The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1866-09-25
FIFTEENTH VOLUME---NUMBER 7s6.

thlzefs from the North, who ought to have been
South met With them. They extinguished the
Democratic Party, and blotted its name from
the vocabulary of parties. No Democratic Party
can henceforth exist
1hey laid down an elaborate party creed or
platform ni OF principles for this cOnglomerated
mass Being traitors, they of course adopted
the Presidents views.
Here is thei, fundamental article, to which
all the others conform. Mr. Raymond's address
says:
1.-THE Constitution of the United States is to-
day precisely what it was before the war, the
supreme law of the laad, anything in the Con-
stitution or laws of any State to the contrary
Notwithstanding. And today also as before the
war all powers not conferred by the Constitu-
ton on the General Government nor prohibited
by it to the States reserved by it to the seye
raj States or the people thereof.
The United States acquired no new power,
no rights either territorial or Of civil authority
which it did not possess before the war broke
out t"
This strange, wild and wicked doctrine was
unanimously adopted by the conclave. What!
Six millions of rebels who bad renounced the
Constitution; who had loaded the nation with
debt and drenched it with blood, when conquer
eG had forfeited no right; had lost no jurisd;c-
had acquired none, because there was Consti-
tuition which, while they obeyed, protected
them, but which they had discarded and torn
to pieces by war! Was there ever before hu-
man brain frenzied enough to engender such
folly, or human front brazen enough to utter
it? No principle in national law is clearer than
that, when belligerents inaugurate war which
is acknowledged to be public war, all the for
mer obligatians, treaties and compacts between
the parties become null and void; and after the
war are to be renewed OF repudiated, as the par
ties agree, or as the conqueror DEGREES. If
either party is utterly subdued, his life, liberty
and prosperity are at the disposal of the victor.
Why does not the Emperor of Austria say to
the King Of Prussia, 81 lay down my arms, and
all things will remain as before the war" The
Prussian would answer, "You are as big fool
as the President of America, or the traitors
league" No, sir. The war has changed every
thing-old treaties and leagues have ceased
Venetia is no longer yours; Hanover and the
Duchies are mine; and beside, you must pay
the expenses of the war-$45 100000" Who
denies that is the law of nations except the ad-
vocates of treason; who deny our right to make
them pay the expenses of the war? They cry
out against confscaton for crime, as if it were
inhuman. God willing, l shall try it agian, and
see if they do not pay part Of the cost and
damages of the before they help to make
our laws. The Constitution unchanged! Then
slavery exists; then all the provisions with re-
gard to the rendition of fugtives from labor re-
main; then every traitor has right to sit down
in Congress, as the representative of three ffths
of all the slaves beside the whites. We can
easily forgive the amiable and facile author of
the declaration, he is DO lawyer; is totally ig
norant of the law of nations the laws of war;
but what shall we say of those able juriss who
sat by and acquiesced, unless we put it upon
the same ground that one Of the abest and best
of them Gid, when be advised to take false
oath to get vote and then to break it.
But, fellow citizens, am occupying too much
ground. AS said before, the great issue to be
met at this election is the question of negro
rights. | shall not deny, but admit, that fun
damental principle of the Republican creed is
that every being possessing an Immortal soul is
equal before the law. They are not and cannot
be equal in strength, hight, beauty, intellectual
and moral culture, or social requirements; these
are accidents which must govern their condition
according to circumstances. But in this Re-
public, the same laws must ard shall apply to
every mortal, American, Irishman, African,
German or Turk. It is written by the finger of
the Almighty law-giver, aye shall have one
manner of laws, as we'll for the stranger as for
one of your own country; for am the Lord
your God"