The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-03-01


not hesitate an instant, and If he con-
sidered it necessary also to sacrifice DEM |
ocrats, he would sacrifice them with as
little hesitation as Danton did the Gil |
rondists.
1t is for you gentlemen, on this side of |
the Chamber, for your constituents, for
every Democrat, everylover of his coun- |
try to say, whether this monster of evil
and his insane confederates are to get
unlimited control of this Government. |
We have resisted them in the past--we
have stood as barrier between them
and the South when the surging waves
of aDti-slavery fanaticism, aroused TO |
madness throughout the North by means
of the press and the pulpit, beat against
us. And in resisting this we were ac-
cused of being pro-slavery. The Demo-
cratic party never was roslavery, but
the Constitution recognized slavery as a
State institution, and we stood by the
Constitution; and had the Southern
States been true to their friends, the
Democracy, and fought their battles in
the Union, they would not now be at
the mercy of the Radical element of this
country.
AS said before, Mr.. Speaker, have
heard much about "sympathizers, with
rebellion" !" "traitors," and all that sort
Chamber, aud one of the gentlemen
who has spoken appears to predicate his
belief that we sympathize with seces-
sion, because my friend from jefferson,
who sits besides me, portrayed in elo-
quent language the suffering throughout
the South in consequence of the rebel
lion. He desires to know why we do
not allude to those in the North who
have suffered in this terrible war. Our
radical neighbors generally attend to
this part. And so far as mere talk goes,
| may say they are vastly patriotic
but, in regard to practicing what they
preach, they are sadly deficient. l want
them to prove their sympathy for the
soldier, the armless and legess heroes
they affect so much solicitude for. Look
around this Chamber, Mr.. Speaker, and
tell me where are the legless and arm
! less heroes filling positions here. have
nothing to say against the officers of
this House; so far as l have observed
they perform their duties acceptably.
But, l say to you, gentlemen on the
other side, you who have control of
these offices, why do you not display
your sympathy by giving these posi-
tions to the MANNED heroes of the war
those armless and legleSs soldiers, the
theme of all your discourses? l have
seen but one limbless hero doing, duty
in this Hall, and this fact ought to
silence all your blatant professions of
love for the soldier.
But, now about that word Cooper
head" that term which you gentlemen
of the opposition so delight to roll off
your tongues. Probably you are not
aware how the term came to be first
used. | will enlighten you. L Occas-
ionly read light literature, and in doing
so, learned how the name was first ap
piled to Il party. l find in Washington
Irving's Knickerbocker, that in the
early history Of New Amsterdam, now
New York, the Yankees had habit of
coming down to steal the lands of the
Dutch, which caused the Mynheers to
become cnraged and drive them OFT.
For doing this the Yankees denounced
the Dutch as Copperheads, and the lat
ter, not to be outdone, replied by stigma
tiZing the Yankees as 'Platter Breeches.'
The same parties now, in our preseLt
difficulties, because Democrats resist the
thieving Yankee land pirates from steal
ing the public lands North, West and
South, they stigmatize us as Copper
heads.
The term Copperhead was also first
, applied to the Democratic party because
they resisted the trial of civilians by
military commissions, and the sequel
has shown that Copperheadism has got
into the Supreme Court. The Copper
heads, it appears are majority in that
body. Even Lincoln was guilty of plac-
ing Copperheads there, for Judge Davis,
who pronounced the opinion of that
, court, that the trial of civilians by mill
tary courts was illegal and unconstitu-
tional, is one of Lincoln's appointees,
, and, of course, must be IL copperhead.
The Dutch We're taunted with the name
for defending their possessions from the
| Yankee land pirates, while the Demo
Gratis of to-day in turn, are taunted with
! the same name for defending theirright-
ful INTERCHANGEABLE Constitution-from
, the assaults of the defendants of these
same ancient marauding Yankees.
+ Mr.. Speaker, all the stereotyped slang
: indulged in by theoppoSition toward the
, Democratic party cannot blot out the
, fact that for eighty years that party had
control of the Government of the coun'
| try, save n few interjected opposition
) administrations and during that time
they placed the mighty land marks OF
great nation all over it. The genius
of Democratic Statesmen, under Demo
> cratic institutions, brought this country
to that marvellous state of prosperity
= and grandeur that made it the admira
Q ton and wonder of the world. To usI
: Il popular and radical phrase: "ThC
4 greatest country the sun ever shone up
= on" Under Democratic rule it extend
a cd in area and increased in population
@ until it embraced continent and CAV
d homes to thirty millions of people tn
/ agricultural and mechanic arts flour
o ished; the sails of our commerce whit
g ened every sea. We had no publ
! debt and taxation bore so lightly on tn
:, shoulders of the people that the,
d scarcely felt it, and liberty and equalit,
ii of civil rights was the birthright o
II every American citizen. This was un
C der Democratic rule. Now mark tn
d contrast.
f For six years radicalism has had cor
a troll of the nation. During that tim
l. the land has been rent by civil fcuds,
N prey to rebellion ii has been drenche
Ie with blood and 500,0 900 of the youth o
" the nation laid in premature graves, 4
II debt of crushing weight presses dow
every energy of the nation, and taxa
l. tion equally grinding, places an iro
ne harness on every man, woman and child
y, The States are dsunited and everything
l. in the future looks dark and uncertain
Is Aud all this the work of disunionists
il of radicalism, North and South, bot
is alike enemies of the Democracy an
le enemies of the Union of these States.
$, Gentlemen on the other side of tn
N Chamber, your leaders have brough
| the nation to this condition. You hav
N pulled the nation down; can you no
70 rebuild it? Or are you only artit
n GERS of ruin? Where is your polio
+ that is to restore the nation to som,