The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1868-07-31
Speech of George II. Pendleton.

fNtH bOtVt tDNEtIWiOW Ut trTUItOW OI
Me 16th. Hon. q. H. Pend'etOn IRA,
present, and detirered tie fohoWinA
speech.
Mr.. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN
The Chairman of your state Executive
Committee, when he invited me to at
tend your meeting to-day told me that
had no truer friends in the Union than |
would meet herein West Virginia. You
have proven his statement to be true. |
came obcdient to your bidding, | de.
sired TO see you, to make your personal
acquaintance, and to return to you my
thanks for the warm and constant sup
port of your delegates to the National
Convention. / came to show you that no
personal disappointment fingers in my
breast or dampens for an instant the ar
dor of my efforts for the success of your
party (ceeers,) but that far above all
personal considerations l rate the sue
cess of the principles in which / be-
lieve, and that whoever shall bear the
flag on which these principles are in
scribed shall be found close by his side
in the thickest of the fight to cheer him
with my voice and to aid him with my
arm. | came to urge upon you, Demo-
Gratis and Republicans alike, to trample
under foot every prepossession and
prejudice and passion, if it were dear
as life itself, and rising to the height of
this great struggle, to remember that
We have only life to give and noble
and duringgovernment to save. APP
plause. am a party man avow H.,
but not, trust, in any narrow or Sec
tartan sense. lam attached from con-
viction to the principles of the Demo-
cratic party; l have studied its history
from the foundation of the government.
1t would be impossible for me to make
myself heard in this immense audience
unless you keep quiet, and shall ask
that while l am speaking you will al
low me to proceed without Interrupt
ton. / thank you, gentlemen, for the
very cordial reception you have Just
given me. In the States | have found
it to be the party of liberty and pro-
gress. In the Federal Government |
have found it to be exponent of that
! fundamental principle of the Constitu-
ton that all powers which are not
granted are reserved. 1t has been the
consistent opponent of consolidation in
the one system and of excessive admin
istration in the other. 1t has been at
once the firm supporter of the rights of
the States, and of the just powers of the
Federal government. In every vcissi-
tnde of our history it has appeared to
direct us with its wisdom and to eXtri-
cate us with its courage, and to-day it
stands as it did in 1898 and 1893, under
the guidance of Mr.. Jefferson, pointing
us to the path of safety, whichi is now,
AS it was then, the path of the Consttu-
tion, of fraternal harmony and peace
The Convention which sat in New York
was an august assemblage. 1t was the
true council of our party. Itembraced
our best and purest and wisest men,
The roll of the States was called, and
not one was without a representative
The roll of the districts was called, and
not one of them was missing. The doc
trine of State suicide was not recog
: nized, the dissolution of the Union wa
! not acknowledged. Every State wa
invited to be present and every Stat
accepted the invitation. Every Stat,
selected such citizen as she chose, anC
thus it happened North Carolina ano
South Carolina, and Georgia and Nir.
ton, in fraternal council with Massa.
chusetts and New York, and Pennsyl.
vania and New Jersey, and that Hanip.
ton and Preston and Forrest sat side by
side with Steadman and Morgan. The
Convention was the sign and the sym.
Dol and the prophecy of Il restored
Union and a harmonious people. II
rose to the dignity of its high duty
The eyes of the world were upon it,
proceedings. Greater than the holy al.
lance which subjugated people and di.
vided empires, its mission was to en-.
franchise people of our race, to restore
the Union of our States and to main.
tain the institution of civil liberty. Fol
the first time in their history the Amer.
lean people realized that free govern
ment was in danger and that the fate o.
the Republic trcmblcd in the balance
They had been taught to believe that
freedom was indigenous in our soil and
shutting their eyes to the teachings o
all history, shutting their eyes To the
facts connected with our own Revolu
ton, they had hugged to themselve,
the delusion that in whatever storm ol
faction or passion or revolutionary fer
vor, liberty at least was safe. They haC
awakened from the dream, and is they
, sent representatives to the Convention
. they charged them, as the dictator o
old was charged, to see to it that NJ
detriment happened to the Republic
BY Il unanimous vote they adopted
declaration of principles, fidelity to TIN
, Constitution fidelity to the Union, ,idel
ity to the rights of the States, iidclit,
to the rights of the citizen, fidelity L
the principles of civil liberty, fidelit,
= to that policy in matters of finance anl
, taxation, which, by paying the publ
debt in legal tender notes, will lit from
the shoulders of labor the burthen
which oppress it, and by tightening tn
: measure Of taxation will secure to i
f the just rewards of IA cheerful and con
tented industsy, Cheers, The spea
ker then referred in many eulogisti
terms TO the nominees of the Democrat
ic Convention, and said If anything
more were needed to fire the heart wit
enthusiasm let ii be drawn from tn
contrasts the country to-day presented
The Republican party had been in al
( solute power for eight years. Wher
@ was the Constitution they swore to VI
hold? Where was the Union the
swore to maintain? After briefly dila
ting ON the course pursued by the Re
publican party since the war, more pan
, ticularly with respect to the reconstruC
, tion of States, he went on to state tina
Congress had usurped to itself all pow
er over the State governments of tn
South, and had in fact destroyed then
II Adverting to the military government
n Mr.. Pendleton continued 1t is reprodl
cling in our country the lessons of II
; history. The despOtism of the legisla
tive assembly is the worst despotism
3, the world. 1t is the most selfish, mo,
cruel, most audacious, and the mo-
# short-lived. 1t ends in anarchy, an
this is speedily followed by the cali
- repose of the order of the sword. RI
y call the history Of the Roman Senat
and the Emperors. Recall the history
> the Long Parliament and the tyrann
of the Commonwealth. Recall the hi
Is tory of the Legislative Assembly