The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-05-30
4oIitit,aI.
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Speech Of Mr. Yancey of Ata5dma in support of the
Southern DrGagh of a New Platform. r
TcoNcLUDED.7

4 Z .
CONCLUDED is# ai2
[Mr. YANcEY here went into an elaborate
quotation of authorities, which we have not
! space to print. He continued with an eloquent
eulogium of Chief Justice TANEY; and an able
yindication of the authority and value of the
decision of the Supreme Court in the Dred
Scott case.1
Mr.. YANcEY Gentlemen, it is further said,
that this is judicial question. It is true it is
a judicial question, but it is also political
question of the highest, the grayest, and the
most significant import It is a judicial ques-
| tion between citizen whose property is taken
away from him and him who wrongs him. If
he chooses to take it to the courts Of the Uni
ted States, it becomes judicial question; if he
does not choose to take his wrongs to the courts
of the United States,- it is not judicial ques-
ton. The citizen himself Interested in his
individual rights may or may not assert it.
The celebrated Missouri restriction remained
for thirty odd years uncontested in the courts.
State after State, equalling in extent of do
main and in noble fertility of soil any of the
European nations, was admitted into this Un-
| ion under the unconstitutional act which pro-
hibited the South from having the least chance
of inhabiting those territories; and yet the ju-
dicial power rested there, and was dormant
and efficient to check it. Oh how vain
What mere mockery it is to tell the sover-
eign States of the South that there rights are
to depend upon the mutable and vacillating
will of an individual, who may or may not
want to contest so great power as the laws of
this Government Marx you, the United
States Bank question wasa great constitutional
question, and when General jackson sprung it
upon the country, his opponents said that it
was not legislative, or political, but purely
judicial question. 1t was judicial question
in the aspect of any individual who was wrong
ed by it, and who chose to question it, or issue
his writ of quo aoarrdnto; but it was grand
magnificent, powerful political question among
the people of this whole country, whether or
no their money should be kept in the vaults
of moneyed institution, who should make
profit out of them at the expense of others !;
and at last the people of the country decided,
with General jackson, that while it was ju-
dicial, it was also great political question;
and the old hero obtained an overwhelm, n :
and triumphant victory under his administra
ton, and the question, finally, under that of
| Mr.. Van Buren. -
| I turn, then, from that aspect of the ques-
ton; and now, gentlemen, why, why will you
not accord to the South simple protection
We are told here to-day, in answer to this
question, by the partisans of party who have
addressed you, that the fate of our party hangs
upon the issue; but tell you, gentlemen, that
the fate of our country hangs upon the issue !!
Cheers L meet your partisan arguments
with the fate of the party, aye and of the
country itself. make no threats: I am not
authorized to do so, and it would be unbecom-
ing in any one to do so. 1 will state to you
though my earnest belief that such is the con-
dition of the public mind at the South that it
cannot bear any longer any doubt as regards
what is the position of this party on this great
ISSUE GCheers.] We are determined, in no
language of threat or of compulsion, that we
must bring up the democratic party to the
great issue of loyalty to the Government; we
must appeal to the nobler sentiments of its
members, and ask that their feelings of loyalty
to the Government shall override their princi-
pie of mere loyalty to party success. IF need
| be, we must accept defeat upon great truths
with cheerfulness, rather than rejoice in a vic
tory obtained upon error or double dealing
Tremendous cheering In 1910 what did
the democracy do, when I must think it was
prouder and a purer party than it is now? In
cided against it, and Martin Van Buren, was
in the chair, he rose to the grandeur and the
full proportions of a statesman when in his
message to the Congress of the United States
that next met, he said he appealed to the $50
Der second thought of the people," loud
cheers. The democracy went into convention
They fearlessly planted themselves upon The
constitutional principle of the divorce of bank
and of State; they met the cohorts of clog
cabin" and "coon skin" and "hard cider;''
they met party all over whose banner was
emblazoned without why or wherefore"
''we simply go for turning out the democracy
and putting in new party" The democracy
accepted defeat on principle. The opposition
accepted victory on the very principle on
which you wish to have it now-the ignoring
of all issues that would made you unpopular
| in the canvass. No sooner had they got the
power in Congress that met for the first time,
with the eloquent and mighty Clay at the head
of them, and he proposed the great measures
Of the whig party which had been kept out Of
the canvass as national questions, than that
party burst into thousand fragments, as
the frail, rottan, and unseaworthy bark falls
| upon the rocks on which the pillows have
tossed her, and the democratic party, upon
the returning tide, came overwhelmingly into
power upon principle. Tremendous cheers
I commend to you my countrymen, this bit
of history, and the lesson it teaches stands
firmly on a constitutional basis; go before your
Northern people and appeal to their loyalty to
the Union and their loyalty to the Constitu-
ton. Make it question of Union or disunion
] between you and Sewardism. Tell them they
are pressing the South to the wall on matter
of mere sentiment, and an abstraction with
you, but practical thing with the South
| Tell them that the South cannot exist in the
government when dishonored, and you viii but
respect your own sense of honor in believing
| it to be true, my countrymen. [Great ap-
plause. - s-
The effect of such policy will not be mere
| ly to give your assent to failure of the Gov
| ernment and, of the democratic party to pro-
tect you, but it win be to place this party in
power, with its myriads of camp followers, to
| turn adrift all its discordant elements on the
subject, of slavery to affiliate and actIwith the
black republicans in Congress on propositions
hostile to our peace and safety, leaving to the
South and the party no check upon them
not even the power Of indignant protest. Hav-