Litchfield enquirer., 1866-11-01

l.
 -7 7-T7 T n 7T-7- ' n. 7---- =: CONN. .saTHURSD. party of the North; to extend slavery. moi only on theiterritory of the South, but on free territory, after the abolition of the Missouri Compromise, was the real begin. hing of theI war From that date, as we lean now saeait became inevitable. Now, il was the alliance of the Democratic part oi ] the North with the South that led to tha. wild and wicked fantasy and propagandism.
 The verdict is rendered; and history will
 but ratify and confirm the just decision oi
 men, now that tie beginnings of war were brought upon us by the union of the Dem
 ocratic party with the pro-slavery South, and the abolition of the Missouri Comprom- ise, and the propogahdism of slavery through the great western territory. But go, further. When the North resisted this monstrous injustice and inhumanity, the Republican party was formed and began to put together it's inchoate elements, which at last grew into power from the necessities of the case. Lincoln was elected Presi- dent (Cheers.l If ever there was cons titutional act performed under this govern ment that election was one. ]Cheers. Ii ever there was { man justly elected that was the man. (Cheers. It was made an ofiense by the South; it was made cause
 of separation. Now, there was possibii- ty of a pause in the South, for if at that hour the Democratic party had said to the South "stop; we have gone with you thus far, but not another step-not another step, the South would not have taken another step. It is undeniable, though there may not have been given public pledges binding that party, that the spirit of the party, as well as the personal com
 munications of leading and influential men in 1t, did give the South to understand, and they did understand and believe, that seces-
 sion should not bring war. It was that conviction that led them into secession. If
 they had believed that war would have come
 they would never have pursuaded theirpeo-
 pie to take the step they did; and it was be-
 cause the Democratic party assured them
 that they might safely venture upon it
 that they did take the step, and all the
 blood that has been spilled since, drop for
 drop, if you give the South one you shall
 Eyel the Democratic party another
 Cheers. They are as really guilty, even
 this var I Sow @ aS when besan sne Sbat 6atn ras
 the conduct of this party? I bear witness
 to their honor, that hundreds and thou
 sands of man who were before that hour
 faithfully in the Democratic party, st that
 moment, when the war began, renounced
 their allegiance to 1t, and though they were
 called War Democrats, they became mem-
 bers.of the great Union party. fCheers.) ] But the party was not broken up. You, yourselves, are witnesses, that during the
 the first three weary, dark and disastrous
 yeers of the war, there was an utter want of
 outspoken sympathy with our. government on the part of the Democratic party, as a party. You know that they pursued pol ley@embarrassing to the government; that they hung like dead weights; that they resist cd the raising of money; that they discourag- ed volunteering; that they resisted drafts; that they encouraged and shielded deser- tions, and in every way that they could did
 they seek to thwart the government. The elimination of this course of conduct was
 found in the Chicago convention just pre-
 vlous to the last election of Lincoln. There
 by deliberate platform utterance, they ad-
 vised the American people to give over the
 var and submit to dismemberment After
 it became plain, in the process of this con- fict, that the abolition of slavery was indis-
 pensable, the Democratic party opposed
 the proclamation of liberty. They opposed
 the enlisting of negro soldiers POO, 600 of
 whom turned the tide of victory for us, and
 turned back the hosts of slavery. Cheers } Fellow-citizens, we confer no liberty as 8
 boon upon the African citizens of our coun-
 try. Their own brave hands secured their
 emancipation. Great applause.) Our
 votes have only ratified their deeds of iber-
 ty; we gave it legal form. The Democrat 'ic party opposed also the Constitutional
 mendments, and all the early steps taken
 after Lincoln's death to obigate the South
 to repudiate secession and secession war
 debts. Now, charge the Democratic party
 with having lost and forgotten, through 8 long and critical period of our history, the
 peculiar doctrines of America, viz, the doc
 urine that all men have right to liberty, life,
 and the pursuit of happiness Cheers I
 charge it with having joined hands with the
 strong to put down the weak; it made itself
 the servitor and understrapper of slavery.
 I charge it with betraying the North by it's
 conspiracy with southern traitors, and di-
 viding with them the guilt of this gigantic
 war. (Cheers.) I charge it with open or with concealed enmity to every step which our government has attempted since to cleanse the land from slavery, and to anne iorats the laws and toreform the Constitu- ton to more perfect service of liberty,
 and thus by its history, by its wicked afin- ities, by it's depraved sympathies, by it's
 temper and spirit, it is unfit to represent
 the regenerated, spirit of, this nation
 (Cheers.) But, it is said, is party never to be allowed to repent? Laughter.) Oh, yes; that it-might If . party blunders
 and mistakes in dark devious way, may it
 not at last, in the growing illumination, be trusted upon! reformation? ?s1 Yes, but even
 him of Tarsns was not trusted until after he had gone blind good many days. Laughter: When 8 party, running through SO longa period of history, comes at last to- the bright dawn of liberty and
 claims the right to inaugurate the new pe-
 riod, to control its counsel, its places, to
 administer it's government, we have right
 to challenge its history and to say, Show
 that you have reformed; all the past looks bad; what is there in the present that shows reformation A party is not, bub- abla that ist blown mp bosday, blown out
 tomorrow and blow in again the next day,
 out now of one pipe and now of another ];
 a party isa living thing, with cohesive pow
 ers, and life that sticks to it Once hav-
 ing got character it is hard to get rid of
 it. It takes 8 man & good while to get 8