The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-05-18

the constitution Of the United States and vet 7
am here to-day my friends to tell you that the an
preme court of the United States have already
decided that this constitution is invalid and void.
l was told 90 myself by one of the judges of the
supreme court in Washington, and he told me- in
ADDITION, that the only reason why the announce
ment OF the decision was not made was. that the
minority Of those who held that the law Was con-
sttutional flour judges holding it constitutional
ana nve declaring it UNCONSTITUTIONAL was the
iour who begged that the announcement might
De postponed till the the next term which meets
In December. A voice-"Until after the cleo
ton In this stately That language was not
used, but 1t amounted to that can give my
theory of this matter, and tell you what know,
and what this judge told me. Now, what
would say to you would be this: If any regis
trar refuses to take your vote, nobody can take
the oath--at least nobody Can take 1t without
perjury. believe it was intended by Drake to
exclude everybody who was not willing to COM
NIT perjury.
Now if the registrar refuses to take your vote
knowing, as you do, that the supreme court
has decided that this oath is unconstitutional,
null and void-if the registrar refuses to register
you, you being otherwise lawful voter in this
state such man makes himself liable for DANA
ges, and you might sue him and cover him up
with suits. | tell you these registrars will be
very wary whom they refuse to allow to vote,
WHOh tudb huu We nave dii uhAuSu tokCehSh Ah "
legal combination to assert and maintain our
rights and appeal to the highest judicial author-
of the government. "a voice-'They will APP
point men with no property, and what will you
do then?'') As | remarked before, Sam Patch
said some things can be done well as others
They will have mighty little hold on men of that
description. l advise nothing, because it is
| needless to advise the people who have displayed
their devotion to our constitution and laws-it
is needless 30 advise such people to adhere to
| the law as the only way in which YOU can main
tain your rights in a constitutional government,
and tell you there are enough OF you to main
tain your rights in such way they cannot be
denied 1t is true that Fletcher has power to
have an armed force at the polls in order to car
| ~ out his behests. The law gives him absolute
| power to have arms to accomplish his will, and
yet in the face of this usurpation defy all his
power, and defy all of his bayonets, and in the
name of the free people of the state of Missouri,
| spurn him and the myrmidons who will obey
| his commands. / declare to you, to-day, that it
| is my firm belief that, ifhis registrars exclude
every democrat and every conservative man, and
leave only radicals to make an election, such
will be their disgust that they will vote down
his 6ctation like men, in a manner that will
cure him of his usurpations and hurl him to dis
grace from the place where he has sat above all
| law. (Applause.) have no earthly apprehen-
sion of him or any man like him. The silly con-
ceit of such 'feer' as Fletcher and his coadju-
| tors in the legislature, who voted him contrl-
| button fund of $40, 900 at the end of this last
| sesson-all these things do not alarm me
They tell rather of his alarm. But, as said be-
fore, if they should exclude all from the polls,
| we can with confidence appeal to the masses of
| the radicals MISUNDERSTANDING that if they
| are successful, they simply destroy their hber-
| ties and make all slaves. When once their
prejudces dispelled they will realize the true
| condition of affairs. They will see that their
I leaders have misled them to their own ruin and
| they will haul them off. That is my conviction,
| because believe in the people. was original
| " democrat-reared in that school. When
| the democratic party was at the zenith of its
power in Missouri, when it went forward in its
| career in favor of slavery, which destroyed it
and broke it down, and when it was in its ze-
NTH of power turned from it to join forlorn
| hope which could not be counted by the half
| dozen. left them in the plenitudc of their
| power, because l believed they had departed
| from democratic principles. l did not desert
| them in defeat / have come back to them in
the hour of their defeat (Applause) Because
! they had paid for their mistaken apprehension
| because they no longer proclaim those dogmas
| upon the subject of slavery that they once pro-
claimed and which brought so much disaster
and so much discord and So much blood upon
our country; because they have come back to
| the defence of the constitution and the Union ]
unite with them heartily and cordially under the
| lead of Andrew johnson / left them when they
| rose in the ascendant as the sun rises at noon.
day. | do not come to them to ask favors nor
did leave them to get favors Ssom Others.
Gentlemen, need not apologize to you for the
| bad taste of the last few remarks in regard to
| myself Ny own lasstude and fatigue warns me
that l must have fatigued you By the length OF
| nv remarks. / beg to assure you ! shall be with
you in spirit in this struggle, and shall wish
| you WELL and whenever can be of use TO you
here, shall be ready to come, aud unite and
mingle with you in the effort to defend the great
| principles of our government. (Appfause.)