmen, but
for shareholders only, and the people must
submit-that under the pretext OF protecting
oil the institutions and systems guaranteed or
recognized (according to their own decisions)
by the Constitution, men who shall dare ut
ter or publish views and sentiments adverse
to such systems, may, by law Of Congress,
be brought to trial, conviction, and punish.
ment, as criminals, even as traitors that the
system Of slavery, with all its mischiefs and
abominations, is national and universal, and
beyond the power Of the States or of the
people; il, sir, say, there be power any
where 50 tremendous as this, we are no longer
living under republican Government, and
our land has ceased to he land Of liberty.
But this awful and irresponsible power in u
body of nine men is what the Democratic
party is now bending all its energies to main
tain.
Sir, Mr.. Jefferson recognized no such au-
thority in the Supreme Court. In letter
to Judge Roane, in 1919, he said:
"In denying the right they 1.-THE judges Of
the Supreme Court usurp Of exclusively eI-
planning the Constitution, SO further than
you do, IL l understand rightly your quotation
from the Federalst, of an opinion that the
Judiciary Is the last resort in relation TO the
other dspdriments Of the Government, but not
in relation to the rights Of the parties TO the
compact under which the Judiciary is derived
II this opinion be sound, then, indeed, is our
Constitution complete .fsio de Sc. For, in-
tending to establish three departments, co-or-
dinste and independent. that they might check
and balance one another, IL has given, accord
ing TO this opinion, to one Of them alone the
right to prescribe rules for the government Of
the others; and to that one, too, which Is une-
lected by and independent Of the nation"
"The Constitution, on this hypoth-
esis. Is mere thing Of wax, In the hands OF
the Judiciary, which they may twist and shape
into any, form they please. II should be re-
membered as an driom OF stsrRdl truth in pol |
nies, that ,rhafersr polcsr in any Gor<rnmsnf
Is Independent, Is absolute also; In theory only
at hrst, while the spirit Of the people Is up but
in practice as fast rs that relaxes. Indepen-
dence can be trusted nowhere but with the peo-
pie In mass. They are inherently independent
Of all but moral law"
In letter written in 1870, to Mr.. Jarvis,
he used the following language: |
"The Constitution has erected no such single
tribunal, knowing that, to whatever hands cor.
ided, with the corruptions Of time and party. |
its members would become despots II has more
wisely made all the departments co-equal and
co-sovereign within themselves.
To Judge johnson he wrote, In 1923, these