Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-07-21
MR.. PENDIEToNOE THE SITUATION.
ms spEEOH Ar GRAFTON !.


and Senator Thurman. The crowd in attend
anco was immense, variously. estimated from
eight to twelve thousand! The following |
synopsis of Mr. Pendleton's remarks, Is fur
nished by the Baltimore Gazette:
Mr. Chairman and Gentltmen-The Chair
man of your State Executive Committee when
he invited me ITO attend your meeting to day
told me that I had no truer friends In the
Union than / would meet here IN West flr-
giDia. You have proTenahis statement to be
true. came obedient to your bidding. L
desire to see you to make your personal ac-
qnainranee and to returnto you my thanks
for the warm and constant support OF your
delegates TO the National Convention.
came to show you that no personal disaps
pointment fingers in my breast or dampens
for an instant the ardor of my efforts for the
success of your party cheers but that far
above all personal scensiderations | rate. the
success of the principles in which believe,
aud that whoever shall bear the flag on which
those principles are inscribed, shall be found
close to 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,
Democrats and Republicans alike, to trample
under foot every prepossession and prejudice
and passion, if it were as dear as lie Itself,
and, rising to the height OF this great strug-
| gle, to remember that we have only life to
give and noble and enduring Government
to save TApplause.l / am party MANI
avow it, but not l trust, in any narrow or
scctarian sense. am attached from convic-
| ton to the principles of the Democratic par
ty; have studied its history from the fOun=
| dation of the Government. 1t would be i'm
| possible for ME to make myself heard in this
| immense audience unless You keep quiet, and
| I shall ask that while am speaking you will
| allow me to proceed without interruption.
thank. you, gentlemen, for the very cordial
reception you have Just given me. In the
| States Ihaye found it to be the party. OF lib.
erty and progress. In the Federal Govern
ment have found it to be the exponent OF
that fundamental principle OF the Constitu-
ton that all powers which are not granted
are reserved. 1t has been the consistent OPP
ponent of consolidation in the one system and
of excessive administration 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 vicissi-
tude of our history it has appeared to direct
us with its wisdom and to extricate US by its
courage, and to day it stands as it did in 1913
aud 1890, under the guidance of AlF. Jetfer>
son, pointing us to the path of safety, which
| is now, as it was then, the path OF the Con-
stitution, of faternal harmony and peace
| The Convention which sat in New York was
an august assemblage. 1t was the. true
council of our party. 1t embraced our
best and purest and wisest men. The
roll of the States was called and not
one was without representative, The roll
! of the districts was called and not one of them
was missing The doctrine of State sEfcide
was not recognized, the dissolution of the
Tnio Owla cd
was invited to be present and every State
accepted the invitation. Every State selected
such citizen as she chose, and thus it happened
that North Carolina and South Carolina, and
Georgia and Virginia, sat as in the days of
the Revolution, in fraternal council with
Massachusetts, and New York, and Pcnnsyl-
vania and New Jersey, and that Hampton
and Preston and Forrest sat side by side with
Steadman and Morgan. The Convention was
the sign and the symbol and the prophecy OF
restored Union and harmonious people
1t rose to the dignity of its high duty The
eyes of the world were upon its proceedings.
Greater than the holy alliance which sub ju-
gated people and divided empires, its mission
was to enfruDchise people Of our race, to
restore the union of our States and to main
tain the institution of civil liberty. For the
FIRST time in their history the American peo+
pie realized that free government was in dan
ser and that the fate of the republic trembled
in the balance. They had been taught to
believe that freedom was indigenous in our
soil, and shutting their eyes to the teachings
of all history, shutting their eyes to the facts
connected with our own revolution, they had
Rugged to themselves the delusion that in
whatever storm OF faction or passion or yeyolu-
tionary fervor, liberty at least was safe. They
had awakened from tie dream, and as they
sent representatives to the CenventioH trey
charged them, as the dictator Of old vas
charged, to see to it that no detrimcnt
happened to the public. BY unanimous vote
they adopted declaration of principles,
fidelity to tbs Constitution, fidelity to the
Union, fidelity to the rights of the States,
fidelity to the rights of the citizen, fidelity to
the principles of civil liberty, fidelity to that
policy in matter of fnarce aud taxation which,
by paying the public debt in legal tender
notes will lift from the shoulders of labor the
burdens which Cypress it and by tightening
the measure of taxation will secure to it the
just rewards of cheerful and contented indus
try. Cheers. The speaker then referred
in many eulogistic terms to the nominees of
the Democratic Convention, and said if any
thing more were needed to fire the heart with
enthusiasm let it be drawn from the contrasts
the country to-day presented. The Repub-
lican party had been in absolute power for
eight years. Where was the Constitution
they swore'to uphold Where wasthe Union
they sworei to maintain After briefly dila-
,ingon,the course pursued by the Republican
party since the war, mors particularly with
respect to the reconstruction of States, he
went on to state that Congress had usurped
to itself all power over the State Governments
of the South and had, in fact, destroyed them
Adverting to the military government, Mr.
Pendleton continued 1t is reproducing in
our country the lessons of all history. The
despotism of the legislative assembly is the
worst despotsm in the world. 1t is the most
selfish, the most cruel, the most audacious and