Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1862-09-10
Democratic Meeting.

members thereof, and the assembling OF
the people together in mass meeting on
the 18th inst.
Upon the seventeenth day of ,hismonth,
seventeen hundred and cighty-seven,
the Constitution of the United States was
adopted and ratified in convention by the
unanimous consent of the following ma
med States then present: New Hamp-
shire, Massachusetts, New York, New
jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Mary
land, Virginia, North Carolina, South
! Carolina and Georgia.
The Government of the United States
was formed by the consent and free will
of its citizens, and the people of the Amer
ican Colonies by mutual cooperation de-
liberately laid aside the old form of gov
crnmcnt, and peacefully constructed an
/ other. Over two hundred years ago the
| people of these Colonies united together
and agreed upon the principle of mutual
protection and the great Democratic
! doctrine was then. in our earliest history.
promulgated and made extant, that each
| Colony should hold and exercise exclusive
t privileges and jurisdiction within It's own
limits; and that Il general Congress
should be formed by all the Colonies to
! determine matters for the welfare of all
! by sending two Commissioners from each:
and without infringing upon the particular
and peculiar immumtics Of any Colony,
to conclude and preside ovcr matters Of
| general concern.
Thus, many years before American In
/ dependence was declared, did the Plym-
outh pilgrims conceive and adopt one Of
the fundamental principles Of confederation
upon which our present Government was
subsequently founded. Under this form
Of government our forefathers lived, mid
the strife and turmoi! OF the Revolution,
and Congress after Congress assembled
and assumed all the powers of national
sovereignty, and by their acts marked Il
course of of definite separation from the
allegiance of despotic power: and by or
ganizing into united States, they were en-
abled to free themselves from the yoke of
foreign oppression.
Twelve years afterwards when tire des-
ola;ion and ravages of war had gone by.
and the millennium OF peace was about
to spread the tranquil dawn of prosperity
and happiness over the United STATES.
and before the unfinished structure was
allowed to tottcr. the illustrious men OF
that day made a step towards making n
more perfect government and forming an
alliance between The then existing States
And proposal for the Convention which
framed our present constitution. was
promptly responded TO by the twelve
aforesaid States, and Epon the seventeenth
day of this month, three quarters of a cen-
fury ago, this Conv, ntion assembled hay-
/ ing for It's grand mission the glcat object OF
F forming and constructing a new govern
ment, upon the wide basis Of popular
equality. Over lis deliberations presided
the revcrcd Geor-e Washington. end
upon the scroll attached to the Constitu-
ton, we find the rluStrious names OF
Madison, Franklin. Hamilton. Imgcrsoll
and other great men who had shared in
the privations Of the Revolution and from
! experience hal known and tasted the bit
ter oppression of a dcspotic government.
1t is upon the anniversary of this dav. on
which the great bulwark of our freedom
was established, which was TO secure the
blessings of liberty 10 us and our Postcrity
after Us, that the Democray of Cambria
are requested TO meet, that they may sus-
tain and declare themselves in favor OF
that sacred instrument as our fathers be
Gueathed it-for the Constitution as IS
and the Union rs Il tcas. You are inyi-
ted-Come then, Democrats, in the spirit
Of freemen and proclaim and declare YOUR
principles openly, that the light of De
mocracy may shine forth, as beacon to
the honest voters who have been drifting
upon the slipwreck of the old Wing par
ty-who have been lured from the teach
ings of Washington, by the false promises
OF designing demagogues come, not as
crouching minions, but as sovercigns. in
the myriads of Your strength and let your
voice be heard-let sound 90 out from the