Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1866-02-21

ted and brought upon us untold mis-
cry, have admitted the fact that this
is a conventional and not natural
right.
This conventional right is then to
be given or withheld according to its
propristy or the will of majority or
ruling power Of the State. 1shall not
discuss the latter consideration, as
that is one fitted for another forum,
and will be approached in the not far
distant future, but / shall confne my
remarks to the propriety of granting
or withholding this right of suffrage
to or from the people to whom Con-
gress proposes to give it.
The Senator from Bradford, (Mr
Landon,) has furnished me with q
very appropriate text, text that i
shall not fail to use, and in dilating
upon it, or in my discussion ofthc sub
ject before US, whilst shall speak en-
phatically, whilst my utterances shall
be my convictions, / trust / shall be
offensive to none.
ELEVATION AND PROGRESS OF HUMANITY.
The Senator from Bradford affirms
that Gods law is the elevation of hu-
manity. Granted. He asserts that
the law of progress is the law Of the
world. Admitted. Do / understand
his first proposition to be that he who
is elevated is to remain stationary
whilst he who is below is to be eleva-
ted TO the higher standard. / will
not do him so great injustice. His
first proposition is and of right ought
to be consistent with the second, and
it be, we agree in practice as well
as in sentiment. The elevation OF
humanity as well as the law of pro-
gress requires that each should move
onward and upward from the stand
point he before occupied, so that he
who before was civilized may now be.
come enlightened, whilst he who be.
fore was barbarous may now become
civilized. Let us now take the bear
ings of these propositions upon the
practical question before US.
| OUR PROGRESS.
! Has not the elevation of humanity
upon this continent, in the past sew
enty years, been such as was never
before witnessed upon the earthg la:
not your progress been unexamplcd
in the history of the world5 Non,
will gainsay these propositions. The
story Of your nation is the romance
Of progress: the history of vsur Re
lpublic, the holiday of mans elevation
! Look, if you please, at its triumphs
See, if you will, its material progress
See the forest fellcd; the soil titled
See your broad acres, stretching from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. See the
lightning of heaven made to do your
bidding. See every river and lake
and mountain, and shore courscd by
the chained elements that have beer
brought from the earth, from the air
} from the water, to obey the will Of
man, that have been harnessed BY
man and are upturning the soil, plough
} ing the water, travelling over the noun
tain, saving labor, easing the curse o
, God that man shall eat his bread il
, the sweat of his facial these yol
have before you in your material pro
! gress. You have increased from three
millions to thirty-five millions of peo
pie. Sir, the arts and sciences -four
i ish here as they do in no other lan'
IN all the world. Here, you see pop
ulation and expanse of land and, no
least of all, power--magniicent pow
er, as displayed in the last four years
the grasp of mind, the vigor Of in
tellect that could bring into being ar
t mics such as we have put into tn,
/ field, that could provide for sustainin,
J and feeding armies such as have, ,thun
t dered across our country and at who's
; numbers and prowess the world stoo'
: aghast.
) Sirs, go with me to the Capitol a
: Washington. There, from foundation
t to turrct-stone, from the ground {,
l the statue that crowns the dome, yol
, see IN every stone and every corner
, upon every doorway the recorded ev
4 licences Of somebody's triumph, o
, somebody's capacity for progress, o
! somebody's magnificent future.
t The Senator from Berks quote
> Judge Hopkinson and Hail Columbia
, He might have added that the Sta
3 Spangled Banner and Hail Columbii
: sing of the victories Of the white man
0 they tell us in eloquent song Of tn
. triumphs Of our race, and will ever b.
!, their grand memento but Dixie, will
{ its purhng cadences and melting
e strains, floats to the ear the impres
s of its paternity, and will descend il
all time as the Ethiopian strain tha
:. marshalled the hosts Of an unsuccess
d ful rebellion. Sirs, remember-re
member that these things, strife
\ light as air." evince whas wo are ant
} what we are TO be.
i Concedad fhat fho Law of the worlf