The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-09-08
Rirbmonn plspatrb.
SATURDAY MORNING. :. SEPT. 5 1860
SPEECH CT HON. JOHN c. BRECKENRIDGE.

SPEECH n HUN. JUHN I, bhEtkiNkIDGE,
The speech of Hon. John O. Breckiuridge al
Ashland, Ky, on the 5th last is reported by
telegraph. The following extracts give the
more important points:
/ beg you, my neighbors, friends and old
constituents, to be assured that l feel pro-
foundiy grateful for the cordia! welcome Won
have ~ tended TO me- The circumstances mr. :
der which appear before you are novel and
unusual. do II in obedience to the request
of frieEds whose intelligence have been ac
custoDed to observe and if it be an nnco,n
mon thing for person IN my position to ad
dress assemblies of people, can only say l
hope To discuss topics in ii manner not alto
gether unworthy the attitude which occupy.
l shall certainly indulge in no language
whIch, In my opinion, Will fall below the
dignity ofpoiitlcal discussion. The condition
OF my health and my position make il impos-
sible to extend my voice over this vast assem-
bly, but trust l will become stronger as |
proceed. have been asked, fellow citizens
to speak 1t my own home, because and the
political organization with which l am con-
nected, have been assaIied in an unusual
manner, and charged with treason to nv
country. l appear before you day for the
purpose ofrepeliIng Ger tain accusations which
have been made against me personally, and
indus triously circulated through other States
OF the Union and next, to show that the prn =
ciples upon which l stand are the principles
OF both the Constitution and Union OF our
tcuH dppiduSS.J ana surely, IL
al any time the jus stificatiou could be found by
any man for addressing the people in the po-
s1tion which occupy, ii will be found in my
case Anonymous writers and wandering
orators have chosen to tell the people that l
Individually, am disunionist and a traitor
TO my country and they declare, with assur-
ance, that / have exhibited a treason that
makes, by comparison with il, Burr a patriot
and The memory of Arnold respect table: but
fellow citizens, before L come 10 those topics,
! desire TO make and prove comprehensive
statement in regard to my position III connec-
ton win the Presidency or the United States
l have been charged with a premature ambi-
ton; have been charged with in triguing tor
the nomination; L have been charged with
leaplng before the wishes of the people, and
desiring to thrust myself before them for the
highest office in their gift. To thatI answer
ii is wholly untrue. l have written to nobody
soliciting support; l have conversed with no.
body soliciting support, l have intrigued with
nobody, have promised nobody. To these
statements / challenge contrad ic tIon from an
human being. (Cheers.)
Now, upon my own personal yndication, the
doctrines announced by me wee just such
as l have ever declared in the Com
mon wealth OF kentucky-sucha as l have ever
declared in every public address which have
made III Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsyl-
vanla. Afterwards, when il was understood
that had been charged with II, / was report
ed to have admitted that this power belonged
TO the Territorial Legislature. In The mon III
OF Septem ber, 1856 the editor OF the kentucky
StatesInaH, pu biished in this city, alIuding 10
this charge, made the following statement, to
which beg leave to refer You. Mark you, this
was before the President tial election OF 1856
Mr. breckenridge then read from an ed itOral
In the Kentucky Statesman of October, 1856 in
which 1t was stated that during the tour
through Indiana and Ohio, he (Mr. Dreck-
lnrIdge) avoWed the sentiments he haG often
proclaimed in Kentucky, and which are clear
ly EN- bodied in the Cincinnati platform; that
he denied that The Democratic party was in
its federal relations, slavery party that
IL was neither such party nor an auti-siaye-
~ party; that IL rejected the interference of
the Federal government either to Introduce or
exclude slavery; that ii left the Territories
open to common settlement from all The States
that each State was entitled to form its own
cons titu ton and enter in to the Union without
discrimination by Congress on account of its
allowance or prohibition of slavery, and that
the statement that he (Breckinride) advocated
"sQuAtIer sovereignty" was untrue
MIR. BreCkinridge continued-In the autumn
OF The same year l received a Louisiana PAPER
containing remarks made by General Mills,
VINO heard my speech, in which he denied that
| had admitted this doctrine OF the Territorial
power. He sent me slip cont tanning his speech.
