The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-09-12


possession Of every virtue which adornl
u public or private life, Horatio Sey
mour stands the first of statesmen; and
his explicit declaration that he approve.
every line Of those resolutions; that he
will stand Upon them in the contest; thai
he will carry them out in furturc, where
ever he may be placed, gives full assur
ancc that he will make them effective in
his administration. Tremendous up.
plause
Mr.. Blair is an accomplished aud OK.
perienced statesman; brave and able
soldier. His father was the nearest
friend Of General Jackson; his brother
the conddantc aud adviser Of Mr. Lincoln;
and he himself the disciple and protegc
of Benton. [Applause.
TUE REPUBLICAN PARrY-wHAT IT II
RESPONSIBLE FOR.
If anything more were needed to fire
your hearts with the enthusiasm which
marked their nomination, let it be drawn
from the contrasts which our country to.
day presents The Republican party has
been for eight years in absolute posses.
sion Of every department Of tho Federal
Governmental has had the executive,
and the legislative, and the Judiciary,
obedient 10 its bchests. Ii has had pos
session Of every State government 10 the
| Union, with very few exceptions--so few
that they scarcely serve to illustrate the
rale IL has had every department Of
governmental power, both State aud Fed
eral, entirely in its hands. Ifvctoes have
been interposed, they have been oyerrid.
den By two thirds vote Ii adverse iu.
dicial decisions have bccn expected, the
Court has been rcorgauizcd by diminu.
ton Of the judges, or the case has been
taken from its eoguizauce by change ol
the law OF appeal. RI States have inter.
posed an obstacle, their assumptions have
been dcrided, and their efforts have
been met by the strong arm'of the Fed
eral power.
Having thus had absolute possession Of
the Government during four years of tho
war, it has also had possession Of it dur.
| ing more than three years Of profound
peace. II has had the enjoyment Of pow
or, aud il IS responsible for its use
But in what condition do We fud the
country today? Where is the Constitu.
lion which they swore to uphold! Where
is the Union which they swore TO main
tain! Where arc the rights Of the States
which are essential TO the maintenance of
that Constitution aud Union?
uow TnEY nAYE - RgsToRDrD" TnE rStos, &C.
We have had three year of profound
peace; not hostile arm has been raised
in opposition to the Government, aud yet
10 day ten States are held by the strong
arm OF military power in acknowledged
subjugation, or else are compelled to sub
init by that same power 10 frames of State
constitutions aud governments which they
abhor, whose foundation and sole purpose
Is the cufrauchiscment Of the negro and
disiranchiscment Of the white man.
know they tell us that the work Of recon-
struelion goes brayely on. 1t does, for.
sooth, but 1t is not the restoration Of the
Union; not the re-establishmcnt Of civil
government! Read your telegraphic dis
patches to-day, and you viii see that in
Georgia men are being tried by military
commission, upon charges Of murder.
Read the telegraphic dispatches of yester-
day, aud you viii see that the military
commander Of that State declines TO re-
cognize the validity of the Legislature
until the House Of Representatives shall
turn out the Democratic members.
PERiPATETIc coSGREssMES.
Read the dispatches of the day before,
and you will see that one of the newly
elected Senator'S from Louisiana was, six
months ago, citizen of Illinois, and the
other a citizen of Indiana; that the Gov.
ernor Of Florida was, year ago, the
President Of an Agricultural Society 10
Iowa. If am not mistaken the State Of
Virginia rcjoiccs in the the possession of
"a Governor fresh from the soil of Ohio;
Tlaughter1 and if the newspapers do not
belle him, citizen Of our State has de-
clined to be a candidate for Congress in
the District in which be lives, for the
reason that he expects to be Senator
from Alabama before the fall elections in
Ohio shall take place. Laughter and ap-
plause.
CONGRESSIONAL UsURPATIoNs.
Congress has usurped to itself all power
over the State governments of the South.
1t has destroyed them. 1t has made use
of the Federal Government to destroy the
States, and now, with the insatiate spirit
of revolution, it turns upon the Federal
Government itself. 1t has destroyed the
independence of the Judiciary; it has
struck ut the existence of the Executive.
Our fathers thought they had solved the
problem Of free Government in the crea-
tion of the three departments. This Re-
publican Congress has destroyed all the
divisions which wero thus created, and
seeks to collect, in its own hands, all the
powers which belong to the system, and
by an inexorable law of its existence, it
now stands ready, in case of party neces-
sity, to transfer them to the grasp Of the
military dictator. 1t is reproducing in
our country the lessons Of all history.
ToRIcAL EXPERIENCE.
The despotism of Legislative assembly
is the worst despotism in the world; it is
the most selfish, the most cruel, the most
audacious and the most short-lived; it
ends in anarchy, aud is speedily followed
by the calm repose of tyranny under the
order of the sword. Recall the history
of the Roman Senate and the Emperors;
recall the history of the long Parliament
and the tyranny of the Commonwealth,
recall the history of the Legislative As.
sembly of France, and of the Consulate
and the Empire, and read in them the
Il. q