Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1867-01-16
Great Democratic Banquet in
Washington.

The anniversary of the battle of New Or
leans was celebrated on the evening OF the
eighth of January by banquet at the Ma
tional Hotel, Washington City, under the
auspices of the National Democratic Com
mite. The dining saloon was tastefully
adorned with flags The reception commit
tee consisted of Jonah d. Heever, Thomas
B. Florence, Judge Charles Mason and
Owen Thorn. Among those present were
| Democratic members and ex-members OF
Congress, and the Texas members OF
| Congress elect; also, x-Attorney-General
Jeremiah Black, Post Master General NJ.
Blair, and his father, Francis ?. Blair, Esq,
the last named presiding over the banquet.
The fol owing as the first toast was an
nounced, namely The day We celebrate,
and the great event which made it Ma
t'onal Anniversary, when Mr.. Z. P. Blair
read paper appropriate to the occasion.
Mr. Blair then proposed the health of
the President of the United States, which
was received with three cheers.
The President, in rising, was again ap-
plauded. He said it was not his purpose
to make an address on this occasion, but
simply to propose sentiment, which was
read as follows =
''No St;ssc, of its own will, has right
under the Constitution to renounce its place
in or to withdraw from the Union. Nor
has the Congress Of the United States,
u constitutional power to degrade the people
of any State by reducing them to the con-
dition of a mere territorial dependency upon
the Federal head The one is disruption
"a dissolution of the Government; the
other is a consolidation and an extreme of
despeue power. The advocates of the lat
ter are also the enemies of the Union and Of
our constitutional form of government.
The sentiment was vociferously applauded.
Senator Hendricks responed to the last
toast, namely, ''The Federal Union it must
be preserved.
The fourth toast was, ANDREW johnson,
the President Of the United States. He is
now receiving the full measure of that vi
lavishly to Jefferson and Jackson.
Senator Doolittle, of Wisconsin, responded
to this toast, and like Senator Hendricks
spoke of the centralizing tendencies of the
Government, the GU sstion still remaining
whether the Federal Union can be pre-
served
If the country was to be saved amid the
madness which now rules the hour, history
will do justice to the times in which we live.
/ If the country is to be saved, Andrew John
son will be recorded as one of its sayiors
and if the country is to be lost, or the Gov
ernment changed into despotism, Andrew
johnson will be written down in history as
one of its defenders. The Senator was fre-
quently applauded-
! The fifth toast was annou1ced-The Su-
1remc Court Of the United States The
great conservative power of the Govern
ment; never more needed or better appre.
ciated than now
Judge Jeremiah Black responded, saying
among o:he. things, that the Court needed
no defense from him. That Court had de-
cided against the legality of military com
missions which had condemned to death
/ three perfectly innocent men, because nc
/ human being up to this time had shown that
! they were guilty.
These three men were arrested and bro
| before a body who were in no manner sau-
/ thorized to NEEDLE with these affairs, and
which mockery was called a trial. The
| Court said in effect, that if the execution of
these three men had taken place it would
have been q murder Thaddeus Stevens
now attacked this decision of the Supreme
! Court, but Mr. Stevens told him, eighteen
months ago, that these military commissions
were utterly inde!ensible; no mans life
could be taken away by them.
Now NJ. Stevens has changed his views
in order that his friends may enjoy the lux
ury of shedding innocent blood Every
Christian man should offer up the prayer
that the Supreme Court may long live and
exercise their great authority.
His remarks were frequently applauded-
The Hon. Charles H. Winfield, of New
York, responded to the sixth toast, namely,
THE conservative members of each branch
of Congress, knowing themselves to be in
the right, let them never be weary in vel
doing"
A letter was received from Secretary
Welles, apologizing for his absence, and of:
ferring the sentiment, ''Our thirty-six States
the Union of all, the exclusion of none.
| This was received with cheers.
The Hon. a J. Rogers, of New jersey
responded to the seventh toast, viz The
army and navy, without having contributed
to the causes of the late civil war, they haC
ever been ready to make the most extreme
hazards at the call of duty. They will no
now hesitate to protect the union of all tht
| States which they have done so much t,