Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-03-04
0bie Statesman,
8 Pc e q II
HON. JOHN +. POLLBTT,
or LI0KING.

AVAO VVAA4u H VA10 Il
i or LIOKING,
On mr.. Iewets,s Resolutions. 10
/ she Honse Of .RePresensatIves,
A February Ash, leee. az
Mr.. FOLLETT said:
4 MIR. SPEAKER-I had not thought of TAX
ing any part In the discussion of these reso.
llutions at this time, but since l have seer
that discharge from gun of small cali
bnr. (as the gentiemsn rom Hamilton, Mr.
Wolf, so facetiously denominates the
speech of my friend from Mercer. Mr.. Cal
len.) is sufficient to burst windbag, am
encouraged to aim another gun of small
caliber in that direction.
But shall not attempt to reply to the
personalities of the gentleman from Ham,
ilton, because learned long since that
there is vast difference between argument
and personal denuciations; and upon SUBJ
lject OF suet vital Importance to the people
of this country as that embodied in these
lresclntionss 1 prefer to address myselfto
the reason of men, rather than TO their
passions or prejudices.
do not 90 to those men who have found
an asylum here, or who are the adopted
children of the Republic, to learn the true
character-or nature of our institutions, but
| prefer to be taught these lessons, and to
drink in the true spirit and genius of our
1 free institutions, and to receive the true
exposition of our Constitution, and the re-
lations of the several departments OF our
Government, sitting at the feet of Jeffer-
son. Madison and the fathers of the Re-
public.
O. r institutions are In danger; free gov
ernment and the rights guaranteed to us by
the Constitution are rapidly passing away.
1 Under the guise and name of recOnstruc-
| mo off
other, the foundation stones of our beauti-
full temple of Liberty, and unless the people
rise in their might aud stay the ruthless
| hands of the vandats, there will soon be
Lothing left to US but waste of ruins. II
speak earnestly and reelingly upon this
occasion, it is for the same reason that the
Prophet "cIed aloud and spared not;" be-
cause ruin and desolation are coming upon
! the land.
| The gentleman says that we have sacri-
| feed 300 600 of our brave sons. and billions
of treasure, to demonstrate the fact that
we are nation, and to wipe out the doc
trine of State rights, which he character
ICES as the doctrine of secession, and which
was taught in the Virginia and Kentucky
Resolutions of 1898 and 1900. The doctrine
of those resolutions was considered as the
true exposition nfthe relations of the States
| to the General Government, from the time
the same was first accepted and indorsed
by the people, In che election of Jefferson
to the Presidency in 1900, up to the time of
the election of Lincoln IN 1860. Those res
oiutiens owe their origin to the encroach-
mepts upon the rights and liberties of the
people, guaranteed TO them by the Consti-
tuition, which were attempted, during the
| administration OF the elder Adams, by the
passage of the "lslien and Sedition Acts"
ACTS which were regarded by jefferson,
Madison, and their compatriots, as mon
t.,k kf,..svr
of free government, but which were ex-
ceedingly mild and harmless when COM
pared with the measures of the present
Congress, called Reconstruction acts. Be-
| ing written by Jefferson, they were
sent to the Legislature Of Ken
| lucky, and another series, also pre-
pared by Jefferson, was introduced
into the House Of Delegates OF Virginia
Fearing chat the Virginia Resolutions
might fail, it pressed to vote, Jefferson
induced Madison to resign his seat in Con-
eress aud run for the Virginia House of
Delegates, in order to secure the passage
of those resolutions. The passage of the
resolutions through the Virginia Legisla-
ture wss effected by Madison, and the Leg
islatures of Virginia and Kentucky sent
copies of the resolutions passed by each,
respectively, to the Legislatures of the
several States, and all that replied to them
replied adversely to the doctrine they con-
tanned. Jefferson and Madison then taking
those resolutions in their hands in 1900 ap-
pealed to the people for an Endorsement of
tneir ooctrine, ana tne people, ever jealous
OF tneir rights Wheh Juug ment asserts her
sway anu Wnen uncontrolled oy passion,
indorsed those resolutions most emphatic
ally by the election to the Presidency of
Jefferson, who made those resolutions the
sole issue IN le0O, and re-electing him in
1904; and by the election OF Madison, the
man next TO JeHerson most nearly identi-
ned with those resolutions, to the same
ohce, IN lSOS, and re-electing him in 1872;
aud by the election ana reelection of Moa
Zoe as the Immediate successor of Madison;
and Virginia became distinguished as the
mother OF statesmen and d Presidents, be-
cause she was the mother Of those resolu-
t1ons. g8A4$
And Ohio, the first born OF the ordinance
of 1887, although her existence as a State
commenced subsequent to the ratification
by the people of the doctrine of those res
olutions. could not withhold her assent to
that which had made her grand old mother
80 famous, although to-day there are
very many in our noble State, degenerate
sons IL is true, who are ready to denounce
the resolutions of 1898 and 1900, as damna-
BILE heresy, and the cursed mother of all
our woes.
In 1920, when the Legislature of this
State Contained such men as Harrison, af-
forwards President of the United States.
Ben. Ruggles, who for twelvesyears rep
resented this State In the United States
Senate, Gov. Trimble, Gov. Lucas, Ham
mond and many others of whom the State
may well be proud, the following resolu-
tion was passed by vote of 81 yeas to
nays, In the House, and % yeas to nays
in the Senate:
"Resolced by the General Assembly of the
State of Ohio, That In resDect TO the DOwp rs
of the Governments of the several States
that compose the American Union, and the
powers OF the Federal Government, this
General Assembly do recognize and ap-
prove the doctrines asserted by the Legis-
iatures Of Kentucky and Virginia in their