Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1866-09-06

united, we 1ound disturbing and marrlng
element opposing us.
In alluding to that element l shall 90
no farther than did your convention and
the distinguished gentlemen who has de-
livered to me the report of its proceedings.
| shall make no reference to it. That, L
do not believe the time and the occasion
| justify. We have witnessed in one de-
partment of the Government every effort,
as it were, to prevent the restoration Of
peace and harmony in the Union. We
have seen hanging upon the verge of Go
vernment, as ii were, body called, or
which assumes to be, the Congress of the
United States, but in fact Congress Of
only part of the States. We have seen
this Congress assume and pretend to be
for the Union, when its every step and act
tended TO perpetuate disunion and make
disruption Of the States inevitable.
Instead of promoting reconciliation and
harmony, its legislation has partaken of
the character of penalties, retaliation and
revenge. This has been the course and
policy OF one department Of your Govern
ment The humble individual who is now
addressing you stands the representative
of another department Of the Government.
The manner in which he was called upon
to occupy that position | shall not allude
| to or this occasions suffice it to say that
he i here under the Constitution Of the
country, and being here by virtue of its
prov ion, he takes his stand upon that
charter of our liberties, as the great ram
parttc! civil and religious liberty. Pro-
l0nec,l cheering. Having been taught
in ny early life to hold it sacred, and
having prac.iced upon il during my whole
public career, | shall ever continue to rev
erence the Constitution of my fathers
and to laa!la it my guide. Hearty ap-
plause
know it has been said, and l must be
perll.sged TO indulge in the remark, that
the Executive Department Of the Govern
ment has been despotic and tyrannical.
Let me ask this audience of distinguished
gentlemen around me here to-day to point
to vote l ever gave, TO speech l ever
made, TO a single act of my whole public
life that has not been against tyranny and
despotism. What position have ever
occupied, what ground have | ever assum-
ed, where it can be trutfully charged
! L
and elevation of the great mass of my
countrymen? Cries of g Never!' and
great applause So far as charges of
that kind are concerned, will say that
they are simply intended TO deceive and
delude the public mind into the belief that
there is some one in power who Is usurp-
ing and trampling upon the rights aud
perverting the principles of the Constltu-
ton. 1t is done by those who make such
charges for the purpose of covering their
own acts Cries of THAT'S SO - and
applause. l have felt it my duty, in
vindication of principle and the Constitu-
ton of my country, to call attention to
those proceedings When we come to
examine who has been playing the tyrant,
bv whom do we find that despotism has
been exercised? AS to myself, the ele-
ments of my nature, the pursuits OF my
life. have not made me, either IN my ieeE-
ings or in my practice, aggressive MY
nature, on the contrary, Is rather deien-
siye in its character. But l will say that
having taken my stand upon the broad
PRINCIPLES of liberty and the Constitution,
there is not power enough on earth to
drive me from it. Loud and prolonged
applause. Having placed myself upon
that broad platform, have not been awed,
dismayed or intimidated by either threats
or encroachments, but have stood there lii
conjunction with patriotic spirits, sound
inr the tocsin of alarm when deemed
the city in danger. Great applause. L
said on previous occasion and repeat 1t
now. that all that was necessary IN this
great struggle against tyranny and despot-
, ism was. that the struggle should be sutfi-
ciently audible for the American people to
, hear and understand. They did hear, and
looking on and seeing who the contestants
were. and what that struggle was about,
thev determined they would settle this
o,cstion on the side of the Constitution
and of principle TCries of THAT'S so y
and applause. / proclaim here to-day,
, as / have on other occasions, that my
faith is abiding in the great mass OF the
neopIe. In the darkest struggle, when
the clouds seemed TO be most lowering.
> nv faith. instead of giving way, loomed
mn through the dark cloud far beyond, and
7 saw that all would be safe in the end.
NV countrymen, we all know that, IN
n the language of Thomas jefferson, ty-
1 ranny and despoiism even can be exercised
I and exerted more effectually by the many
/ than bv the one We have seen Con-
k nress gradually encroach step by step upon
G constitutional rights and violate day alter
@ dav and month after month the tunda-