Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1864-08-31

In peaceable assembly, each State, having
secured its independence, met there under
that old bell, where we had declared the
independence that was at the price of
blood made ours there, in debate, with
pen, ink, and paper, they made our Con-
stitution. There was no smell of gun
powder there there were no scars
there, except those that had been won
on the battle field of the Revolution
by free speech, coming from the hearts
OF lreemen; by the arts Of sound states
manship and not war, were the fUunda-
tiOns laid deep and firm and the super
structure reared which has become the
admiration and envy of the earth.-
Proud, stately, and massive, column after
column rose in Gorgeous architecture, and
for seventy-three years we prospered as a
people. How! BY civil war? (ENo.')
Yet we had our differences The Union
was more than once threatened In 1920
we had the Missouri question; but civil
war was aycrted by compromise. Again,
the Eel! spirit Of abolitionism rose, that
dark, foul, dismal, poiuting spirit, which
has overshadowcd this land for thirty
years past, rose as a horrid spectcr! grin
ming and ghastIy. A party found it, and
the land was threatened by a sectional
organization. IN 1850, on the question
of the Wilmot proyiso, the troubles be-
tween the North and South had almost
eliminated in civil war. How was it
settled? BY calling out seventy five
thousand militia for three months by
commanding the Southern States to dis
perse in thirty days; by commanding an
onward 10 Richmond. No, Henry Clay
yet lived, Daniel Webster survived Cass
WAS there. Douglas Goud npplause) was
there, and 10y comprom>c again calanI-
I ity was Cvcrtcd. Who voted against COM
premise in 1850, vixen Mr. CAY wa Of
tering up the last remnant Of his life q
/ sacrifice on the altar of his country -
. Sumner was there and voted against it,
Chase was there and rejected 1.-THE very
leaders and founders OF that party which
/ has been in power for the last few years
7 to the ruin of the country. Had they
been in the majority then, fourteen years
ago. this civil war would have begun.
We might indeed, have been in the midst
/ Of il vet; bat ii would have been eleven
/ years earlier in It's commencement. It
was bv couci!iation and compromise that
I these calamIties were turned aside, rs by
/ by these means, the government had been
! founded in the beginning. The result Of
/ thes1 wise counsels and this profound
craftsmanship was that we prOspeTed rs
/ no other people ever did prosper. From
, thirteen States, We became thiHy-tuur,
! L
millions. from m obscure and significant
/ government and flag we became the
/ mightiest republic on the globe. Pros
perity and plenty were ours. No people
were ever 50 bIest And yet We proved
! ourselves than>Iess by casting these bless
/ ings from US II is that for which He
/ has visited Us with this terrible scourge
/ 1t 50 happened that after the men Of the
/ revolution had passed away; wien the
/ founders Of our government had died :;
when the men who made the compromise
! 1850 uasseCI to their last home, . new gen
Grafton obtained power and when the
same difficulties arose, growing cut Of the
/ question Of slavery, instead OF conpro-
mise. instead Of conciliatiOn, instead of
the arts of peace and the coUnseis OF har-
! mnnv. they resolved that there should be
war. that through coercion the States dis
/ satisfied and discontcmtcd should be forced
back into the Union and men who did
( still live. and men who had taken the
/ places OF those who had passed away,
sought, four years ago, to avert this ca
lani.y. When first | addressed a New
! York audience, III the month of NOyem-
Der. 1850, it Was to advocate the election
Of the Union ticket in the State of New
York-the real Union tickct-the ticket
made up Of men who were willing to try,
if it were possible, even NJ that late day,
to prevent the electoral vote Of the State
of New York from being cast for Abra-
ham Lincoln. | was a Union man a
that time, as | have been at every hOul
since. (Great applause.) Had the vote
Of your State then been cast agains
Abraham Lincoln, you never would haze
had this civil war. ("That's so.") Bu
you were persuaded TO your hurt-to th
ruin of your country-to choose him a
your President, and put in power the part.
Of which he was the recognised head
You placed him there knowing that h
had avowed that the republic could nc
endure part slave and part free. Th
election produced the natural consequence
which the Democratic party and til
Whig party had proclaimed would be til
: result Then it was when Congress as
gembled in the month of December, 1850
, that still the true men Of the country, II