The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-06-05
THE DAILY EMPIRE.
Speech of Hon! Geo. III. Pendleton
5000 AT THE
Ohio Democratic state Convention,
m May "a, 1866.

mltted 10 tile people are too grave, the re-
suits Of their determination upon the pub
lie liberties are too momentous 10 permit
the indulgence of premature or vain exul-
tation but the scenes we have witnessed
to-day may well inspire our hearts with
courage and zeal and hope for the future.
Another year has rolled around, and the
Democratic party Is called again into coun-
ell. AS you see, 1t has come with its
strength undiminishedl--its spirit unim-
paired-its zeal uhabated--its fidelity TO its
principles unshaken-with its organization
as perfect and its numbers still greater
than ever before. II Is the party whose or
ligin is coeval with that of the Government
the same party which Jefferson founded,
and Madison organized and strengthened,
and which, by It's self-denying and lust ad-
ministration Of the limited powers GRANTED
Ito the Federal Government has, during the
largest portion Of our history secured an
unparalleled measure of order and peace
and prosperity and liberty. Hi '1fa
| love the Democratic party. ! admire
its organization and discipline. honor
the name and fame of its founders. | re-
we're its principles so broad in their appli-
cation aud so benefcent in their influence,
that In all this land-dissevered as these
States now are---there Is not a State, nor
county nor township, nor town, nor fami-
4 ly, nor llouse--from the Lakes to the Gulf
I--from the Atlantic to the PaciflcLin which
~ HAS HOb representative anu n nlemDef.
L revere the wisdom which could mark
with such unerring accuracy the true limits
Of the powers granted and the powers re-
served, and could In practice with such
fidelity establish them which could make
] from the discord of States then conten-
/ tions the fharmonics of confederation,
whose powers were confined to information
al and Interstate affairs, while to the
States was left the entire guardianship of
the rights the liberties aud the political
status of its citizens. And believe it Is
only by adhering more closely to the teach
| Iings of its precebts and example that we
may have the least hope of preserving our
! Government from the perils of consolida-
ted despotism on the one hand, or of law
less anarchy on the other. The. party is
the same; its principles and convictions are
the same they will continue as long as the
| jG0yernmept shall endure. but each day and
year produce their questions to be SOLVED
and thus while parties and principles, re-
main, policies change. The duty of the
| hour is to meet the questions of the hour,
and to modify the application of principles
as the exigency of the times may require
1 The question Of to-day is Union or Dis-
\ union---the old Constitution or new Con-
fstitution--the old Govern ment as our Faith
1 ers gave 1t to us, or revolution and change.
and new system. The Constitution is ia
danger. The Union is broken not by the
tion of parties. Its enemies are in the high
places of power--they sit in the seats of the
Capitol-they have their grasp upon its
! Jlhroat-they throttle it to the agonies OF
dissolution. The President confrohts them
land the question presented to-day to the
Democratic party and the people of Ohio il
simply this. whether they will support the
PRESIDENT in his effort to, maintain or the
| Congress I'm It's effort to overthrow the Gov
etnmenty' The Constitution grants certain
| powers TO the Federal Government. 1t re-
serves all other powers to the States, and
guarantees, certain rights TO the people.
| The same powers were granted alike by all
the States. Thesam powers were reserved
alike To all the States. The same rights
were guaranteed to the people of all the
States. The States are equal. They were
equal before the Constitution was adopted.
They continued TO be equal by the terms of
the Constitution itself They must remain
equal rs long as the Constitution shall be
maintained, and the Federal Union created
by IL shall endure. Mr.. Seward In his speech
at Auburn, day before yesterday. recog-
nizes this fundamental truth. Aud In my
judgment those powers and those rights
belong To-day as well to the States, and the
people of Georgia and Mississippi as 10 the
States and the people of Ohio or Pennsyl-
yania.
Why should it not be so? The Consti-
tuition provides that "this Constitution and
the laws made in pursuance thereof shall
be the supreme law. anything inthe Con-
stitution aud laws of any State to the con-
trary notwithstanding" This is the meas
ure of the lawful authority of the Federal
Government. This is the limit of its law
ful demand upon the States. When this is
conceded, the measure is fullto oyerfiowing
when this is conceded, the States have
fulfilled their Federal duty-they have dis
charged their Federal obligation no more
can be exhcted from them, and they are en-
titled to the unobstructed enjoyment of all
the power reserved and the rights guaran-
teed by the Federal Constitution.
Is not, Federal authority as promptly
obeyed to-day-is it not as iihimpeded to-
day in Georgia as Ia Ohio? There Is not
an armed enemy in the Confederate States.
There is not show Of opposition TO FEEDER
al authority, even as great " as the shadow
when II declineth.n and yet for months. the
equality of the States has been violated and
the people of those States have been denied
the first great right guaranteed by the
Federal Constitution-that right which Is
essential to free government-that right
without which all government Is lawiess
usurpatioR which it is always right and
frequently aduty TO resist with all the
means which God and nature have put in-
10 our hands-I mean the rightof represen-
tation.
We have a wonderful spectacle presented
10 us. Scarcely year has elapsed since Lee
the Confederate Govern
ment has entirely disappeared and the Fed
eral Government has taken its place. In
the States old constitutions have been abol-
ished and new ones establiShed---old govern
ments have been thrown down and new
ones set up--old officers have been
expelled and Others selected The States
are exercising all the functions Of gov
ernment necessary To the preservation of