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

teu SlttUeS, OF any OIi1er OtuUc, from puN-
ing or assuming the rebel debt, needs
but few words of comment. The idea
that the Government of the United
States would assume to pay that debt,
or any part of it, Is too preposterous to
admit of serious consideration. The act
which is here prohibited will never take
place until the Government, In all its
departments, legislative, executive, and
judicial, shall have become as corrupt
and regardless of constitutional obliga-
tions and limitations as one of them, the
present Congress, now is. And when
that time arrives the people, who will
be burthened with the taxation required
to pay these rebel debts, if the Govern
ment assumes them, will appeal, but APP
peal in vain, to this section of the
dens. They may invoke the Constitu-
ton for protection, as the people have
done, and are doing daily, but the Con-
stitution can afford them no shield.
| cannot regard this fourth section in
any other light than as something which
can do no harm, and which will serve
to draw the public eye from the Ito the
party in power) important sections of
the amendment.
Mr.. Speaker, you may have witnessed
the performances of the famous magi-
clan who lately held forth in one of the
public halls of this city, and if you have,
you no doubt were entertained and
amused at the adroitness with which he
manged to fix your attention at one
point, while one of his magical tricks
was to be played at another, and the mo-
ment your attention was withdrawn
you stood amazed at the wonderful feat
that had been performed before your
eyes without your being able to see it.
So with these Radical performers. BY
their slcight-of-hand they seek to hum
bug the public. They fix their atten-
tion for the time being upon one point,
with regard to which they feel no inter-
est, and while it is so fixed they perform
their trick. They secure the vote or the
sanction of the people to measure
which had never received their consid-
Grafton. But soon, very soon, the atten-
ton will be Withdrawn, and then an
amazed and astonished people will not
only look with astonishment, but with
modification, upon the scenes which
have been enacted before their eyes, yea,
in which they have been unconscious
actors.
Mr.. Speaker, might close here, were
1t not that during the progress of the de-
bate, the gentlemen on the other side of
the Chamber have seen fit to indulge in
much abuse of the Democratic party.
They have applied to its members eve
ry epithet from "Copperhead" to "trai-
tor" and thrown the taunt that many
of those who went into the rebellion
formerly belonged to that party. And
admitting this, it only proves that these
men left us because they found no SYM
pathy with their secession doctrines,
the Democracy being always inflexibly
/ in favor of the pcrpetuity of the Union
of the States and the maintenance of
, the Constitution. They were not the
, first schismatics who had left us. Thou,
sands now who give tone and direction
to the Radical party had done the same
, thing. Uneasy, ambitious spirits, who
would sooner reign in he'll than serve
| in Heaven" They, like the Southern
rebels, left Us because they could not in
terpolate their wicked doctrines into the
| Democratic creed, and make our CRANE
old party subscrvient to their designs tC
destroy both the Union and the Consti
, tuition. They left us to wander after
strange gods. Instead of following
their early teachings, in the safe anC
tried path of principles laid down by
the illustriouS founder of our party
Jefferson, they went out after Wcndel
Philips, the destructionist, from whOs(
= brain has sprung every dogma of the
Radical party. He gave it its light, it,
5 being, organized it and breathed into
, that organization his own fanatic spirit
g Alongside of him Stevens, Lincoln
: Seward, Trumbull and the rest wer,
/ but trimmers. They are the meres
a echoes of the destructive principle
t Matched within his fertile brain. Thi
t man, as | have said, is destructionist
n powerful to destroy but poWerless t,
m IN 10 L. .Nf 4,
e most dangerous type; and his wild the
/ ories, his ultra radicalism, his Utopai
i ideas, fascinate those of the iilnatica
$ turn, who follow him with blind zeal
# utterly regardless of the consequence
? to the country or themselves. No won
II der then, this Radical party has becom
@ dangerous under the lead of this man
h | heard one of his followers the othe
/ day, in the Senate Chamber, eXultantl,
$ proclaim that he thanked God that h
i was a Radical" Yes, Il Radical of tn
n Cromwell, Danton and Robespierrcal
i stamp, who in the name of liberty, an,
i love of the people, perpetrated crime
at which the world still stands aghast
v and humanity shudders. Danton ant
: Robespierre acted towards the Girond
v lists, the real friends of liberty, durin
|, the Reign of Terror in France, precise
= ly as Wendell Phillips and his fanati
Il cal followers are doing towards til
:, Democratic party to-day. They mis-
" represented, abused and pcrsecute
l. them, and by false charges brought VI
" on them the mob of Paris, and in a
Ii evil hour, by threats. so ovei-awed tn
d National Convention that they vote
= for the death of these Girondists, an
? in that mad hour perished twenty-tw
" of ms noble friends of freedom Us tn
l. world ever saw. And henceforth Rad
# calism in that fair land had full sway
e drenched it with blood, immediate
ii hecatOmbs of victims, and never cease
e its career of blood and crime and horrC
l. until the people, with one spasmod
)f effort, overthrow their oppressOrs, an
N glad to escape from this saturnalia q
II wickedness, sheltered themselves under
l. military despotism. This was the g
i reer of Radicaiism in France, fello
l- Democrats, and let us be warned by Il
W teachings of history, which just no
re seems to be repeating itself in our ow
le beloved land.
Ir We have no guarantee that Radica
ne ism in this country, which is of the san
- type as that | have been deScribin
e. will not go to rs great lengths to accor
d. plish its designs. We see what it h
bit done already, we hear daily what
r. threatens to do, and to be fOreWarned
ht to be forcarmed. Our fate might be Il
p fate of the freedom-loVing GirOndist
or were we TO allow these desperate me
ur to get unlimited control of power.
e. do not charge that all the Republici
IL party are so dcpraVed, but | do belize
lis that Wendell Phillips Is rs dangerous
Ir, man as Danton. Danton had no pc