Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-19
HON. p VAN TRUMP
Delivered ats the Democrasic Mass
'ssd 81 MeesislG as Hogan, Ohio.
August 12, IS6s.,

great questions OF government which you
and the friends of civil liberty throughout
the world too fondly hoped had been, set
tied forever by your wise and patriotic
,forefathers, The mind of maninstinctive-
ly looks forward with hope, rather than
glance back into the past. for lessons of
wisdom and experience. We plan for the
future more than we reflect upon the past.
We would rather be hopeful than wise.
Yetin order to secure and preserve that
which Is still left to US, we should hold In
heedful remembrance all which has al
ready come and gone The history of the
human race for the last three thousand
years, shows that public liberty has never
been permanently settled. There are Gibbs
and tides in its historic life, like the Gibbs
and tides Of the sea, forever surging, back
ward and forward, and never finding q
fixed and established resting place either
in the opinions-of men or the principles of
government. u Civil liberty, as written
down IN our American Constitutions, has
been destined TO form no exception to this
great fact IN the histofyo Of nations. It has
been put upon its trial, and God only
knows what isto be the issue. Never, in
the most stormy period of American poll
tics, whether before or since the Revolu-
ton, or even during our great civil war,
did the people assemble together for the
consideration of greater or more moment
GUS questions than now. Whatever differ
aenee of opinion may exist, however much
.oaerimony of feeling may be exhibited,
growing out of this antagonism of opinion,
val y thinking men are deeply impressed
with the fact, and do not hesitate to admit,
that ihAthe present crisis are involved the
highest interests and the dearest rights that
can pertain to man in his social and politi-
esl Felatious. I make no false proclama-
TatioB. Iautter -butthe simple truth, when /
bdeclare to you from this stand, that the
great heading and central question involved
II In tf1ie rom trnvarsv- hat rveafr1 the Demo-
'craticoafd Radical Republican parties, Is
Liberty or +DespotisDs, Union or DisuRt0r !
. That is the naked, simple, inevitable issue,
which you are to pass upon. The termin-
alton of the war has neither changed or
q nodified that ISSUE Any one who will
recollect any thing at all of what said to
the people before and during the war, will
remember that looked with more appre-
hension to the period after the war than to
the war itself. 1t was then that I felt the
strain would be both upon government and
people. 1t was then that I felt that the
Union would be most in danger, resulting
from the bad passions, the vaulting am
bition of desperate leaders. and the general
Decentralization Of the public mind. Have
not my worst approximations been realized
Can any man look around him upon the
wild sea of coInmotion, and the radical
changes made, and proposed to be made,
in the fundamental organism of the gov
sernment, and not feel that we are upon the
very dead-point of at least civil revolu-
tion which may sweep away every remain
ing yestige Of the Constitution under
which we live ? never felt that the wal
would, in and of ITSELF settle the question
biof Union. That great and vital ques-
= tion, as a Union of States in contra
distinction to a mere materfalistic unity oi
territory, is still upon us in all its magni-
-qtude, as well as It's doubtful uncertainty
1T Is just as much of question
M q n nI " O N
ballot box, asithung doubtfully suspended
90 In the smoke Of battle over the heads
LOT the shouting, groaning and dyins
Facombatants of the hundreds of bloody bat
Tr tie fields of the late unhappy war. A hal
- million of young and valuable men yieldeC
mp their lives for Union which desper
i ate and Radical Congress now refuse Il
recognize -four thousand millions o
- treasure have been. wasted to sustain
= Constitutions which q selfish and partisan
; C5ngress hasitorn to fragments by usurpa
-Gtion and outrage. nv 's53,i - ,i.-l'- s7a'
49,. It is ,truether areother questions. eithe
directly or Indirectly involved in the con
G troversy now before us, of vast importanc,
Ito the people, and which, at any othe
time, would attract their earnest attention
and enlist their deepest solicitude. Sucl
as this most unequal and intolerable bur
sv.den of taxation, the crushing monopoly o
Incorporated money capital at the expens
of producing labor dishonest class legisla
tion in the shape OF the most exorbitan
.Yand villainous tariffs for the benefit of th,
few against the many, demonstrations
legislation IN all Its sprotean forms, usur
patton of power, huge and giganti
schemes Depreciation and fraud, and th
ineffable outrage of negro suffrage AMI
negro equality, coupled with the disfran
lehisement of thousands and hundreds 0
.otiiousands - of white men, without trial, an,
a by classes and denominations, as tn
oe wholesale, victims of partisan fury
land for no 7sother purposes tha
those of the merest partisan end:
All these, and more, fellow citizens
are involved in this contest; but the great
the vital, and the controlling question i:
shall our once blessed and glorious Unior
standing as great confraternal family {
States, sovereign In every local but sub
ordinate in all national questions, b
restored to- its dignity and power
Constitution which created it; {
shall anarchy and final and irretrievab
ruin be the portion of this people? Thi
my friends, Is the f"rugged issue" 81
! before use r,ali .stIsd 70 ]nnas 1sitp.
.ssa7 This great question may or may not
settled by the ballot box, this fall in th
several States where elections are, to t
holden. lift shall fail to be settled by thi
great tribunal of public opinion, acting
"a moral and admonitory power upon thos
who now control the affairs of the nation
then we know by many modern instan(
. of usurpation and outrage, by what naedi
the question is to be put to rest forevt
Whatever may be the result, the questio
itself is directly involved. The radio;
portion of the Republican party have pt
\ the question squarely at issue before Il
people. They say, as plainly as huma
- Union of these States, unless the negl
shall be recognized as part and parcel
& that Union, and as full and equal pa
ticipant in all its great privileges and 10
= munities. Notwithstanding they solemn
ly passed resolutions in Congress, durir
the war, declaring to the American peop
and to the world that it was not q war il
conquest and subjugation, but that so SOC
as the rebel forces should lay down the
arms and acknowledge the federal autho
ity, the States in rebellion should be r
stored uoail their rights and dignity with
the Union yet when the Southern peop
have laid down their arms moro than tV
years ago. and have fully recognized al
submitted to the authority OF the gener
Government upon every inch of their so
r-e---;abolished - slavery forever as an atonir
sacrifice to peace and reunion, th
same Republican Congress now refu
them every right belonging to them
Estates, reducing them to the dbject cond
tion of conquered provinces. Fur all que
,ations of right and privilege under the Co
stitution, they yunbfushingly declare the
astto be ,oat of the Union, while for all pu
a poses of obligation and duty, y,either as Stat
or as individuals, they are sternly al
rigidly held, by the strong arm OF militia
power, as members OF the Union. TIL
deny them representation, while they 10
.Yffetii down to the last dollar with taxatio
hrThis despotic dogn-a OF taxation witho
O. UPON the spirit and action of our rreyol
.ssstionary fathers In the very formation Of Il
Government under which we live. 1t v
the great question which lay at the fount