The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1862-07-22

ing with the original States. under any con-
stitu,ion establshing government republican
in x,m. which the people thereof may ordain,
wh uever such States shalLcontain, w'tbrn an
are u nossless than thirty Thousand sIn"f
mile. a population to the then existing ratio
of representation for one member of the House
of X prrsen' atives.
There, sir, is proposition to amend the
Constitution, so AZ TO divide the country into
the mercy Of each Of the others, placing the
W hole OF the free States Of the Union at the
mercy Of the slaveholling States. The prop
os ton further proposes. that wh,n any one %
those sections shall think proper to 60 out OF
the Union, they may 90 away peaceably. Ii
was virtually proposition legalizing seces.
sion and making il easy. That, sir, was the
proposition of my colleague from the DAYTON
district who is now in favor of maintaining
the Constitution as il is. Then tie was IN Ia
vor of changing the fundamental law Of the
land. Then he was in favor Of transferring
the power of this government into the hands
Of the southern section OF the Union. i am
glad. he lrtly gla', that these gentlemen have
SO reformed But my colleague was not lhe
excep,o ,ou--lhose who joined with him in this
address, we're all ella norous for a change Of
the Constitution They who now talk so
loudly about maintaining the Constitution rs
it is. then assailed us upon this hoo, because
We would not join them At the dictaton OF
JEFF. Davis and the traitors of this rebellion.
But that is not all. IL is said that a GER
tain class of persons should have good memo.
ries; so should politicians. Certainly these
gentlemen lack that faculty, for in this very
dress in which they talk about maintaining
the Constitution as it is, they make complaint
against the Republican party because only
fifteen months ago they were not for altern Z
the Constitution. Hear what they say:
W. do not propose TO consider now the
causes which led to the present unhappy civil
war. filter time will come hereafter for
such discussion But We remind you npw that
compromise made your Uuion, and compro-
mise fifteen months ago would have saved it,.
Repeated efforts were made at the last session
of the Thirty Sixth Congress to this end. AT
every stage, the great mass of the South, with
the whole Democratic party, and the whole
Constitutional Union party, Of the North and
West, united in favor of certain amendments is
TO ths Constitution.
Thus, Mr.. Chairman, they complain OF US
for not joining them fifteen months ago IN re-,
modelling the Constitution Of our fathers, and
vet to-day set themselves up as the especial
champions of the Constitution AS It Is.
But there is ano her statement in this ad-
dress 1t .ays that the De'ocratic party has
ways been loyal tn this Government Mr..
| CI airman, such a declaration AS that at this
time, when we are in the midst OF the revolu
iion in which we have been plunged by this
Democratic party, is perfectly astounding. =
! Have gentlemen forgotten the administrations
of Franklin Pierce and james Buchanan p
Have they forgotten the history Of that par.
( ty during he last Congress Ii WAS my for
tune To be a member of the seth Congress
and know well how loyal the Democratic
party WAS to the Government Of the United
/ State. during that period. How was IL when
South Car,liua, that hot bed of secession, had
left he Union, seized he property Of th'
Government within her limits and snt on
h.r heart, TO set it on fire of hell? They
went out two by tw as the uuclean beasts
eui Srcd the ark, aud everywhere they went
robbery, a.son, murder, aud every crime tina
the ingenuity of men could devise, or the dev
! il inspire, followed in their train. They SOW
ed broadcast the dragons teeth Of secession
and harvest of armed men eaped in hei
footsteps. Where was tho loyalty OF the Dem
ocratic party then? What were It's actsa-
Whenever a1y effort was made on this floor Il
sustain the Government and maintain ib'
n Constitution aS il is and the Union as it was
we wer, met, sir, with snecrs, with threats
4. A Lo ha. of ba IN
nue. sat your Dem,'craiic President, a gray
haired imbecilc, surrounded by his choser
counselors of robbers, while thieves filed uI
and glultpd all the highways and byways L
power. Treason in the name of Democrac,
was then installed in power, and used thai
power which copfding people bad eutrust
ed them with to destroy .hr best government
10 the world-the Go,einm.nt which ou
theirs had brqueathcd TO Us after a long anc
bio dy struggle. and which had pr ,fusey scat
tered It's blessings upon all like the dews q
heaven. Yet those men talked Of loyalty Il
the Governm Mt. In Il is, IL must be admit
) ted that they exhibited more than the usua
amount Of iml,ulencs aud deprsvily.
Mr.. Chairman, when we brought forward
proposition for calling out the militia, in or
der to sustain the Government and defeu,
Government property, how were we met by
those who now style themselves Democrats
They met US everywhere with the cry of 'co
ercion." "coercion." Under these false col
ors they assisted treason to come rapidly to
head and 10 ov run this entire land. 1t
rather late for the gentlemen to parade thei
. LOYALTY 10 the Government before the country
Who, sir. are the leaders Of the armed rebel
D lion against the Government, which ba
: threatened its overthrow9 They were Dem
$ ocrats-they were members Of the D-mocrati
l. psr,y. Who was Jefferson Davsl Who wa
{ Barnwel Rheit? Who was John G.. Brect
i iuridge? Who, in fine, were the whole Gre
g of conspiraiors against the Repub'ici Tho
n were leading members o. the Democratic pa
4 ty, wi ich is now proposed 10 surrect. The
i were not unknown men. They were not
q the rank and fie--they were the high priest
q III, Warwicks Of the party. They made an
j unmade Presidents, they ruled Convention
II ant, dictated the course that should be pu
b sued They laid Down the platform whic
thev demanded should be followed implicitly
and which, the Democrats who signed this a.