M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-08-16

of Congress voting for tOat PROPOSE.
ton. laughter and satrical cheers. !
Having heard the Republican party
pledge themselves 50 often against the
admission Of any more slaYe Suites
into the Union, it did rejoice ne when
! | saw them, every man in the &eQate,
and every man in the House, voting
to allowKaDsaS to come in 30 a glaye
State, ifthe people shopd go i,,..l
4 [LaDghter apd cheers And ] vii
say 10 yon now, my fellow citiz.u-,
that it IS matter Of sincere rgrcl
that | find the Republican party now
denouncilg me for advocating la.'
identical principle that they voted for.
All ask Of them is to cary ont in iu.
ture, and apply to every new Terrific
ry and new State. the identical princi
pies for which they all yOted with me
in that LecOmpton controyersy.-
.[CheerS. The President o. tho Uni.
ted States, during that Lecompton
controversy, put forth a claim which
!, as a Senator, could not recognize,
conceded his wight to recommend
the Lecompton Constitution il he be.
lieyed it 20 be tie act and decd Of tho
people, and should never have quar-.
relied with him on that question had
he not claimed the right to control my
vote and compel me to vote against
my conscience. | hold that a Prysi.
dent has no more right to control the
vote ola Senator, than a Senator has
to dictate to a President. TCheers. |
The President told ne that if | did
not obey him and vote 10 force the
Leconpton Constitution upon the
people against their will, he would
take otithe head Of every friend | had
in Office, ! told him in reply that my
friends were a5lear to me as those OF
any other man could be to him, but
that if ! had a friend who was not vii.
ling 20 lose his Office rather than de.
grade ne into a tool ofeXecutive pow
cr, le did not deserve to be my friend
Applause, Here permit mo to say,
that the great contest hetwcen the eX'
ecutive and myself was this: he claim.
ed the right to control the vote Of a
Senator iq opposition to the wshos OF
his constituents. | claimed that the
representative Of the people is indie,
pendent and should always act indie,
pendent ct e%ecutiyo power. Cheers
When you permit the executive to
dirlct o representative how he shall
vote, You conyert this republic into a
despotism. f"That'q oo."3 Why
elect ? Congress. ii the President has
q right to tell the members how they
are TO votel There is an end ofrep.
resentative government, Whenever tho
executive is permitted to use or a5nse
his power by controlling the action OF
the representative against the wishes
Of hi9 constituents and Of his indiyid.
ual conscience.
Hence, in my opinion, | was fight.
ing . greater battle in Illinois in 1853,
than the mere question WHO SHOULD be
Senator. [ApPIause.l In my person
the question was Submitted to the
people OF Illinois, whether or not thGr
Senator should be the mere tool Of
executive dictation. They decided it
wight Yes, they did decide itrigti
in opposition to IN Enhqly aiiaac.
between the Republicans AMI the Foj
eral oGce.h hQldero (Cherrs.
1t was hoped when that Lecomptnn
controversy had been settled by the
vote Of tie people of Kansas against
it, that the warfare in the Democratic
party would cease. EES1nstoad OF
that, the war was kept @p; and now
we find on the national. theatre the
same game being played that was at.
tempted in Illinois in 1850. Now
Iyop find the question submitted
whether or not the executive of this
nation is to be permitted to dictate his
successor in office. 1t is said that Mr.
Buchanan naturally feels mortified
and wounded to have a nan nomina.
ted by his own party in opposition to
bis wishes. Laughter Whether
he thus feels mortified or not, it wo'd
have been well for him to have con.
sidered when he becalne a candidate
in 1856 in opposition to Gen. Pierce,
who was then President and Il candi
date for reelection. [Cheers. 1t is
true that | was nominated in opposi-
tion to the wishes Of the President =
1t is also true that MIR. Buchanan was
nominated in 1855 in opposition to
the then President, who was a candi-
date for reelection. Suppose Gen.
Piercc had then pursued the same
course which Mr.. Buchanan is now
pursuing that is, using the power
and patronage which the Democratic
party had placed in his hands, for the
purpose OF debating the nominee OF
that party. What would every Dem.
ocrat in America have said OF Frank.
lin Pierce if he had tried to divide
and defeat his party merely ont of