Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-19

= Hffr = -
try. The spirit which now resists your
taxation in America, is the same which
formerly opposed loans, benevolences, and
i ship money in England; the same spirit
i which called England on its Ieqs, and by
Il the bill of rights vindicated the English
Constitution the same spirit which es-
tabfshed the great fundamental, essential
maxim of your liberties, that no subject of
England shall be tdred but BY his own con-
sent" -.- ar .s-..s,r7 -,f,,,,...,, f-- .r-
On another occasion he said: aS'.'"
'tThe Americans have not acted In all
Things with prudence and temper; they have
been wronged;- they have been driven to
madness by injustice. Win you punish
them for the madness you have OCCASION
ed I? Rather let prudence and temper come
first'from this side--I will undertake. for
America she will follow the example.
i Upon the whole, will beg leave to tell
the house what is my opinion 1t is, that
the stamp act be repealed, absolutely,
totally, Internationally and Immediately.
That the reason for the repeal be assigned,
because it ,ods founded on an erroneous princt-
pie ); tdrGtion aoittddt representation" " u p.
F Ohlmy fellow-citizens, how humiliating,
how melancholy, no w startling is the fact,
that an American Congress, sitting. under
a written Constitution which clearly for
bids such monstrous usurpatiou of power,
; shouldib be willing to deprive ten. millions of
American freemen of representative Gov
ernment, and yet tyranically impose upon
them all the burdens and all the obligations
of that Government. i say here before
} this audience of free-born citizens that the
lpr3position lis n1Onstrotts-that it is the very
essence of tyrany and ,oppressi sion-and that
no Government on earth, not an absolute
monarchy, can long eXistiin the exercise of
such gross usurpation of power. The So
: called Republican, party, having changed
: front upon this question, occupy their
present position upon two assumed
grounds of Justification: First that the
] States lately in rebellion are out of the
: Union; and second that it is a just punish
nlent for their rebellion. Both OF these
propositions are wholly untenable. The
Southern States, as States, are not out of
5 the Union; and Congress is wholly with
!, out power, legally or -constitutionally, to
e inflict any punishment whatever. That
l great power of executing the law, and
punishment can only be inflicted by virtue
t of some existing law, belongs exclusively
e to another and coordinate branch of the
e Government. Any attempt by Congress to
exercise this great Judicial power, is
e gross usurpation, and is subyersive of the
5 great principles of the Government. al,
7 1t is difficult, fellow-citizens, to keep
/; pace with this Republican party in its sud-
!, den change of position as to where, by the
5 Constitution, the great power of this Gov
] ernment is deposited. But two short years
t ago, it was not the Legislative, but the
u Executive WHlCu was 6u-
!, preme over all the rest. Indeed, at
: that time, to question or criticise the acts
: of the President, was denounced as dis
e loyalty to the Government; to be incredu-
: Ions as to the wisdom or propriety OF
a Abraham Lincoln, was absolute and un-
t mitigated treason, and the inconsiderate
n culprit was fortunate indeed If he did not
# find himself incarcerated in some military
If fortress, or tried and shot by some drum
S head court-martial. Men were arrested
# and banished the country, not for anything
r which they had done, but for some possible
It thing which they might do. Although the
n great mass of the Republican leaders had
: shouted themselves hoarse, in the canvass
d under Fremont for s free press" and s. free
e Speech" yet wnen Abraham Lincoln or
n dered the suppression of more than one
II hundred Democratic newspapers, and i'm
g prisoned thousands of men for words
IS spoken in debate, they sent up loud hozan-
: mas, and made the welkin ring with their
;e plauditS for the outrage. But, presto
le1 changed The Presidential office has now
l. lost all its virtue. and they have indeed
lie shorn it of all its power. The National
l. Executive. in view of its late usurpeC
tyI powers under Lincoln, like some huge
NJ Leviathan, IS ,,..s--..,.- ... -.
Of Prone on the food, extended long and large,
D. Lay floating many q rood" 'i' '
ef anBut it floats there now as a dead carcase
q swollen by past usurpation, with all it;
n, erless for good or evil. All the great pow.
ers of the government, legislative, execu-
n! tive and judicial, in defiance OF the Consti
ce tuition, and in despite of the solemn admO'
= nitions of the Father OF his Country, have
" been absorbed by mere fragment of the
e, Congress of the United States. We are
a. now living under as naked Despotism, by
m usurpation, as ever cursed or prosecuted |
IN people, ancient or modern. This powerful
)n and unscrupulouS organization not onll
lc change their attack upon the several de
ne partments of the government as may bes
is suit their purposes but their proclivities
~ for change in other respects, are equal
in facile and convenient. Upon the great ant
j. vital question of the unity of constitu
of tional government over all the States, anC
ne of the unbroken reciprocal relation of al
to the States themselves to the government
ir they have changed from one extreme t.
ey the other. Dare any Republican den,
this proposition to be true? The publi
lie records of the country, legislative eXecutiv
r aud judicial, bear overwhelming evidenc
Id of the fact. During the whole progress o
r. the war, whether in victory or defeat, +
n suit their purposes, they claimed that tn
~ Southern States were never out of the Union
IL while now, for mere party purposes an
or selfish aims, they unblushingly assert thel
b. are but the victims of the sword as con
IN quered territory and whether they shal
ty ever again be admitted into the Union a
w will of a vindictive and partisan Congress
IS. L shall not multiply the proof upon thi
to proposition. [ shall give you but two in
US stances, though scores of them might b
to produced. In April, 1852, in the debat
to iu the Senate of the United States, on tn
to resolutions of Mr.. Sumner in aid of eman
m cipaGion, Senator sherman, of this State
ad one of the acknowledged leaders OF tn
all party, said: -- cd '-.-
o. '1"I therefore cannot help but say tina
ID, while respect the motives of the honora
~ Bile Senator from Massachusetts,, while
~ give him credit for consistency, ability
ue and great deal of culture, and am alway
sg- glad to hear him speak, yet Unjust confes
that when looked over his resolutions
In they struck me with surprise and regre
sh They auouLd rsUoluti0nize this GOUern1rlen
in Sir, strike the States out Of this system {
in government, and your Government is lost an
lst gone. L CANNOT CONCEIVE OF THE UNITE
he STATES GOVERNING COLONIES AND PROV
OF INCES CONTAINING MILLIONS UPON MIL
lie LIONS OF PEOPLE, BLACK AND WHITE.
in DO NOT THINK SUCH A THING CAN EXIST
1g l do not believe it is in the power of seces
lld sion to bring US to such state of things
IN can drdto no distinction bet1oeen the resot,
lst tions of the Senator from Massachusetts an
m the doctrines that are proclaimed By JetersO
Dauis. The doctrine of the Ser
he ator is substantially an acknowledged
er- of the right of secession, of the right
-n- secede. He, however. puts the Stat,
all in the condition of a6iect Terrttt
or ries, to be gouerned By COngreS
lii jefferson Davis puts it in the poeo
W. of the people of the States to govern tt
sts, States themselves. As to lohich is the mo
tu- da,sgerous or obnoxious doctrine, 1 leaue eUe
an man to determine. Congressional Globe, 81
of Congress, p. 1490. -
in Bravely said, Mr.. Senator Sherman ar
5es, yet afterwards, in July, 1867, when pea
ow reigned profound throughout the Ian
'rn you either cowardly or dishonesty vote