The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1866-06-06
SPEECH OF
HON. GEORGE \. PENDLETON N
Before the Democratic State
Convention, on the 24th uIt..o

AnoAK yi& Ms rolled around,
md thu De6i6oratio ' party is called
again into council. As you see, it has
come with its strength undininished- Its
spirit unimpaired-its zeal unabated- Its
fidelity to its principles unshakeR-with
its organization as perfect, and its num-
bers still greater than ever before. tits
the party whose origin is coeval with that
of the Government-the same party
which Jefferson founded, and Madison or.
ganized and strengthened, and which, by
its selfsdenying und just administration
ofatbe limited powers granted to the Fed.
eral GevefnmeRt, has, during four. ffths
OF our history, secured an unparalleled
measure Of order and peace, and prosper.
ity and liberty. g8
l love the Democratic party. I ad.
mire its organization and discipline.
honor the name and the fame Of its foun.
ders' l revere its principles, so broad in
their application and SO benefcent in
their influence that in all this land, dis.
severed as the States now are, there is
not State, nor county, nor township,
nor town, nor family, nor houGe-from
thetpkes to1the Gulf-from the Atlantic
to thePacifc- which it has not rep.
resentative and member. | revere the
wisdom which could mark with such uu-
erring accuracy the true limits of the DOW.
er granted and the powers reserved, and
could in practice with such fidelity estab
lish them which could evoke from the
discord of States then contentious The
harmonies of confederation whose DOW.
ers were cohfned to international and in.
terSiate affairs, while the States was left
the entire guardianship of The rights Of
the liberties and the political status of its
citizens.
And I telieve it is only by adhering
more closely to the teachings of its pre-
cepts and example, that we may have the
least hopa of preserving our Government
from the perils Of consolidated despotisn
on the one hand, or Of lawless anarchy
on the other.
The party is the same-its principles
and convictions are the same, and they
will qS}ihue As leag as the Government
shall ebdares smteach day and year pro
duce their questions to be answered, their
problems to be solved, and thus, while
parties and principles remain, policies
change. The duty of the hour is to NEE
the questions of the hour, and to modify
the application of principles as the exi
gency Of the time may require.
The question of to-day is Union OIL
Disunion--the old Constitution or a new
Constitution-the old Government as oul
fathers gave it to US, or revolution anG
change and a new system, The Consti
tuition isl in danger, The Union is broken
not by the collision Of arms, but by the
political action Of parties. It's enemie,
nre in high places Of power; they sit II
the seats of the Capitol; they have theil
grasp upon its throat they throttle it tc
the agonics of dissolution. The Presi
dent confrouts them, and the question
presented to day to the Democratic party
and the people Of Ohio is simdly this
Whether they will support the President
in his effort to maintain, or the Unneres,
in its efforts to overthrow, the Govern
ment. -c-v -
The Constitution efants certain power.
to the Federal 0bvetnment-it reserve,
all other powers to the States, and guar
antees certain rights to the people. The
same powers were granted alike by all tn,
States. The same rights were guaran
teed to the people of all the States. Tlc
States are equal. They were equal be
fore the Constitution was adopted. They
continued to be equal by the terms of til,
Constitution itself. They must remair
eqpal pa long as,ths Constitution shall b,
maintained and theaFederal Union crea
ted by1itishall endufea Q Mr. Seward il
his speech ut AuDurh3 recognizes thi
fundamental truth. And in my Judge
ment those powers and those rights beinI
to day as well as the States, and the peo
pie Of Georgia and Mississippi as to I'll,
States and people Of Ohio and Pennsyl
vania.
Why should it not tbs2 The Oonstitu
tion provides that "this Constitution ant
the laws made in pursuance thereof shal
the sqpEMg law, hHya thngsin th'
Constitution Sud the laws of any State t,
the contrary notwithstanding" This /
the measure Of the lawful authority o
the Federal Government. This is th,
limit Of its lawful demand upon tn,
States, When this is conceded, tn,
States have fulfilled their Federal duty
they have discharged their Federal obi
cation. No more can be exacted from
them, and they are entitled to the unob
structed enjoyment Of all the powers re
served and the rights guaranteed by tn
Federal Constitution.
Is not Federal authority as prompt,
obeyed today? Is it not as unimpede,
to-day in Georgia as in Ohio? There i
not an armed enemy in the Confederat
States. There is not show Of opposi
ton to Federal authority even as grea
"as the shadow when it declineth," an
yet for months the equality Of the State
Ibaslbsedkiblated, ,.hna heIpeoplSbfihos
States have been denied the first gsea
right guaranteed by the Federal Consti
tuition that right which is essential ;
free government; that right withou
which oil government is a lawless usurpa
tion which II is always right, and frc
quently a duty to resist, with all th
means which God and nature have put in
. wti