Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-09-09


safe. lie can borrow words from the
ancient Roman, and exelaim, "l am an
American Citizen, and that is m y guaranty
against every wrong and every insult and
every species of harm: am an Ameri-
can Citizen belong TO the land which
Washington established and to which JET.
ferson gave just and illustrious creed of
government in the ancient days" -!
Is this boasting true 7 Are these proud
words justified by passing occurrences
aud by recent events Are they not
falsifed, are they not belied by those
events, many Of which have been detailed
to you at the present meetingl
! propose before this meeting adjourns
to read or have read in your hearing
speech made by man Of distinction and
of great ability and independence Of char
acter-a true man, although he has not
followed our party banner. II is an ar
gument upon the question OF liberty at
tho present time in the United States-ap
exposition Of trials by Military Courts, Of
the principles that obtain in those trials
(Which may be described as mock ones
and the distinctions which exist between
that system aud the system established in
the Constitution and laws of the United
States and our several States. propose
to follow that up with the addition Of some
remarks 10 prove that this picture may be
made still more complete than be has
left it. The distinguished person to whom
l aliude is my colleague in the Senate. l
propose to show you and to show to the
people of this section, among whom the
volume containing our proceedings will
go that however much other States ofthis
Union may have been false to the faith
of our fathers-however much those
representing them may have faltered and
fallen back from the high standard of prin-
cipe. in these times of degeneracS-the
State Of Penna. has representatives in the
Senate Of the U. S. who truly represent her
and stand together for the essential prin.
ciples of American Liberty; and that if
there be anything of shame or of base
ness in the recent records of the Govern
ment, the iniquty and the crime is not up
on them.
TO come back to the main point |
repeat, the question is proposed to the
people of this section of the country, what
course will they adopt for the future !
Will they choose TO say and determine that
the faith Of Jefferson-the creed of prin.
oiples established by him and now held
by the Democratic party-shall be sup
ported so far as their voice can go! Gen.
temen, you know how it is, ordinarily :,
with public demonstrations in political ac-
ton. We wait until an election is at
hand, when We are much hurried, when
mems passions are warm, and then we get
together to consider public affairs. But
at such time we are liable to 90 astray
because men who are warm with passion
are not likely to decide with such good
judgment and so truly as at other times
l believe this is one oil the very occasion S
when men can fairly make up their minds
on public questions; now when no intense
ly exciting political campaign is pending,
now when their minds are open, when
they are wide awake to public events,
when they recent great struggle of our
country has called their attention to the
course of public affairs. l trust that the
people of this County will for a long time
to come make up a record Of honor and O..
glory, politically, that will compare ia
vcrably with that which they have made
heretofore, so that it may be said by the
future historian that after the establish
ment Of the Government OF the United
States there was one community of people
in our country who steadfastly and al
ways stood TO the true principles of the
government aud upheld the cause of lib.
erty and justice among men.
| will mention but one other point and
conclude, for l am trespassipg on the
time of other gentlemen. (Cries of ego
on ego on.') About the beginning OF
the present century there were raids mad e
into Pennsylvapia-not such raids as
latterly came to ambersburg and Car
llsle-not raid to destroy private prop
erty and when Gen. Couch could recon-
mend the inhabitants to get out their shot
guns and from bushes to fire upon the ia.
aders "a beautiful proposition to provoke
to carnage and plunder)-I say, there
were raids into this State directed by
Federal power about the beginning Of the
present century. They seized John
Fries 10 Northampton county; they came
up into the County OF Berks; they infess-
ed our borders; they seized some of our
people. They had not then the invento n
of Courts called military Commissions, >
but they carried their victims to the U. s .
Courts. They were notup to the latest
improvements in Yankee Government,
(Laughter) but they did the best they
could in the circumstances Of benightment
under which they labored in that dark
age, They took those persons before
Federal judges and there they tried them
and convicted them under forms OF law
passed by the Congress- of the U. S.,
which were complained of as unconsttu.
tional. Besides the cases which resulted
in trials in those Courts, thero were other
cases of outrage upon the cllizsns at that
time. But. gentlemen, these we're but
feeble beginnings compared with modern
transactions. We have lived to some pur-
pose Tor fifty or sixty years. We have
improved upon the former example.