The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1860-03-16
THE JEFFERsoNIAN DEMOCRAT.


wish the Constitution. are the supreme tri-
bunal to try aud determine all political
issues. They arc as competent to decide
the issues of to-day as they have been here
toforo to decide the issues of other dass.
They can reconsider hereafter. and reverse,
IT need be, the judgment they shall pro-
nounce to-day, as they havo more than once
recousidered and reversed their judgments
in former times. IL needs no revolution to
correct any error, or prevent any danger,
under any circumstances
Nor is any new or special cause for rovo-
luton likely to occur under Republican
administration. We arc engaged in no new
Transaction, not oven IN a new dispute
Our fathers undertook a great work TOR
themselves. for US, and for our sucessors-
to erect free aud Federal empire. whose
arches shall span tho North American con-
tincnt, aud reflect tho rays of the sun
throughout his whole passage from the one
to tho other of the great oceans. They
erected thirteen Of its columns all at once.
These arc standing now. the admiration of
mankind. Their successors added twenty
more; even wo who are here have shaped
aud elevated threo oi that twonty, and all
these arc as firm and sicadfast as the first
thirteen and moro will yet DO necessary
Some among us prefer for these columns
composite material; others, the puro white
marble. Our fathers and our predecessors
differed in the Same way, and on tho same
point. What execrations should we not all
u6ite in pronouncing on any statcman who
heretofore. from nero disappointment and
disgust at being overruled in his choice of
materials for any new column then to be
quarried, should have laid violent hands on
the imperfect structure aud brought it down
to tho Garth, there to reTain u wreck. in.
/ stead Of "A citadel Of worlds best homes
l remain now in the opinion hnvc uni.
fnrmly expressed hero and olsowhUro, that
these hnsty threats of disunion arc 80 un-
natural that thoy will fEd no hand to exc
cute them. We arc of ono race one Ian.
guage, liberty, and faith engaged. Indeed,
in varied industry but oven that industry,
80 Diversified. brings US into more intimate
relations with each oihor than any other
people, however homogeneous. and though
living under a consolidated Gov ernment,
over maintained. We languish throughout,
IL one joint of our Federal frame is smitton;
whilo il is certain that part discovered
must perish. You nay refno as you please
about the structure Of the Govornment, and
say that it is n compact. and that breach,
10y ono of the States or by Congress. of auy
oco article, absolves all tho members from
allegiance, and that the States may separate
when they have, or fancy they have. cause
for war But once try to subvert it, and
you will find that it is government of tho
whole poople--as individuals, as we'll as
compact of States that every individual
member of tho body polite is conscious of
his interest and power in il; and knows
that no will DO helpless, poworIoss, hopeless.
when it shall have gone down. Mankind
have natural right, u natural instinct. and
natural capacity for selt. government and
when, ns here, tbey arc sufficiently ripened
| by culture, they will aud must have self
government and no other. The trainers OF
our Constitution, with n wisdom that eur
passed all previous understanding among
mon. adapted it TO these Inherent elements
OF human nature. Ho strangely, blindly
mltundorstauds tho anatomy of the great
system. who thinks that its only bonds, or
even lis strongest lgamonts, are tho written
compact or oven the multiplied anl thor.
oughly ramifed roads and lhorougfares of
trade, commerce and social intercourse
These are strong indeed, bur its chefest
instruments of cohesion-those which ron.
der II inscparable and indivisible--are the
millions Of fhres of coniented, happy hu.
man hearts, binding by their affections, their
ambitions and their best hopes, equally tho
high and the low. the rich aud tho poor,
tho wlso and tho unwisc, tho learned and
tho untntored. oven the good and tho bad.
to IL government. tho first, tho last and tho
only such ono that has ever existed that
takes equal heed OF their wants, their wishes
and their opiniops; aud appeals to them all,
individually, once in n year. or onco in two
M in inn Co.. tbn;
pressed consent and renewal, without which
il must cease. No. go where you will, and
to what class you may. with commissions for
your fatal service in ono hand, and YOUR
bounty counted by tho hundred or the
thousand pieces of silvor in tho other, q
thousand registers will rise up for every re
cruit you can engage On tho banks of tho
ST. Lawrence ard the Rio Grade, on tho At.
lanIic and Pacific coasts. on tho shores of tho
| Gult OF Mexico and in tho dells of tho
Rocky Mountains. among tho fishermen on
tho banks of Newfoundland, tho weavers
and spinners of MASSACHUSETTS,, tho steve.
doros of New York, tho miners of Pennsyl-
vania, Pixies Peak and California, tho wheat
! growers of Indiana. tho cotton and the 81 suoar
planters on tho Mississippi, among the vol
untary citizens from every other land, not
less than tho native born, tho Christian and
the dew, among tho Indians on tho prairics
the contumacious MormOns in Doseret, tho
Africans FREQ, tho Africans in bondage, tho
inmates of hospitals ani almshouses, and
even criminals in tho ponitoutiarcs, rehearse
the story of your wrongs and their own,
never SO ei"quently and mover so mourn.
fully, and appeal to them to rise. They
will ask you. "Is this all :" Are you more
just than Washington. wiser than Hamilton,
more humane than Jefferson :" What now
form OF government or of union have you
tho power to establish, or ovon the cum
ming to dovse, that will bo moro Just, more
sate more froe, more gentle, moro boncfi-
cont, or moro glorious than this :" And by
these simple inierrogatories you will be 81.
lonced and contnundod.
MIR. President, We are porpotually forgot
ting this subtle and complex, yet obvious
and natural mechanism OF our Constitution;
and because We do forget it, we arc contin.
uaIly wondering how it ia that cOnfederacv
OF thirty and more States, covering regions
so vast, and regulating interests so various,
of SO many millions OF mon, constituted aud
conditioned SO divorsoiy, works right on
Wn are continually looking to see IL stop
and stand still, or fall suddenly into pieces.
But, in truth, it will not stop; it cannot
stop; il was made not to stop, but to keep
in motion-in motion always, and without
forca For my own part, as this wonderful
! mn oh xUhon buA