Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-06-26

zl4hugy chairman, they 1omp plain. 81
us for not joining them fifteen months ago
in remodeling the Constitution Of our
fathers, and yet to-day set themselves up
as the especial ehampions Of the gonstitu-
lion IS it's.
But thereis another statement in this
address Ut says that the Democratic party
has always been loyal to this Government.
Mr.. Chairman, such declaration as that
at this time, when weaaFs in the midst Of
the revolution. in which We have been
pluHgedby this Democratic party, is per-
fectly astounding. Have gentlemen for
gotten the administrations OF Franklin
Pierce and james Buchanan Have they
forgotten fiie history Of that party during
the last Congress It was my fortune to
be n member OF the 36th Congress- and /
know well how loyal the Democratic party
was to the Government Of the United States
during that period. How was it when
South Carolina, that hot-bed Of secession,
had left the Union, seized the property Of
the Government within her limits and sent
out her emissaries through the other slave
holding States to fire the Southern heart,
to set it on fire ofhell2 They went out two
by two, as the uhclean beasts entered the
ark, and everywhere they went robbery,
arson, murder and every crime that the
ingenuity of men could devise, or the devil
ihspire, followed in their train. They soWed
broadcast the dragons teeth Of secession,
and o harvest Of armed men leaped in their
footsteps. Where was the loyalty Of the
Democratic party then What we're its
acts 2 Whenever any effort was made on
this floor to sustain the Government and
maintain the Constitution as Il Is and the
UBioR as it was, we were met, sir, with
sneeFs, with threats, and derision At the
other endOf the avenue sat your Democrat
ic President, gray-haired imbecile, sur
rounded byhis chosen counsellOrs Of rob
bers, while thieves filed up and glutted all
the highways and byways to power. Trea-
son in the name of Democracy was then
installed IN power, and used that power
which a con6ding people had entrusted
them with to destroy the best government
in the world-the Government which our
fathers had bequeathed to US after a long
and bloody struggle, and which had pro-
fusely scattered its blessings upon oil like
the dews of heaven. Yet those men talked
of loyalty tothe Government in this it
must be admitted that they exhibited more
than the usual amount of impudenee and
depravity. u j iif 81 I.Ilsii .8i
Mr.. Chairman, when we brought forward
propositions for calling out the militia, in
order to sustain the Government and de-
fend the Government property, how were
we met by those who now style themselves
Democrats2 They met us everywhere with
the cry. Of "eoercion, coercion" Under
these false colors they assisted treason to
come rapidly to head and to overrun this
entire land. 1t is rather late for these
gentlemen to parade their loyalty to the
Government before the country. Who, sir,
are the leaders Of the rebellion against the
| Government which has threatenedits over
throw? They were Democrats-they were
members of the Democratic party. Who
| was Jefferson Davis2 Who was Barnwell
Rhett2 Who was John C, Breckinridge ?
Who, in fine, were the whole crew Of con-
spirstors against this Republics They
were leading members of the Democratic
party, which it is now proposed to resu-
rect! They were not unknown men. They
were not Of the rank and fle-they were
thehigh priests, the WarWieks Of the party
They made and unmads Presidents, they
ruled Conventions and dictated the course
that should be pursued. They laid down
the platform which they demonded should
be followed implicitly, and which the Dem
ocrats who signed this address always fol-
lowed as the day follows the night. They
were the men who controlled the entire
action Of that party. t4e''''t'
1t comes, therefore, with a very bad grace
from thOsewho have been in sympathy with
the Southern traitors to denounee this side
of the House, and to boast Of their own ex-
ceeding loyalty to the Government. 1t does
not become them to talk Of fidelity to the
Constitution, which they sought to destroy
by amendments under the dietatiOn Of trait
ors. It will not do for them to urge the
loyalty of the DenIUorstttC party when tllere
are none, in this House or out Of 1t, so
ignorant as not 10 know that it was that
party which gave rise to this rebellion, and
which all alOR has strengthened the hands
of traitors. =, Yes, sir, do doubt these men.
EdoRbta them when they GENE before this
House and avoW their fidelity to the Con-
stitutiOn. Idoubt any man who prates so
much about the, Constitution. They have
| always been a very uncertain class of men
that would bear watching. More than
eighteen hundred years ago way down in
Judea they asked-..'Why do ye that which
is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day 2"
Great stickleTs for the Law, profound con
stitutional expounders, were these old
pbarisees. Had those old sinners been
members of this House they would have
called a caucus of conservatives, or they
would certainly have signed their names
to this ,DeIpocratic address with my col
league, for which subscribers are so i'm
plbriHgly petitioned They would have
raised more constitutional doubts and
quirks and quibbles than ever troubled
the brain of Lord Eldon or the gentlemen
from Massachusetts EAIrf fThomas.l N
..ig5ztl. [ENDED Tomorrow.