The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-04
JDGE E. NORTH CULLOM'S ADDRESS
BEFORE THE
HANCOCK CLUB,
- September 20, 1868. To

soon discovered that they we're apprehensve OF
riot. i took little stroll down Canal street,
prompted by curiosity to see the result of it all.
Fortunately the day passed away without an out
bresk, but the occurrence put me to rejecting on
the causes that could lead to such state Of pub
lie feeling. knew there was cause for such an
alarming condition OF affairs, and one, too, that
lay beyond the surface Of politics. came to the
conclusion that 1t was the necessary conseque nee
of measures which are at war with the Constitu-
ton and Laws OF our Countryside object of laws
being the peace and good order Of society. Hav-
ing been honored by an invitation to address you
this evening, concluded to account for this de-
monstration by grouping together, in chronology
cal order, as far as was able, the acts and incon-
sistences OF the party In power. In doing 80 must
necessarily epItomize. Time and the occasion
will not permit me to do more. In this review of
its doings you will have presented to your minds
brief history Of the party which, II 1t add not to
your stock Of information, will at least present at
q coup d'9l, the tout ensemble of its unprece.
dented enormties. You all remember that 10 1920
country was sgitsted for the first time by the
slavery question. That the great pdcifcdt0rs rose
from their seats and proposed what then and has
since been known as the celebrated Missouri Com
promise. The present Radical party was then but
q germ of what II now is. II opposed the measure
on the ground hat 1t was not authorized by the
Constitution of the United States. In 1852, when
that great question was again brought to the at
teDton Of Congress by Mr.. Douglass, In the Kan.
sas-N braska bill, this party that had pertina-
ciously opposed its enactment. then faced about
and opposed Its abrogstion. Time passed on and
after the iaPeo of sixteen evontfai years, the
country became agitatsd on the subject of South
ern rights. The Missouri Compromise having been
abolished, the statesmen Of the day thought that
peace might be restored by its re-enactment. But
this versatile party, true to its natural penchant
for a change opposed the measure with might and
man. Here we find it occupying both sides of the
question, and each time urging the constitutional
ity of its opinions.
IN ls46, new ideas had crept into their minds
respecting the doctrine of State rights, and al.
though nothing is palmer in the Constitution
ttan that provision which required of the States
the rendition of fugitives from labor upon proper
requisiton being made, they enacted personal
liberty bills In as many as twelve of the States. by
which they denied to the federal functionares en-.
gagged in the enforcement of the fugitive slave
law, the of their jails and prisons. They went
further, and prohibited their State magistrates
from issuing warrants for the arrest of fugtves of
this class, thus virtually multiplying the act Of
Congress of 1898, and setting at defiance the
plainest teachings of the Constitution OF the
United States. The ground alleged by the party
for this act of rebellion &c ainst the authority of
the government was that the execution and en-
prerogative of the federal government. Whilst
thus asserting what was the duty of the federal
government they refused in 1850 to pass more
stringent law in Congress for the enforcement
of the fugitive slave law, because, they said, the
return of fugitiUes was the duty Of the States.
Yet this is not all, for in 1861, not content with
having occupied both sides Of the question, as
party purposes required, they repealed all laws
on the subject, taking the bold ground that the
Constitution should not be obeyed in that regard.
Here we have an introduction to the omnous
majesty of the higher law doctrine. that had made
its appearance under some DISCUSSES in the per-
soDal liberty bills enacted in lS46. They msgni.
fed the rights Of the States, even beyond Jefferso
MAN Democratic proportions, in 1858, and zeal
ously adopted the celebrated resolutions of 1898
and 1899. They exalted the theory of State gov
ernmeDts as against Q Capitalization Of authority,
and consolidation of power, and absolutely pre-
pared to array the States against the federal su-
thority. This ell done whilst they had posses.
sion of many of the State governments. But in
this, as in other things, change was destined to
come over their minds for in 1862 the fortunes Of
politics had thrown the federal government into
their hands. They now denounced the doctrine
of State rights. and boldly declared that the
lutioDs of 1883 were pregnant with treason
against the general government They did not
hesitate to lay violent hands the Constitutions
of the States then in hostile attitude, and to
obliterate them from the mep of the Union. In
doing so, they forgot or ignored their former ad.
vocacy OF the prerogatives of the States and dis
frsDchised the people for seeking to keep and
preserve invioate the identical rights they had
assertede and vociferously magnifed In 1858.
hus endeavoring by every magma Die devise of
hellish ingenuity to convert all that they had
maintained themselves into evidence of treason in
that mo war could be right and no peace could
be wrong;" that IL the Southern Sta es desired to
sever their connection with the federal govern.
ment, and thus to change their relations, they
should be permitted TO do SO. Said they /" Let
the erriDg sisters depart In peace" "let the Union
Slide" etc. But no sooner had we availed our
selves Of this concession than the blasts of q
mighty war rang out, and the powers Of the gen.
ersl government were welded for our subjugation
and political destruction. In 1854, when Native
sprang up in the country, and the
motto was Illuminated by party DEGREES that
Americans should govern America" they were
zealously in favor of restricting the right of suf-
fiage to such as proper Interpretation Of the
motto would reach, on the ground that the une iu-
Gated and poverty stricken emigrants from the old
world, were not sufficiently instructed, and had
not sufficient interest in the property of the
country, to render them safe depositaries of DO.
itical power. But In 1867 they became oblivious
TO these arguments and ndifere mt to the claims of
mind over matter, and by the exercise Of usurped
power they place the ballot in the hands Of
62O,O 600 ignorant negroes from whose limbs the
gives of slavery had just fallen. The outrage
did not end here; but they simultaneously dis
nearly or quite a quarter of a million
Of those very men of intelligence and property
who they had previously declared were the only
safe custodlans OF political power In 1859, Gov.
Chase, of Ohio, the man whom some of our DEM
ocratc friendsw~re lately anxious to have nomi-
mated for the presidency, asserted that the
States had rights which the general government
must not invade, and which were superior to its
power.n But in 1867, Gov. Hayes, up to the spirit
)f the time and occupying the summit of Radical
progress looked down with naughty but ortho-
iox contempt on the separate rights of the
States. and sternly declared that the States had
10 sovereignty at all.
In 1868 Lincoln issued bis celebrated proclama-
ion Of emancipation an act for which no au-
hority, express or implied, can be found in the |
Constitution, by any reasonable construction. |
congress ratified 1t in 1864 by a special act to
hat effect, thus acknowledging the pO1cer of the
PRESIDENT to emancipate 1000 900 of slaves, the |
property of persons by the painest provisions Of
be Constitution but in 1867 they declared that |
Ie had not the power to remove q spy and a |
rsitor from his own cabinet. Do we not know |
hat in lS6l,'2 ., a, Is and IS, both during and |
fter the war; the gallant State of Kentucky was |
represented In the Congress of the United States |
Without question ever being raised as to her |
ight of being so represented! But in 1s67-'S |
'oDgress refused to permit her representatives to
axe their seats until special committee reported
pon the Republicanism of her State government.
Vas this not the climax of political audacity!
In 1862 party purposes required that they should |
reate the state of Western Virginia. portion of
be glorions Old Dominion then ruled over by fede.
al bayonets. Under the Constitution, a docu-
lent which they had not then altogether forgot
IN, they were compelled to have the consent Of
irginia. They accordingly elected Pierpont
n hu tbo H. |