Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-22
70 gsPEECH OF 0oI
Hon. Charles 4Reemelin,
y, AT Plafnvilie. HamiItOn county, or
H4Ts.Y ThuFsdays lAugs 40, 1867 !vf- lt-
Mr., ReemeIin on coming on to the stand

: ~ rs~NSs <<''ler. - .S' Aoos' ~ /
~ 5 Mr., ReemeIin on coming on to the stand
said: mn, .si !. .spis s'l.sss. .is 81 Is
'S,s LADIES 'ANDa GENrLEMEN: lam very sor-
rryAI have to commence with a very few
9 brief remarks by the way of excuse. I am
i not going to make a speech, L am going to
. read something TO yoa.J This i know will
Anet be as pleasant and Satisfactory to you
OF to; myself as q regular stump speech
: ButiI have, as I think, good and sufficient
reasons for not making a regular stump
speech. d... % .xza,.z To- ~.
other speakers. to address you, and deter
mined what had to say should be brief, L
have been toOlong astump-speaker not TO
Sknow. when man once gets again ION the
.sbroad field of politics i5 Is difficult for him
TO stop, and instead of speech of one hour
he goes on to a speech of two hours. .s,s
is nov said by Democrats should be, well
considered. And, as L intend to publish
what have to say, j have written ss :
- Its exceedingly difficult for reporters to
follow me, and therefore preferred to write
what had to say myself fhere may be
considerable vanity in thus departing from
the usual. course. We all know stump
speakers are vain, and l do not deny my
share of the foible. use .s--f.soist .ss,iac
rat Major Davezak, aid to General jackson
at the battle OF New Orleans, geherslly he
gan his speeches in favor. of the annexa-
geography ofthe country was made before
the, Constitution of the country" There
is much truth and wisdom in these words
of the Democratic soldier, even il, being a.
Frenehman,Ihe spoke them in broken Eng
lish. 1t is aIsqund political axiom, that the
political procliyities7 of populations arise
from the nature of the countries they in
habit, and that the reverse, as some sup
pose, is never true. i i believe that can.
render you no more important service than
to impress this great truth upon your minds
and thereby bring CONSCIOUSNESS into your
political views. Hence, / ask your kind att
-tenfion to little augmentation which /
have to present to you upon this subject.
20 Governments are but certain special
ymeans got up by men to aid them in the
great object of their lives, the pursuit of
Happiness. And politics are only the
Opinions and the factions of men, formed
oand generated by them as the circum-
stances surrounding them direct them
Ito prefer this or that system of govern
,ment. ..-..,- 49,. "a
d5The people of the several States of this
siconfederacy, whose political convictions
have, until now, controlled the politics OF
this country, are essentially of one race.
They have but one common history and
ut they speak one language; and yet there
have been formed among them two marked
fundamental differences ia their political
faith. The Constitution of the country and
the geography of the country have at last
come into a conflict, which even a wayfar-
Ing man, though a fool, can no longer
avoid seeing. The Constitution was made
Co grant limited powers; it had for its basis
a mutual respect of the States, and the
people thereof for each other; it provided
for the free development of these people,
each In their own way. The geography of
the country, at least In certain sections of
1T. presses for unlimited powers. From it
o have come certain incompatibilities be-
tween the States; and from these again
have come freedom to some, and chains
and impediments to the development of
Others. whence this division among Amer
leans? In my opinion, to understand
Americans we must understand America.
And, j further believe,s that to comprehend
the great social facts Of this country, we
must study them in the very linear1ents of
The country itself. siifR .iassI3esa13s las !
80 We find.' in looking at the map of the
United States, in the extreme northeast, the
six New England States; southwest of them
the.three Middle States-New York, Penn
-sylvania and New Jersey and south of
these again, Virginia and the other South
,ern-Atlantic, States. These three sections
lhaVe caused the political history of the
United States thus far, and will do so for
some time yet. In the next generation it
will be different .-,uaf'G5i l.5e .s
New England has the poorest soil of the
three, and 1t contains but little mineral
wealth as compared with the Others Its
streams are smaller, and their valleys do
not lead to harbors.whic eau be the seats
of a very extended commerce. The Yam
keesi first tried farming for living, but
founii6 hard work and poor pay. They
then tried fishing, but Nova Scotia beat
them at 1t, i1for natural causes not TO be
mentioned here; tfiereupen they turned to
AZ f..1-s.
for whether Yankee be a farmer, me-
-chanic, a lawyer, doctor, or preacher, in
every occupation he is also a trader; and
as the latter business did not bring enough
at, all times, he has always, since the estab-
-lishment of the United States Government,
done considerable in Federal politics to help
himself along. ~ =, ait yT-.ie5G a1.-isr-
The old Middle States have more genial
.elimateG on. the whole, better SOIL and
much more mineral wealth. Their streams
are larger, and at the outlet of one of them
Is New York harbor, their commercial CEN
ter, as it is that. of the Union. Farming,
mining, shipping and commercial business
generally, has been their chief reliance for
support. They did not neglect politics, no
more than the rest of mankind, for they
had ambitious men; but commercial poll
tics-that is to say, using the Federal Gov
eminent for private gain-was not indigen-
Gus. TO their soil. Their homes were more
=
hungry for Federal support e'29 %
'TheSouth has soil more fertile still in
itsgconstituents, as well as through more
sunshine. It has more opportunities for
alluvial sediments, through theomountain
chains running through it. Its CONNER
cially agricultural products-tobaeeo, rice
and cotton-and its system of labor, negro
slavery gave to the Southern whites a
very easy existence; and as they had fine
rivers and great mineral wealth besides,
there, was not, before 1850, people more
fully supported by means within them
selves, than these same Southern folks, ne
groes included. OF course, they partici-
pated also in political aspirations.
Bearing this general outline, meagre as
it is, yet sufficient for Intelligent compariz
son, in mind, we must now take up some
general rules, established by the history OF
man in all ages and in all climates, and re-
cognized by political economy.
LFThat mems ideas and wishes in regard
to their governments are in exact relation
to their physical wants.
4 3. That the less nature offers men as in
dividuals, the more they try to use con-
centrated power, such as governments.
3. That men, having nothing to depend
on, except each his own labor, may enjoy
the necessaries of life. but they cannot
without extraneous assistance, such as
profits from laborers employed, or slaves
or machinery, or an opportunity to appro-
pirate the fruits of other mems labor gratu-
itously, acquire the wealth nor enjoy the
higher social enjoyments which we all
covet so much.
4. That the poorerthe country. the great
er is the necessity for such extraneous as
sistance. 1ft7 -'' 80.
Now, if we apply these rules we find
without much trouble, why the New Eng
landers did, to become rich, go abroad Ia
searchsof wealth; why, like the Tyrolean
and the Swiss, who are forever going to
France and Italy tor wealth, or like the