The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1864-09-14

Saturday. the tenth day Of September. .
the great day in which the united DemOc- (
raey were 10 inaugurate the great campaign .
Of 1854, in the capital Of the State of Mich
igan, has come and gone, leaving its event .
tut history behind
At an early hour the signs OF something
were seen in the arrival Of
teams and persons, and by afternoon the I
streets were about as well filed as Oh the
day when the Ocean Circus was here.
The first thing in order was TO raise a
hickory pole in front of the Journal Office F.
which was done without accident Mr.
Kilbourne, who acted as master Of the GER +
emonies, then announced that the object Of
the meeting was to remove the tyranny
which had pressed the country down for the
last four years; and he invited all who
wished 10 hear more about said tyranny
20 adjourn to the state House yard We
accepted the invitation with the rest OF the
crowd. and soon found Ourself on the
ground with quite a company Of men and
women ready 10 hear. As TO numbers, we
mad.a very exact observation, and found
the men 20 be about 300; but a. We mean 10
boz always within the precise bounds OF
truth. we viii admit that if put in row
and counted. there might have been pres
eut $50 men, and Of these not more than
so were Republicans, leaving band OF the
"unterrihed as large a that Of Gideon,
and as large as that which fought at Their
mOpylae There were also a large number
of women. We never before saw 80 large
a proportion of women at Democratic
meeting
So much for numbers. The next ques-
ton was rs TO speakers. Judge Johnson
and Mr. Blanchard of Ionia, who had been
announced on great handbills were nowhere
10 bee found: anda substitute was found for
about AN hour in F. : Fitch, Of Bunker
Hill lie laborel hard 10 show that the
Administration was more corrupt and tyr
annical than the spanish InquisitiOn: that
+ the rebellion was brought on because the
/ North would noi mind lis own business and
+ let slavery alone: that whenever We would
do this the war would cease of itself: that
/ the Constitution was born in compromise.
had always lived by it. ana was dying to-
day for want of il; and that, if we will let
intermeddline alone this nation can exist
part free and part slave forever: and it is q
damnable lie to say the contrary
Mr. Peck was then called out. He said
he wanted nothing better than restora-
ton Of things as they were. He spent some
time Calculating a very ingenious theory Of
his. that the general Government, under
the Constitution, has no power 10 legislatt
on moral questions, but such legislation be-
longs 10 the states exclusively; and slavery
i a moral question, and Congress has there
fore no power to legislate on it. He also
repeated his ancient doctrine that slave la
Dor elevates the white man in society; and
showed that the white labOrcr of the North
has been enriched by the negro slave labor
of the South Do they not raise the cotton
Abolish slavery. and how would YOU get
cotton goods in any way for yourselves anC
families lie then showed the immense
forces that had been hurled upon the rebel
lion and what was the result OF all these
mighty Efforts He declared that the re-
bellion stands to-day a. intact as on the
day it first started out. You may destroy
armies aad cities, but it will meet You al
ways unless YOU meet the men Of the South
] Al q Irill mi DfrN
on the valOr and proves Of Southern men,
he branched of into a torrent Of indigna
ton against General lIeintzelman's order
against selling arms; and offered to prove
from the example Of Onr Saxon ancestors
/ from BRUSH history, ana from story on tnt
Constitution. that the very object for which
the people were allowed by the COnstitu
ton to keep arms was that they might re
bel whenever they pleased-that they might
always have them on hand to resist the tyr
amy Of their rulers Mr.. Peck continued
his violent invecIives until about half his
audience had adjourned themselves. The
speakers advanced no new, remarkable o.
torcible arguments 1t was the same oil,
story repeated-the Republicans have caus
ell all the evils in the country put US il
power. and We will cure them all. Mr.
Peck spoke an hour and half; and in al
that time he did not make the slightest al
fusion 10 the Chicago Convention, its plat
form, candidates or resolutions: and ;
stranger would not have known from hi
discourse that they eveg existed He Iii,
not attempt TO show how any peace will
rebels could possibly be made hut avoided
The subject altogether We must do hin
the justice to say however. that he sal,
nothing in abuse of soldiers. and made NJ
reference to hounds or dogs Of any kind.
Altogether this was a very slim affair
and if the Democracy" do not much bet
ter than this hereafter, they will have L
endure four years more OF - Old Abe's tyr
amy The numbers from a whole cit.
and county. for an occasion where
foreign speakers had been announced
were exceedingly small: there was an ute
want of enthusiasm OF any kind: none O
the speakers advertised were present: an'
the meeting was evidently ashamed Of thu
platform. candidates. and resolutions Of it
party. Even the Republicans who haC
come out to see a respectable meeting anl
hear Judge johnson on national topics, Wen
away grumbling. If the Democracy vii
/ get up another inst such meeting next Sat
ur,lay. and every Saturday after until cleo
ton day, it will help the Republican cause
very much.