The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1866-09-07

} VINO has delivered TO me the report o.
its proceedings. / shall make no ref.
erence to it that I do not believe the
f time and the occasion justify.
We have witnessed in one depart
. ment of the Governmentevery endeav-
or to prevent the restoration of peace,
harmony and Union. We have seen
hanging upon the verge of the Gov
ernment, as it were, body called, or
which assumes to be, the Congress of
the United States, while in fact it is a
Congress of only part of the States
| We have seen this Congress pretend to
be for the onion, when its every step
and act tended to perpetuatc disuni0n
and make disruption of the States in
evitable. Instead of promoting recon-
ciliatiOn and harmony, its legislation
has partaken Of the character of pen
alties, retaliation and revenge. This
| has been the course and the policy OF
one portion of your Government.
The humble individual who is now
addressing you stands the representa-
tive of another department Of the Gov
ernment. The manner in which he
/ was called upon to occupy that position
/ | shall not alIude to on this occasion.
| Suffice it to say, that he is here under
| the Constitution of the country, and
| being here by virtue of its provisions,
he takes his stand upon the charter OF
our liberties as the great rampant of
civil and religfOusliberty. Prolonged
cheering. Having been taught in nay
early life to hold it sacr d, and having
done sOduring my whole public career,
| shall ever continue to reverence the
Constitution Of my fathers, and to
make it myguide. Hearty applause.
| know it has been said tand | must
be permitted to indulge in the remark
that the Executive Department Of the
Government has been deSpOtic and ty-
rannical. Let me ask this audience OF
distinguished gentlemen to point to
vote ever gave, to speech | ever
made, to single actof my whole pub
lie life that has not been against tyran-
ny and despotiSm. What position |
have / ever occ lpied-what ground |
have | ever assumed where it can be |
truthfully charged that | failed to adj |
vocate the amelioration and elevation |
of the great masses of my countrymen? |
ICries f"Never," and great applause. |
So far as charges Of this kind are con-
cerned, they are simply intended to de-
lude the public mind into the belief
that it is not the designing men who
make such accusations, but some one I
else in power who is usurping and |
trampling upon the rights and pervert-
ing the principles Of the Constitution.
1t is done by them for the prrpoSe of
covering their own acts That's so"
oesad '-'al .asae-,l--aad hove fnlt it my
call the attentionOf my countrymen to |
their proceedings. When we come to |
examine who has been playing the part |
of the tyrant, by whom do we find des-
potism exercised? As to myself, the |
elements Of my nature, the pursuits of |
nv life, have not made me either IN |
my feelings or in my practice aggres-
sive. My nature, on the contrary, is |
rath defensive in its character; but |
having taken my stand upon the broad |
principles of liberty and the Constitu
ton, there is not power enough on |
earth to drive me from it. Loud and
prolonged applause. Having placed |
myself upon that broad platform, /
have not been awed or dismayed or in
timidated by either threatsor encroach-
ments, but havestood there in conjunc-
ton with patriotic spirits, sounding
the tocsin of alarm when deemed the
citadel of liberty in danger! Great
Applause.
| said on previous occasion, and re-
peat now, that all that was necessary in
this great contest against tyranny and
desrotism was that thestruggle should
besufficientlya for the American
people to hearand properly understand
the issues it involved. They did hear,
and looking on andseeing who the con-
testants were, and what the struggle
was about, determined that they would
settle this question on the side of the
Constitution and of principle. LCries
of That's So" and applause. l pro-
claim here to-day, as | have on previ-
Gus occasions, that my faith is in the
great mass Of the people. In the
/ darkest momentOf this struggle, when
! the clouds seemed to be most lowering,
my faith, instead of giving way, loom
edup through their gloom; for, beyond
| saw all would be well in the end.
Nv countrymen, we all know that, in
the language of Thomas jefferson, tyr
amy and despotism can be exercised
and cXerted more eiiectually by the
MANY than the one. We have seen
Congress gradually encr0ach step by
step upon constitutional rights, and vi
olate, day after day and month after
month, fundamental principles OF the
Governmen Cries of ''That's So"
and applause. We have seen Con-
gress that seemed to forget that there
was limit to the sphere and scope OF
legislation. We have seen a Congress