The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-12-13
Speech OF Hon. RObt. c. Hutohings.

HOH"S DeWOcTdt OF the Efnplre STATE, de-
livered the following truthful, fOrcible and
patriotic speech:
Two years ago, next November, the
standard Of what had been, until then, an
lnvincible Democracy. fell, and vas tat.
tered, torn and trailed in the dust of dis,
nstcr and defeat. And with the fall OF
that color and the defeat of that party
whose symbol it had been, and who had
borne it triumphsntly for so many years,
thcrc were reared in its place two un
known standnrds-onc ofrebellion against
constituted authority, raised over hostile
batteries, belching forth their shot and
shells at the <SSS :, ,sSsa1S 1aNGs1. * ~
J ReDnblic. fiostiIg over a fortress Of the
I L nne6' ooHtea-Ine OIner sym00llzing So
cial and civil disorder, the invasion Of
Constitutional rights. aud the principles
Of barbarism as they have been revealed
during the past few months, and confirmed
to-day by an official mandate of the Chief
Executive Of the nation. True it is that
those who raised it claimed to unfurl the
old banner Of the Republic. And, as we
looked on it we behcld not a stripe erased,
aud every star there in all its original lnS.
trc. Influenced by love for that flag, and
deceived by the party who raised it, many
thousands Of those who, in this State, hal
fought in tine ranks OF the Democracy
with us, enrolled themselves under that
standard. But as the deluded followers
ard disciples Of Mokanna, the Prophet,
bchcld when he raised the veil from his
face, in place Of the anticipated celestial
countena.ce Of God, the hideous Inca
mrntS Of iicnd, so they behold now that
which they believed TO be the old and re.
vercd flag to be but thin outer gauze,
covering the real emblem, and as the pn>t
few months have impressed their wear
upon it, they behold, through the :L::.i
AMI thread. worn gauz', the :eai emblem
"Llca sncy carry, the black flag, and
shouting rs they carry il, the ertermina.
ten, dnnihiidti0M Of, and a .Stn Doninqo
n"~tcre for the South, and the dungeon,
the fortress, the prison house, and, as it
may soon be, for dcSpoti>n and anarchy
travel rapidly, the scnirold for the Demo-
cratic leaders Of the North! Applause
We, the young men Of this State, are
to raise again the old standard which has
upon its folds no other inscriptions than
the Inion, the Constitution ard the laws,
which has not upon it any outer gauze to
deceive nor inner folds to conceal--which
has not vet been wreStcd from our hands
hy the victor, but although We have not
fully unfurlcd it before the 10Th of this
month, has been cherished and guarded
hy us with veStal fidelity, as the hottest
symbn! {" u>, because it is, or at least has
been, though it may not be so now, but
aS We intend TO make it so, Of law, order
aud freedom, and If we fight fear!e >>lv,
whatever dangers Of the FASHIONED fnrtrrSS
or prison house may stare us in the face,
the rrnphrcy, aS it is unfu,led, # future
rcdcml ton from uSnrpation and dcSpot.
l>:n, A. well As rebellion. Loud cheers
The old Union. except as Il mere for
ma'itv, has departed we trust for not
more than two Years at the most-the
( CEi"n Oi Washington and Jctfcrson-th the.
( t'nion strengthened and rivctcd by the
strong arm OF Jcilrr$on-the Union Of the
long and i.lnstriouS line Of Democratic
Plc>idcntS-that Union which revealed
its strength, grandeur AMI miraculous
seventy years that Union which existed
a. il can "it'y exist, whatrvcr may be- the
result Of this war, by the consent Of the
governed, anl lived in the heart Of the
people, aud whose pillars were based on
The freedom Of speech, the freedom If the
press, the personal rights Of the citizen,
and Ill those inestiuable privileges which
>rrlNS from thoSe great writS wreSted by
the people as they came up in the past
fr"m the workshops, mines and fields,
from GcspotS, kings and usurperS. We
are to contend for the old Union not
merely the forms Of he old Union, but
that old Union which has been the syn.
nnyIn Of the purcst and most perfect lib
eTty--a Union cherished in the spirit Of
those who framed it, and for the blessings
which it daily and hourly bestowed upon
Us under the Democratic Administrations,
until the last eighteen months. We want
no such Union as has been yiSioned to us
by these false philosophers, dreamers aud
theorists of the Republican party, the
forecast. Of which. before they have fully
developed their ideas into practice, have
been civil war, bankruptcy, proAigacy.
despotiSm and shame to the world We
want not, and we, the Democrats of the
State, declare, We will have no Union
where there is gag put in the mouths OF
the citizens, where fctters and clogs are
put on the printing press; we want no re.
productions Of arbitrary arrests Of Lord
Jcffiies and Star Chambers of England,
nor the lcttrcs dc cdchets and BaSties of
the ancient regime Of France. We are
satisfied with and prefer the old Union.
We prefer the principles Of personal, civil
and social freedom upon which it was
based. Freedom Of speech we intend to
maintain, at all hazards. &c slavery of
speech. [Cheers Freedom of the press
T We will have, in preference to the censor
ship Of the press. The Constitution of
the land as it was written, and as con-
strucd by Jefferson, Madison, Story, Mar
shall and Webster, we will obey in pre-
ference to q Constitution violated bv a
Stanton. The platform which the Demo-
cratic party has to present to the people
of the State at the election is not merely
the record of the past official career Of the
statesman whose name heads the ticket.
1t is the history OF the Democratic party.
What magnificent platform tilat is to
stand upon! The history of the I'D
Union is the history of the Democratic
party, as the history of that party is the
enduring record of the Union. The pre-,
sent terrible position of this country, dis
severed and diSmembered, and the theatre
of the most terrible civil war that the
vorld has ever witnessed, is the history
ofthO Republican party, as that party is
the eawSe Of the nGr 1t has been mag
nifcently expressed that the flag of our
country is the illuminated diploma of its
authority and position among the nations
of the earth, and the imperishable epito-
mizalion Of its history and glory. If this
be so, it is the illuminated diploma "
which the Democratic party has to offer
in the coming elections, for that imperial
authority was attained and that position
Il Al