Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-08-28
Hon. Geo. ii. Pendleton, of Ohio

tipguished gentleman of our town, we have
been placed in possession Of the Speech o.
Hon. GEO. H. PENDLEToN, Of Ohio, delivered
at St. Pauls, Minnesota, in July last. Below
we present liberal extracts from this eloquent
and spirited speech, and command the
same to the especial consideration Of our
readers:
In Ohio they are fond of telling US that the
Democratic party is dead. The newspapers
assert it, the stump speakers announce it. the
State Convention annually breaches its fune.
raj sermon and writes its epieaph. If their
wishes were consulted, it would not only be
Dead but damned also. Loud cheers. LIE!
them look upon this scene. Let them hear
the shouts with which have been welcomed.
merely because l am an Ohio Democrat,
Tcheers, and although they may assert again
that the old party is dead, they will do it with
the cheerful air with which the 10y whistles
as he goes through the graveyard, looking
with fearful glance behind, around, over either
shoulder, lest the dead may come to life again,
or his ghost may be sitting above his grave.
[Cheers The Democratic party dead {!
Within month, have been to the fur east.
| have seen the brave and constant and un-
iinching Democrat of Massachusetts, have
seen the Democrat Of Connecticut jubilant
over the result of their late conflict. Cheers.
l have seen the Democrats of New York, and
Pennsylvania, and OHIO, marshaliing their
powers for the contest in October. l have
seen the Democrats of Keatucky, vigorous,
unialtering in the very midst Of their fight
and every where, whether in the East or the
South, or the great central States, in every
condition, whether enjoying the fruits of VIC
tory or gathering up their forces after the
pressure of defeat, or putting on their armor
for another struggle, find it living, vigor-
Gus, active, energetic party; and here, a
thousand miles away, in the great Northwest,
find the same party, sustained by the same
courage, animated by the same hope, and
vitalized by the samo devotion 10 the prirci-
Piles ard foral OF government which have for
seventy years permitted DEVELOPMENT of in
divid-al liberty and collective prosperity with
out parallel in the history Of tie world.
More ruthfuf1y now, perhaps, than ever be.
fore, may we say that our party Democratic
is neither sectional nor local, but that in all
the Union, fom the Atlantic TO the Pacific,
from the lakes to the Gulf,-there is not a
State nor county. nor township, nor town, nor
neighborhood nor family, nor household in
which il has not an adherent and member.
The Democratic party dead u! 1t can
never die so long as free government shall
exist. The active vigorous being of the one
;s the essential condition OF the existence o.:
the other. So long as the human heart as
pires to ameliorate the ills Of lie, so long as
The human i. telect can trace cause aud effect,
80 long as government is coniil ii to tue col
lective wisdom and viii of the people, rather
than to the unlimited discretion and irresist-
ole power of one man, so long will there be
party which seeks to increase the liberty OF
the citizen and to diminish the pnwcr of the
Government, to enlarge tha sphere Of hi: ac-
tive development. and to reduce the restraints
which are imposed upon hin, TO crafty his
hope of liberty, and to make cit. ctiye hi, ha-
tired of tyranny. There is such a party in
England to-day, and it wrests from govern
ment large reform in the matter Of repre
santaton. There is such party in France
to-day, and the lhundcrs Of the Tribune cause
slceplcss nights at the Tuilerics. There is
such party evcn in Russi. 70 day, and tue
Gar grants amnesty to Polish patriots.
lChecrs.l There is such party in Austria
to-day, and its leaders exchaase ever re-
cognition Of the right OF the House Of IIaps-
burg to the throne Of St. Step en- for a cor
cession to the rights Of the peopc OF Hunga-
ry. There is such party in America to day.
and it insists upon rigid adherence to the
provisions of our written Constitution, and to
the primary elemental principle u the equal
ity Of the States. t. ;, Loud ! aDplA ss''
The foundation of the federal system, that
which made its organization possible, and its
administration beneficial, is that the powers
of the government are all granted, and there
fore are limited-that the States have equal
rights and equal duties, arc equals in their
relation to the federal government, and equals
as sovereign selfgoverning States; and yet
we see ten States not only deprived of all
voice in the government of the Union, but
deprived of all powers of self government.
and subjected to the will Of military com,
manders.
Ard we are told this is on Incident and
consequence of the war? Let u, see.
Tie war came upon us-I will not trace its
causes, nor mark its PROFESSIONALLY it
was war on the one side to withdraw from
the Union; on tie other side to maintain it.
Mr.. Lincoln, Mr.. Seward, Congress, aili:med
it. EARNED force" said Mr.. Lincoln. had
"disturbed the. practical relations of the
States to the Federal government That
force must DC met and overcome, and then,
these relations will be restored" Let men,
bers of tbs Senate and of the House, return
and BE- welcome to occupy the seats which
they left vacant" said Mr.. Seward" The
rights and dignity, and equality of the States
shall remain uuimpaired,' said the resolutions
of Congress.
1t would, perhaps, be too much to expect
that in the midst of such o war, passion
should always be restrained by reason, and
all the acts Of government be kept within
Constitutional limits Certain it is, many IL
legal acts were committed. The rights of in
divduals we're trampled on--tne rights OF the
States were disregarded. But these acts were
strenuously defended as being legal, or q!
least as being necessary. They were ALLEGED
10 be incidental to condition vi war, and
would cease wien the war ceased. and il
any Of you vcntured TO suggest that thi9 was
not the teaching of history, you were delicate
ly called copperhead dis.oyal, and the idea
that the object or effect Of the war could bo
to change the Constitution or system Of gov
ernment, was loudly and constantly denied.
The war came to an eud-the armies of the
Conicderates were defeated. The armed force
was met and overcome. Sherman and john
son met in North Carolina. Tleir truce dis
persed the forces of the Confederates, and lett
in full operation the laws of the federal gov
ernment over all the seeded States. This
was the logical conclusion Of the war. No
plan of reconstruction, no amendments to the
Constitution were needed. THIS broke down
Al nica al