The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1863-04-17

legations our fathers had made for me in
the compromises Of the Constitution, and
among them II was no, for me to pick out
the sweet from the bitter; and, fellow
Depocrats,. Il took them all loud cheers
because they were constitutional oblga.
tions; spplause and, taking them all,
stood by the South and Southern rights
under the Constitution until / advanced
and looked into the very pit Of disuuion,
and. no! liking the prospect,I quietly with.
drew. Immense applause and laughter. I
And we were from that hour apart, and
how far apart you can judge when tell
you that, on the 28th Of December, 1860,
! shook hands on terms Of personal friend
ship with Jefferson DAVIS, and on the esth
of December, 1869. l had the pleasure Of
reading his proclamation that was TO be
hanged at sight. Great applause and
laughter And now, my freuds, if you
will allow me to pass on for a moment in
this line Of thought, as we come up to
the point Of time when these men laid
down their Constitutional obligatiors.-
What were my rights. and what we're
theirs F? Atthst hour they repudiated the
Constitution Of the United States, by
solemn vote in solemn Convention and
not only that, but they took arms in their
hands, and undertook by force to. rend
from the Government what seemed 10
them the fairest. portion OF the heritage
which my fathers had given 10 me as
rich legacy to my Children. When they
did that they abroga,ed, abnegated and
forfeited every Constitutional right, and
released me from every Constitutional OBJ.
legation. Loud cheers And, when l
was thus called npop 10 say what should
be ny action with regard TO slavery, l
was left to the natural instincts OF my
heart. as prompted by a Christian educa.
ton in New England, and 1 dealt with it
accordingly, as was no longer bound. -
| Immense Applausel Then Undertook
earnestly and respectfully to maintain, with
the same sense Of duty to my Cons,iia-
'ionai obligations 10 State rights, SO long
~ they remained under the Constitution,
'nat required me to support the system OF
slavery, and the same sense of duty and
right, after they had gone out from under
that Constitution. caused me 70 follow the
dictates Of my own conscience, untrsm. D..
meled. [Cheers So, my friends, you
see, however mi,judgug may have been,
and | speak to my old Democratic friends,
! claim we went along, step by step, up to
that point. and we should still 90 along,
step by step; for.except the right to hold
slaves was made a part Of the compro.
misses made by our fathers in tie Consti.
tuition, and. If their State rights were 10
be respected because Of our allegiance to
the Constitution and our respect 10 State
rights. yet when that sacred obligation
was taken away, and We as well as the
negroes were disenthralled, why should
not we follow the dictates Of Gods law
and humanity? Tremendous applause,
and cries Ct bravo. Bravo."l By the
exigencies Of the public service removed
once more 10 another sphere of action, q,
New Orleans, found this problem to
come in another form, and Thai led me to
examine and see how far had progressed
this civil commotion, now carried on by
force Of arms. found. under our com :
plex system OF States and an, indedendent
Government, and the United States COW
eriug all, that-tbere can be treason to the
State and not TO- the United States, and
revolution in the State and not as regards
the United States, ard loyalty to the State
and disloyalty 10 the Union, and loyalty
TO the Union, and disloyaliy 10 the organ.
lied Government OF the State. And, as an
illustration, take The troubles which almost
lately arose in the Stale Of Rhode Island,
where there was nm attempt TO rebel
against the State Government, and TO
change the form Of State Government
All Of you are familiar with the move
menIs of Mr. Dorr; there wss no intent OF
disloyally against the United States, but
a great deal againstthe State Government
l therefore in Louisiana found a State
Cover nment that had entirely changed its
form, and bad revolutionized itself so far
as it could; created courts and imposed
taxes ; and ! found, SO far as this State
Government was concerned, it was no
longer in and OF itself one OF the United
States OF America. II had, so far as II
could, changed its State Givernment, and
by solemn act had forever seeded from
the United States OF America, and at.
tempted TO join the Confederate States !;
and ! found, l respectfully submit, rev.
olutionized State There had been a rev.
olution beyond an insurrection and in
fraction Of the law beyond the abnega-
lion and setting aside OF the law. and a
new State Government formed, that was
being supported by force Of arms. Now,
upon what thesis shall deal with these
people Organized into community
under forms OF law, they had seized por.
lion Of the territory Of the United States /;
and respectfully submit must deal
with them as alien enemies. IGreat ap-
plause.l They had forever passed the
boundary Of .wayward sisters, [great
laughter and applause, unless indeed
they erred as Cain did against bis brother
Abel. They had passed beyond that and
outside of that. Aye, and Louisiana had
done this in the strongest possible way,
for she had seized on territory which The
Government Of the United States had
bought aud paid for. Therefore 1 dealt
with them as alien enemies. [Applause I