Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-09-13

I
convention was not only denied to the free
people of New Orleans on the Both of July,
when they assembled TO discuss how best
TO protect themselves, but denied amidst
the slaughter of hundreds of innocent men.
No page in the record of his recent Outra-
ges upon human Justice and constitutional
law is more dark than that which assisted
in the preparations for that awful carnage,
and not only refusing to punish, but tOling
to throw the guilty responsibility upon un-
offending and innocent freedmen.
The infatuated tyrant that stood ready
TO crush his own people in Tennessee
when they were struggling to maintain a
Government erected 10y himself, against his
and other traitor prosecutions, was even
more eager to illustrate his savage policy
by clothing with the most despOtic power
the rioters of New Orleans.
Notwithstanding this heartless descr.ion
and cruel persecution by Andrew Johnson
the States of Missouri, Kentucky, Tennes-
see, West Virginia, Maryland, and Della
ware, imbued with democratic republican
| principles which the fathers of the Repub-
! lie designed for all America, are now ma
king determined battle with the enemies of
free constitutional Government; and, by
the blessing of God, these States will range
themselves i'm line with the former free
States, and illustrate the wisdom and bene-
fit ofthe great Charter of Liberty by then
increasing population wealth, and pros
perity in the remaining ten States.
The seeds of oligarchy, planted in the
Constitution by its slavery features have
grown to be a mOnstrous power. whose
recognition, thus wrung from the reluctant
Trainers of that great instrument, enabled
l n themselves no
the perverted doctrine of State Rights and,
sheltered by a claim of constitutional obi
CATION, to maintain slavery in the States;
to present to the American Government
the alternative of oligarches with slavery,
or republican governments without slave
nv. n fOrbearing Government. bowling to
a supposed constitutional beheSt, acQuics-
ces i'm the former alternative. The hand of
the Government was stayed. For so years
the principle of constitutional liberty Ian
guished for want of Government support.
| Oligarchy matured its power with subtle
design. Its history for 81 years is replete
with unparalleled injuries and usurpations.
1t developed only the agricultural locali-
ties, geographically distinct from the free
labor localities, and less than onc-third of
the whole with African slaves. 1t held
i.000.000 of human beings as chattclS, vet
made them the basis of unjust power for
themselves in the Federal and State Gov
crnments. To maintain slavery it eXcu-
ded free white labor from the richest agri-
cultural lands in the world. forced them To
remain inactive and unfruitful in the min
eral lands and lumber localities. embracing
two-thirds of the South in square miles and
real undeyeloped wealth. simply because
the localities were agriculturaily too poor
for slave labor. and condemned to agrieul-
turc on this unagricutural locality. and
consigned them TO unwilling ignorance and
poverty by denying capital and struggling
enterprise. Ii repealed the capital, energy
and will of the free States from labor local
tiles. by unmitigated interference and pro-
scription, thus guarding the approaches TO
The slave domain against democracy. Stat
ute books grOaned under dcspotic laws
against unlawful and inSurrcctiOnary as
semblies. 1t aimed at the constitutional
guarantees to the right to peaceably assem-
and petition for the redress of grievances.
1t prescribed democratic literature as in
ccndiary. 1t nullified guarantees of free
dom. free speech, and Il free press. 1t de
privcd citizens of other States oftheir priv
ilegcs and immunties in the States. an in
jury and uSurpatiOn alike unjust to North
crn citizens. and destructive OF the best in
tcreSts of the States themselves. Alarmed
at the progress of democrac, in the face of
every Encouragement, at last il sought inn
munity 10y secession and war. The heart
sickens with contemplation of the four
years that followed. Forced loans, i'm
preSSmcniS, cOnscriptionS with bloody
hands and bayonet: the number of aged
men who had long lain aside the imple-
ments of labor, who had been summoned
t. tho fold by the CONSUMPTION of their
sons: 10 support their children and grand
children reduced To the verge of starvation:
of the slaughter of noble youths-types of
physical manhood, forced into a war
against those with whom they were idcn-
titled by every interest: long months of in
generation in rebel bastilcs; banised from
home and hearthstone are but part of the
long catalogue of horrors.
But Democrats, North and South COM
bined, defeated them. They lost. What
did they lose? The cause of Oiigarchy?-
They lost African slavery by name only
Us soon as the tocsin of war ceased, as
soon as the clans of arms was hushed, they
raise the cry of Immediate admission, and
with that wacthword commence to- organ
iZe, under new forms, system to continue
their unbridled sway. They rehabiliate
with them, seeking control of all local and
State organizations. The Federal EXecu
tive, readily seduced. easily yields to these
monsters. Aided by his INSCRIPTIONS dis
regard Ofthe Constitution and laws, by his
mcrciless prescription of true democratic
opinions, and by all his appliances of des-
pOtic power. they now defantly enter the
lists in the loyal North, and seek to wiring
from freemen an Endorsement of their wick
/ L 4 20,
accomplish this result. Falsely protesting
to assent to the abolition of slavery, they
are trying to regain their dctested poverty
acts against pretended Migrants. They know
that any form of servitude will answer their
unholy purpose. They pronounce the four
years war as brilliant sword scene in the
revolutionary drama. Proscriptive public
sentiment holds high carnival, and, profit
ing by the example of the Presidential plat
| form, breathes out the continuing Of slaugh-
ter against loyalists, and denOunces all le-
gal restraint, and assals with the tongue Ct
malignant SANDER the cOnstitutiOnally chOs-
en- representatives of the people. To still
the voice of liberty, dangerous alone to ty-
rants, midnight CONGREGATIONS and assassi-
nations are called to aid reign of terror
through all these ten States, making loyal
| ty stand silent in the presence of treason,
or whisper in bated breath. Strong men
hesitate openly to speak for liberty, and de-
cline to attend Convention at Philadel-
phia for fear of destruction. But all South
ern men are not yet awed into submission
to treason, and we have assembled from all
these States determined that liberty, when
endangered, shall find mouth-piece, and
that the government of the people, by the
people and for the people shall not perish
from the face of the earth. We are here to
consult together how best to provide for a
Union of truly republican States; to seek to
resume the thirty-six stars on the old flag
] We are here 10 see that ten of these stars