Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-10-23

see? A General in one of our Southern
States, acting under the advisement and in
accordance with the sentiment OF the Re-
publican party, and subordinate OF It's |
candidate for the Presidency, has recently |
put forth an order in which he directs that
at the coming election the soldiers in the
South, in the preservation of peace, need
not be governed by the technicaites of the
law. Law has no technicalities. The pro-
ceedings of a court are sometimes techni-
cal, but for the first time in our land We
hear declarations that the language or re-
quirements of the laws may be treated
as technicalities, to be set aside.
not by your Courts, but by military power
1t was never before heard in thisiland That
any Court had the right or power to set
aside the language or directions of the
statute on the ground that they were tech
nical directions. The day was Wien the
mere assumption of a military officer to sit
in Judgment upc n the laws wou d have 9Cv-
erned the whole people. But here the pro-
position goes further than that. They are
not only to decide what laws are. but they
are to take it upon thems / yes 10 disregard
the provisions of these laws, if they See tit
to claim that they are technical.
What are the laws which are thus to be
trampled upon? You have heard il
charged against me and against Gene al
would trample upon the Constitution
and laws, aud yet at the very moment they
make these charges, one of their own par
tizans. acting under their own i. fluences,
is trampling these very laws under loot by
direction that his subordinates shall not
feel themselves bound in their action, if
they see fit TO regard any of the provisions
OF these laws as technical. [Cheers
Let us look little lurCher at this cnarge
l repel with Indignation the suggestion
that any member of the Democratic party,
or that party as an organization, or that
myself as individual of that party, will
yer do violence to law or order. Cheers
Let us inquire into the reasonableness IS OF
tiils charge. Suppose the people of the
United States see fit to elect Democratic
Prt sident, IA voice - "they will," and
cheers and Democratic Vice President.
What then! lsyour Government changed?
Do we hold unqualified power? Could We
make war! Could we control the legisla-
tion OF the country? What will our power
be under the laws, as they now stand? You
nave seen chief executive oftheSe United
States shackled by legislation; you have
seen him arranged as criminal before
the court; you have heard the majority OF
thaI tribunal pronounce him guilty man.
and he would have been deposed from pow
er mad they not lacked one vote to make
tWo-thirds of the Senate to sanction thai
action. Those statutes, laws which to-day
shackle and hinder the action of Andrew
johnson, would equally shackle a Demo
! cratic Executive if he succeeded in this
election. Our Republican friends " i'll on
troll the Senate. They will control the
army, for their candidate is the General
who commands that army.
How absurd, then. is this cry that there
is danger from an Executive thus shackled
ana powerless, even if he desired to Dc
wrong. lCheers.
Ii may De asked, then, what do we gain
II we change the executive and place one
OF different party in the Executive chair
when his powers will be so limited. jus
this, my friends: While he can affirma
lively do but little, he can do much tt
check the unwise action of the party now
in power; he can do much to protect tht
| labor of this country from unwise legisla.
ton; he can Go much to check in the fu
ture the dangerous policy which threaten
ed the dearest and most vital interests o
the country. tCheers But more than
that, it is necessary for the welfare OF tht
American people that there shall be givel
popular verdict which will say that th'
policy OF the men in power is not such a
meets their approval. The men in powe
| hive no where established a successfn
system of reconstruction, nor done anv
thing to tighten the burdens which op
pressed the people of the North. TCheers
My strength, my time, and this vast au
dlence prevent my attempting to addres
| you at length or in any detail upon thi
great subject. We ask you now that b.
your votes you shall put some checks upol
the unqualified power exercised by In
| congressional party. If we 90 well in tn
place you put US. and our conduct shall b
such that we gain your confidence. the
we shall ask you at another tine and a
future election to 90 on with tie reforr
and reinstato in full pow-r tha7 great au
glorious Democratic party whi IN is i,lenti
fled with all that is glorious in the histor
| of cur country.
1 have bnt one word more to sav, an
then L will give place to my friend Nj
| Herman. | implore every man within tn
sound of my voice, whatever his politics
views may be, before he casts his ballot a
| this election, to seriously ask himsel
whether it is not better for this Who'll
country that political power shall in som
! degree be divided between political oryani
cations? [ ask those who in their heart
seek the welfare of our land and the per
manency of our Constitution, is it well am
safe, for another four years, to give unre
strained, unchanged and uuqraliie
power to those who have faile
during the past four years t
bring orr affairs into a sat stactory condi
tion. We do not ask you to give us unrr
stricted power. You could not if yo
woul'. All you can do az this election
TO place some one in the Executive cnai
who can check.the eXresses of The Congres
sional party. and to administer rehuke t
those who. giving way to passion and act
ing upon policy of hate and discord hav
prolonged the difficulties of our country
have continued its burdens OF taxation
have oppressed its labors and have mad
its people uncertain as to its future.
l trust at when this election shall hav
terminals it shall be the judgment OF til
| peope of the United States that the inten
ton OF the trainers of our ConStitu.io
| shall be carried out; that power shall i
such degree be divided between the or, a
political organic ltions, so that they ca
hold each other in check, and that it shal
neither be in the power Of the Republca
or of the Democratic party to plunge on
country into the evils of civil war, even
they could find it in their hearts to do
thing so unwise. so wicked and so unpat
riotic. [Cheers.l ..
thank you, my friends, for this grea
exhibition of your kind partality to my
self. From my heart thank you for thi
denomination of kindness and considera
ton. 1t strengthens my arm and make
me feel a confidence thathe who with sin
cerity and humblent SIS tries to serve hi
country and benefit his fellow citizens will
ever meet with warm welcome from thos
whose interests he deeply cherished. Ere
| mendous cheering. a--.. .- .