Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-08-26

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and free people, standings rs the representa-
tives of republican government in the
Western hemisphere to the rest of the
world, we have presented, ,in the last four
Years, faction and disunion that have torn
us asunder, and rendered uslutterly absurd
and disgraced in the eyes of foreign coun-
tries. Instead of that absolute securityswe
enjoyed before tina accession Of these men
to power, what, have we witnessed? Dur
ing the past four years all our guarantees OF
liberty have been broken down, the writ of
habeas corpus the right to entertain your
own. opinions and express them, and the
freedom OF the press, have all been stricken
down and trampled in the dust. With this
look at the past, let us adopt the language
of the immortal Jefferson in his first inau-
gural address: I" au.... ... ,jiia Vi
r., "When in moments of error and alarm,
we have departed from the paths that lead
to happiness and safety, let up retrace our
steps and go back to the consideration of
those great principles uponwhich our faith
ers have founded the Government" ..
That is our duty to-day. We are not here
to create, or to recommend creation. We
are not here to build up q better system
than our fathers of the revolutionary time,
made for us-nothing of the kind. 1t is a
simple effort to go back again to the chart of
our principles as recorded by our fathers.
and place ourselves upon the ground oceu
pied, and all will be well. .,..,,,, ..,.rro, %.
But, gentlemen of the Convention, what
herculean task is before ls'lall! 1t need
not been supposed that we are to- have no
lot or part in the matter. 10 Who are We!
We represent more than 100000 Of the cleo
tors OF this great and powerful State. We
represent more than 100000 of the p6pu-
lation of the State. That population is
looking to you to-day, with anxious sOlici-
tude that you shall do for them,
and for the cause of truth and right
eousness, just what is necessary to
to restore to them the blessings which they
enjoyed prior to the advent of the new
party that has come. into power. That is
what they ask you to do. n. ~ tlr
And now, gentlemen, what is. the first
thing to be deneP The tirss9 thing is to
bring our great and glorious country TO-
gether again. The first thing, to which we
must direct our attention as free men, leav-
ing the past to take care Of itself, and look
ing now TO the dischargeof our high duties
for the future is to cooperate manfully,
| resolutely and deteIminedly, in restoring
| our country, until we see the happy speeta-
| Gle of thirty odd States again in peace, rep
resented in the National Council. I APP
plause.l o.. ''t'-H. ].l .7'.'.7 y
How this is to be done precisely do not
| stop to Inquire. Who it shall be done by
do not stop to inquire. My hand and my
heart shall be with any man who, undel
the Constitution and in obedience t.
it, uses his best efforts to bring agail
into the National Council an(
into the family reunion, all those wht
were of our glorious and extensive coun
try. Having all this to do, my fellow citi
zens, what a task is upon Ills still? Hardly
more difficult was the task of unburyins
again those cities of the East that had beel
buried hundreds offeetdeepin the eruption!
| from the mountains. Hardly less than res
cuing Pompeii from its burial place, is thu
| business that now deyolves upon us is tt
rescue our old genuine Constitution and
laws from the vast rubbish that has beer
heaped upon. them. In doing this, howev
er, let me say to you as citizens in the hon
est discharge of your duties, it will be you
task to see that the burdens which the par
! ty in power have laid upon us and upon thj
country, shall be equally laid upon The
property of the whole country. We will g
back again to the good old pro.
position that liberty and equality
lie at the foundation of our institutions
We will come back again to the PROPOSE
tion that our Government shall not be made
to build up aristocracies In it, moneyed OF
otherwise. Never made, or Intended to be
so, that those who have the most of this
worlds goods should be ethevery last to Civ,
a cent of it to relieve the public treasury
[Applause.l What is the fact upon thi
subject? Gentlemen, the fact is, and
derstand it, and to appreciate it, The fac
is, that while your rights have been tram
pied on, your liberty of speech taken away
| your men hurried to punishment and bas
TILES, this party in power have been build
ing up national debt of-the Lord knows
how much. They tell us that 1t is now ovel
three thousand millions; and the further
fact is, that along with the building up o
| this great national debt, which they have
been accustomed to call a national bless
ing" they have accompanied it with low,
to the moneyed interests of the country. Ii
you take this debt, they say you shall GtanC
independent of the States in which you re
side. No troublesome taX-gatherer shall
now present himself to your door, and asl
any thing from you. Ii ever there was
successful attempt, so far as they have gone
to create moneyed aristocracy, privileged
from all obligations of sharing tb9,publiC
burden, this is one. 1t was hardly w0rs,
/ IldHCC, Dll lOl w bIC lCNOluIlOIl
| say to you now, that your duty will
be, as soon as you can get the ma
chinery of the Government to operate
as soon as the family have assembled
around the family circle, to see to the ad
ministration of that liberty and equality
which lie at the foundation of OUT institu
tions. If you want to get all The benefit
of protection in very large degree, yol
must contribute, according to your sub
stance, to the public burdens. That will b
one thing to which we must direct our at
tention at Al very early day.. Butt gentle
men, you are all perfectly aware of anoth-
er attempt, now being made. The Negro
race upon this continent have been takel
up by these privileged gentlemen, and they
4 are undertaking nowst to bring them int
| perfect and complete association and equal
ity with men who were the pioneers; whl
came into these woods and levelled these
forests, and made them. blossom as the rose
? That attempt is being made; the Negro Il
to bebrought among you, not to be pro.
tected like other people, but to be taker
into the bosom of your families to associat,
with you on terms of perfect equality, anC
finally to walkup to the ballot-box and ex.
ercise part Of that great power with
4 which you are clothed, Of conducting anC
controlling the Government of your coun.
try. need hardly assure you, gentlemen
that to such state as this, and everything
allied TO it, Che Democracy can never assent
| We can never assent for many reasons, one
of which is sufficient, that If we should
we would betray the sacred trust re.
posed in us to be the guardians of the
/ poor white man against degradation
and dishonor. With no7 unkind feeling
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