In the same month, before the Presidential
election, | ans Wered him saying hands off the
whole subject by the Federal government, ex-
cept for one or two protective purposes men
toned in the Constitution; 'be equal rights of
all sec tlonS n the common Territories and the
absolute power OF each new State to settle the
question lu It's constitution. These are my
doctrines, and those of cur platform, and
what is more the Constitution. Now fellow
citizens against the stat aternentz of thai distin-
qulshed Senator, III which he undertakes To
prove allegations agai nSt my self by hms ell and
thus oppose my own statement. next IA proof [
read TO you from my speech in 1854 IN Congress
the article in the Lexington paper before the
Preside ,ial election, the testimony Of General
Mills, who heard that speech at TippecanoP
and my own letter in answer to the latter gem
nf ihaf
at that time, and Whal has ever since been nv
opinion.
a Voice-"Now you are talking"
Mr.. Breckinridge-I think have proven as
fully as could be eXpecte in the limitation of
a speech, that the charge Is uufouL ded In
fact, l will add that the position l ass umed
WAS that taken by all the Southern friends of
the Nebraska bill, and by a portion OF iGs
Northern friends. These were our private
opinions, these are the opinions we ought on
all proper occasions to express. But we did
not undertake TO force all others to agree to
them. We had agreed to refer that to the high
est tribunal i'll the Union. All over the coun-
try the charge of disunion is repeated agains |
me by anonymous writes and wandering ora
tors. Their whole stock in trade is ''disuniou
disuEionn' Their continual cry is that his
man and his party are attempting to break up
the union of these States. We say, how can
principles be sectional or disunionist which
are based strictly upon the Cons tituton Aud
the large number OF young gentlemen who
heads rs empty as the bells which they ring,
cry "Disunion disuDion !" (prolonged laugh
ter and cheers } From sources yet more emil
nent comes the Information that and the po-
litical organization with which am connect
ed are laborng for II disruption of the Con-
federacy. l do not reply now to what Mr..
Douglas says all over New England, in Vir-
ginia, and wherever he gees, because it is quite
natural for gentleman as n uch lnteres ted as
he to think that any man who opposes his
principles must be a dsunionist. (GheeTs
and laughter) Indeed, by his declaration we
must be all disunionists in Kentucky, tJr he
declares that those who assert that Territorial
Legislatures have no power TO exclude slave
property, and that Congress should interfere
tor its protection, are disuuionsts, and that is
what the whole Legislature of Kentucky said
last year. loud applause) In my own
State, where, trust, my character and ante
cedents were known, one of the oldest and
most eminent of cur public men has not said
that l was disunionist, but has intimated
that am connected with an organization
whose bone and body is disunion. l refer TO
Mr.. Crittenden, and to Il speech he made at
Louisville. / have known and admired him
He has known me. Toward him have cher
ished and expect to cherish relations Of re-
spectful and cordial esteem. There are rea-
sons which, even if bad ground for it, would
prevent any but perfect courtesy III reply.
He quoted the reference TO himself in Mr..
Crittenden's speech, and continued as follows:
| thaDkmy venerable and distinguished friend
for the hope he yet tntertaius that l am not
disunionist (Laughter) Like a humane law
yer he gives me the benefit OF a doubt, and for
that thank him. (Renewed cheers.) As to
my convictions, with principles rs party
which tends that way may speak of present.
ly. My object now Is to relieve myself from
the inputation of being a disunionist, and in
this ! would prefer to receive Il direct blow 10
have it sound like the reluctant confession OF
soTrowtul friend. (Applause and laughter
Mr.. b., in passing, pad an eloquent tribute
to General Lane, and continued TO speak OF
himself. Born within sight of the spot known
tive IN the Legislature, in Congress, and other
situations of trust, i invite any one TO point
to anything in my character or antecedents