The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1864-11-03

object Of founding governments is to pro-
tect the weak FROM the strong. Govern
ments are instituted, as has been express
sed in language better than any l can
employ, for the protection of life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness. I know
that modern Democracy tells you that
Government is for the protection of life,
liberty, and the pursuit Of "Eiggers p
[Laughter.1 What are the correlative
duties aud obligations of the citizen and
the Government? The Government be-
ing founded, according to our theory,
upon the consent of the governed, it is the
duty Of the Government to protect the
citizen in his life, in his liberty, and in
the pursuit of happiness. What are the
duties of the citizen to the Government
First, the Government having discharged
Its duty to its citizens, (and | hold that
ours has done that.) it is the duty of the
citizen to contribute from his means all
that shall be necessary for the support and
maintenance of Government In times of
peace, the demands of the Government
have been limited in time of war, they
are and must be extensive, and the re-
| spense Of the citizen should be correspon-
dinSly generous. There is not man
among US who does not owe to the Gov
ernment all his means, if those means are
necessary to the preservation Of its lie.
More than that, there is not muscle In
his right arm, or in his physical frame /;
there is not drop Of blood that flows in
his veins there is nothing that he pos
sesses which he does not owe to the Gov
ernment in time like this, IN return for
its having discharged its duty TO him
You have breathed the air that comes
fresh from your kills, you have druuk the
/ pure water from your gushing mountain
streams until yeu are thankless, aud do
not regard the value OF the blessings which
you have enjoyed. When stretched upon
bed of disease, man knows the value
of health when obliged to drink from the
stagnant pool, he knows the value of the
pure and sparkling spring when obliged
TO breathe The uoxlous airs of prison
house, he knows The value Of the pure air
that God gives him. Long years of peace
and prosperity, carrying Us from feeble
colonies to a magnificent republic cf thirty
millions, have made us thankless 10 the
Government for the blessings that it has
showered upon us as Heaven showers its
dews. You go home to the quiet of your
domestic fireside; you meet there your
loved ones; you have around you means
that make lie pleasant and joyous But
what are all the blessings of domestic life
unless the aeeis Of Government be thrown
over and around you! They are value
less. In this struggle, every citizen owes
| all his means, ana, If necessary, his life,
to preserve the best Government God ever
gave to man.
My friends, are you all ready to per-
form the duty which, as loyal citizens,
devolves upon you? We are day Gu
gagged in contest which, stripped of all
extraneous matter, reduces itself to siu-
gle roposition-country, or no country.
| The question at issue in this contest is,
whether we shall have a country Of free
dom, or whether we shall have no country
at all. That is the only question to be
determined in the coming election. We
have got to crush out this rebellion, or be
crushed out ourselves. | do not quite
like the statement which [ have made
we are going to crush out this rebellion
! [Cheers.1 The man who does not believe
that, 1 hold to be political infdel. [
would as soon doubt the suns rising or
setting as doubt that we are to be gov
ernmept Of freedom. All the cohorts of
hell and rebellion can never prevail against
u.s. Rather than suffer liberty to perish
here, our ladies will buckle on the habili-
ments of war. Gray-headed and totteriug
age will throw away its crutch for the
musket. The little child will seize the
rife and battle for liberty No, friends,
our old ship OF State is to.f float on trIum-
phantly through uncounted ages. The
| LORD have mercy ON those who shall op-
pose it [ pity them. In the history of
our country, We have had some slight IL
lustra.ion of the fate of those who opposed
the cause of the country in time of war.
In the Revolutionary war we had a Bene-
dict Arnold. There were men who oppo-
sed the war of 1872 but those men stand
without a spot on their garments when
compared with the rebel sympathizers in
the free States in 1864 l think that
Judas Iscariot would complain Of being
compared with him. At time like this,
when there should benz platform but our
country, we have a party that calls itself
the Democratic party. God save the
mark Laughter My friends, | was
Democrat of the straightest sect, brought
up at the feet of Gamaliel. But think
| that if Thomas Jefferson, James Madison,
and Andrew Jackson should come back to