The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1868-09-16
IMPORTANT HISTORICAL DOC
UMENT.
AN ADDRESS,.
BY THE
HON. THOMAS EWING,
TO THE
Unpledged Voters of the United
States.

LANCASTER, O., September 2, 1868.
To those of my fellow citizens who
are sworn to no party allegiance, and
whose leading object in the coming
election is the full restoration and nre-
servation of our free institutions, de-
sire to give my views of the condition
of our country as at present governed,
and tie probable consequence of the
success of each of the great parties at
the coming election. I do this the
more willingly, as l am confident, from
recent observation, that success is in
the power of neither of those parties,
unaided and alone, but rests in the
hands of unpIedged men who arc free
to act. on full consideration, for the
sole good of the nation. In order to
do this wisely and we'll, it is necessary
to understand fully the present condi-
tion cf the two great parties what
degree of success is possible to each,
and what will be the probable effect on
the nation, of the success of either at
the coming elections |! 1t is my wish
to present the recently past and pres
ent condition of things with fairness
and candor, as they will be handed
down by the impartial historian, and
judged of by enlightened statesmen
when existing combinations shall have
been broken, and their passions and
prejudices shall have passed away and
1 feel, myself, in a state of mind adapt
ed to the task so far as my capacity,
aided by careful observation, gives me
competence to perform it. 1 belong to
no party the last to which [ was at
tached, that which in 1861 rallied in
defense of the Union, and to which /
devoted all the powers of my intellect,
and whatever of social and family infu,
ence I was possessed has been sundered
and dissolved, and the old Democratic
party to which never adhered. and the
Radical or Republican party which 1
know only by Its acts, are the sole con-
testants for political power in the COM
ing elections. The Republican party
has now, and has had for two years
past, full and absolute control of the
legislative and executive departments
of the Government, and they have OBJ
structed, and, indeed, rendered it i'm
possible for the Independent exercise of
the judicial power and they have as,
sumed to themselves, and vested in
their military division commanders,
freed from executive control, the local
government often ofthe States. Those
who hope that the country may be re-
stored to the full enjoyment of its con-
stitutioral rights by the success of the
Democratic party at the coming election,
deceive themselves. Future mischief
may be prevented, and many existing
evils may be remedied, but not all.
For the rest we must wait for the CON-
ing on of time. The judiciary may be
restored to the exercise OF its appropri-
ate functions for unconstitutional
laws, restraining their free action, being
no longer upheld by menace and force,
will be adjudged void. The judiciary
will be, therefore, at once enfranchised
and restored to the exercise of its con-
stitutional functions. So may the Ex-
ecdtive, especially to the command of
the army, which has been wrested from
him, and which the judiciary, when at
liberty to speak, will declare to be his
right, conferred by the Constitution.
| The success of the Democratic party,
+ if it succeed, will also, by restoring the
independence of the judiciary, put an
end to other abuses with which we have
recently become too familiar, namely {:
the trial of private citizens, in time of
peace, by military commissions, and
the insolent invasion of private rights
by committees of Congress.
On the other hand, conservative Re
publicans, who ars dissatisfied with the
wild work of their party for the last
two years, and would gladly restrain
them, but who fear to give success to
the Democracy in the pending election +,
lest they, in the wantonness of newly
| acquired power, should rush into ruin
Gus excesses on the other hand, enter
tain grouudless apprehensions. The
Republican Senate will hold them in
check if they attempt evil, while it re-
strains them from the correction Of
many existing abuses. ...'
80 far, then, as Legislation is con-
cerned, the Democracy, if successful.
can do neither good nor evil without
the concurrence of the Senate, whicn
involves, of course, the concurrence of
the party which it represents. 1t will
he, therefore, quite safe to trust the
Democratic party with the limited pow
| er which success at the coming election
will give them. And if within the
coming two years the Republicans are
/ "a L ~ he