American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1863-02-20
OHIO DEMOCRACY.


The Ohio Democracy celebrated the
8.h day Of January at Columbus with
great spirit. The animus of the occasion
may be Inferred from an account by
Spondent of Cincinnati paper,
tbat 1.-The speeches were more bitterly
hostile to the existing Government of our
country than any rebel trades ever pub
lished in the land of the sccesh" We
make brief extracts from several speech
es -
Judge BARLEY After depicting the
sad condition of the country. he ans wered
the momentous question. how shall We
get out of il ? The best. way would be
for Lincoln and Hamblin to resign and
If they were capable Of noble or gener-
cur act. and were disposed to be patri.
otto. they would at once surrender the
power they have proved themselves inca
pable of controlling for the welfare of the
country. There are three ways of get
ting out of the difficulty one is to go on
with the war, subiugate the Southern
States, and free all the negroes. Anoth-
er way~is TO cease the war, declare an
armislice. open negotiations, and endeav-
er to bring back the Union by compro-
mise and Cancellation. This plan was
received with very general applause.
The third way is to let the Southern
States 60 off into a Confederacy them
selves. If the speaker were Black
Republican, be would consider it his duty
to favor the latter plan; for if their doc
time of an ''irrepressible conflict" is true.
a separation must be the final result.
But that was not the position Of the
Democratic party. OF the three propo-
sitions the most sensible one, as things
now stand. and he spoke only for him
self, would be to declare an armistice
and 20 into negotiations for compromise
The audience heartily agreed with the
speaker. The trial of arms had been
made. and fatally made. We had been
whipped more than half the time. Sill
the administration had faith in Provi-
dence, but why Providence allowed him
self to be whipped SO often was curious.
Judge Thurman The President has
as much power to suspend the Constitution
of Ohio as he has to suspend the writ of
the President and his followers that the
Executive has the power to do anything
that is necessary TO put down the rebel
lion. If this be so, he can abolish the
State Governments. can turn Congress
out of doors and If there shall be, as no
doubt there will be. Democratic Cen
gress next year we have no assurance
that an armed force will not turn them
out. On the same principle he may
suppress all the courts in the country.
If the greenbacks fail a voice : "Or are
gambled away" or Chase's paper mills
give out. the President, If he thinks it
necessary to carry on the war, he can
take away every dollar from the citizens
of every State. He can do more than
that-he can deprive you, not only of
your political franchise, your personal
liberty and your property. but he may
demand the sacrifice of your lives also
This is what the doctrine of necessity
leads to.
Hon H. J Jeaett Who ever
thought that proclama1ions were to make
laws ?-They were designed to command
obedience to law but the mere executive
of law has seen proper to proclaim law to
the people, and to overthrow law and
government as heretofore understood and
recognized. The speaker then took up
the several proclamations of the PRESS
dent. and denounced them as in contra
vention of law.
Two years since. said Mr.. Jewett,
was so unfortunate as to be a candidate
for your Governor. and | never regretted
not being elected until the morning /
read the Presidents proclamation au-
the arrest of persons suspected
of disloyal practices. by irresponsible
officers. / then regretted there was not
some one in the Governors chair who
had the backbone to issue a counter
Repeated cheers.
would have made that proclamation be- |
mate of the Bastile. Applause
The next toast in course was then
read. which was received amid deafenlng
applause.
10 The Constitution as it is. the /
Union as it was, and the negroes achere
hey are.
Response bv L. r. Critch6eld, the
new Attorney General. Thinking. per-
haps, it was expected of him TO manifest
a due amount of gratitude for his cleo
ion, he went in and out Heroded Herod.
He came down on the Government saw
lgely, and if ever any of bis minions at
empted to carry out their unlawful meas
lres in his sacred locality. he was ready
or armed resistance to them. He didn't
believe one half of the North cared
whether Abe Lincoln or Jeff Davis occu>
bed the White House in Washington.