Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1863-06-27

,he days OF my boyhood up to this hour, |
have been ranked with the political party
known ns the Democrutc: and / believe
he time has never been known. from nv
entrance iuto its ranks till now, that have
evec wavered or been false to it. | am. in
all things appertaining to the general poi.
icy Of the country, a Democrat TO day, and
ever hope to remain one, without mitiga.
lion, without change, in all those great
inciples on which political parties divide.
But when crisis of this kind arises, ii is
principle Of my Democracy-apd Shll not
attempt to interpret other gentlemen's De.
mocracy for them--that the first great du-
ty every man owes is TO his country, TINT
this is where the principles of bis party
ought to lead him. Il
Although there is a President in Office
that did not help to put there, and al
though in all human probability would
not cast vote for him TO morrow, yet 10
this great contest | acknowledge hin--no;
the head of party, but as tue head OF the
Government, as the Executive officer of
the nation. [Cheers Aud, like soldier
fighting in the ranks, hold it TO be my
duty TO obey him, my commanding officer,
il all things, without questioning his policy
in this great contest. BY and 10y may
have something, as citizen, to say on tI.ls
subject; bat at the present time my duty
lies in another direction. IL is true that l
have differed with Mr.. Lincoln on many
questions, but they are minor ones, aud
| This is no time to cavail. IL is not whether
this or that mans tights have been infriug
ed upou, or whether some cannon-wheel
! has been run over Q corner of the Consti.
tuition, but the question now is, what is the
duty of every man to his Government in
this contest2 Let us first settle with these
rebels, and, when we have dOue that, We
eau begiu TO take matters at home il hand,
and have no doubt we will be fully equal
TO them.
He then discussed the question Of slavery
at considerable length He alleged that
as to It's social aspect he had no concern
with it. Iu It's political aspect, he charged
it with being at the bottom of the rebcl.
lion. He traced the course of parties, the
progress OF the demands of the South, their
final disruption of the Democratic party at
Charleston referred to the peace Congress,
Sc, declaring that as u political power,
slavery died when the first gun was fired at
Fort Sumter. OF arbitrary arrests, he
Lspoke as follows: led
But you have another objection to this
war, aud that is the matter OF arbitrary ar
rests, as they are caIeI-.he arrest of Ger
tain men VINO have not been content with
| thinking treason, but have been talking it
rather loud There have been about half
u dozen men taken down to Fort Lafayette
| tbo IL in m IN
| Laughter. You say that these men have
! been taken without warrant in the Cousti
: tniou Some legal mouser has sat dow
e and conned it all over, and not found anJ
thing to justify it.
He has found that the franers of the
Constitution never expected any such state
of things, and therefore nothing was put
iuto il to meet these circumstances. Trea
sen, it says, shall CONSIST of all overt act,
aud talking is not an overt act. Bat We
must not forget the fundamental principl4
: OF all Governments on earth, which places
q large discretionary power in the hauds
Of the rulers of the naten for cases of this
kind. The old legal maxim is that the
laws are silent iu the presence of arms.
You have very lutte cause to complain
here If yon had been down South, |
think you would have had much more
There is no douot Of the power of the Gov
ernmeut TO protect itself, under any circum.
stances. Ii you saw an incendary apply
the torch to your house, would you wait
until he was caught aud convicted or
wonld you take club aud knock him down?
What the individual may do, Government
, may do. IL may say to It's ctizeus "Y ou
t are preventing the enlistment of sol ers
in the army; you are sowing dissensons
among the people; you are atfordiug aid
, aud comfort to the enemy; thertore we
propose to put yon some place where you
can talk to yourself for time" If this
, power is not inherent in the Government
it is not worth rope of sand; and the
man who has the power, and does not ex-
+ ercse it, is not worthy of his place as a ru.
. Ter. Applause
Suppose we admit that the Constitution
has been strained little; it is not strained
1 any further than old jackson strained it
down in New Orleans, when he arrested
| Judge Hall; and how we gloried over that
act; how we cheered, aud what bonires we
burned, when tardy Government paid
back The unjust fue which he OLD hero had
paiI. cheers. Now, my Democratic friend
do not tuke that all back | eau not do
it; upon my word can not. Voices. No,
no, you are right. Let us either say this
Government is all right, in taking away
r these elements Of discord from among Us, or
let us do the other thing-posIpone The
. discussion of The question I'LL by aud by
Is this time TO be Sighting the Govern
, ment, when it Is fghtMg the hosts of the
rebellion? Is this an appropriate work ia
0 the day Of our trial Would you tear2
/. down the temple because some unbeliever
E comes among The faitbulY Would you
0 destroy the enlightened institutions Of
g Christianity, because some hypocrite may
do deeds of darkness aud crime? Would
yon abolish all the Institutions OF learning
in the laud, because abuse have crept iui
Il Are you going to stop The progress OF this
: war, because some Internal copperhead ha,
; been uumasked aud put in duugeon?-
: Applause, and cries OF, No, no,."l If yor
| 4 L. 4 I.