New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-07-14

| from prosecutions in the South. The for.
eigner had left his mother country to find
freedom not slavery in the South. he com
pared the Institutions of the so called re-
public to the monarchicsl systems of Eu-
ropean governments. To him the father
land was much freer. If prosecutions
| existed, slavery did not. The poor man
could not find home. Hecould not consist.
emily with his manhood work upon one side
of the fence while the bounteous earth on
the other side was titled by slave labor.
| To his children the institutions offered no
educational facilities. The schools were
erected for the wealthy and aristoeratic
few, and what advantages might have been
derived from the liberal system of the pub
lie school law the caste of society and pub
lie opinion consigned to oblivion. So,
standing aghast on the Southern shore
of the republic he naturally exclaimed:
"Csn this be the republic of America Is
this civil and political liberty ~
Slavery had taken root in the colonies,
and was continued in several of the States
after the adoption of the Constitution
of the United States. 1t was con.
tinued by sort of compromise, tacit
consent. and existed afterward by virtue OF
laws made to secure it. doubt very much
whether under our system of laws it could
have been abolished by any peaceable act
of the general government. revolution
was necessary to accomplish the divine end.
And by the dlspensation of a merciful Provi.
dence, aided by the Federal army, it was
accomplished.
You are aware that two great political
| parties had immemorially existed in the
United States. One of these parties, the
| Democratic party, opposed to progress in
! favor of slavery Prostituting and subvert-
| ing its great name to uses and purposes for
| eign to the meaning thereof, for forty
| years this party, by united front, bade def
ance to any party opposing it. 1t was vic
torious in nearly every political contest; so
| completely held the reins of government
| that he who wished to be President must
first become Democrat. This party inau-
| gurated secession at the Charleston Conven.
| tiOn-called State conventions of all the
| slave States-seceded from the general gov.
ernment-called the Constitution of the
| United States piece of waste paper-pro-
nounced the United States flag dirty rag
| inaugurated the war by seizing the forts,
| arsenals, and magazine stores of the United
| States-by repudiating Northern indebted
ness-by armtng and drilling the people of
| the South, and the ball was opened by firing
red hot shot upon the United States flag at
| Fort Sumter-fought four years war to
smash up the government of the people, and
to erect a southern Confederacy, to build a
new government with aristOcracy and slav.
cry as the foundation stones.
/ When the smoke of four years of battle
went marching home again, it was sup.
| posed that the old Democratic party was
defunCt That it had died natural death.
But 10, and behold 1t was not dead, but
only sleeping. 1t again unfolded its Shiny
| folds: and becoming warmed by the intense
briliancy of its victorious rival, lay for a
short time concealed in the high grass; o
filthy, crawling poisonous copper-head. 1t
now shoots forth its fangs, in protests
against the new Constitution; and prepar
ing for its own funeral, admonishes the
United States Senate that it is the same par
ty, which fought the late war against the
Federal government. That they are in favor
of a white-man's government. That the
blacks are self.willed vindictive, and incapa.
be of exercising the right of franchise.
That they, the Democratic party, are op
posed to every liberal provision of the new
Constitution and have always been, and to
show their consistency, proclaim to the
grave Senators that they opposed the con.
ventiOn, opposed the new Constitution, op-
posed the reconstruction policy of Congress,
in every particular, aud in toto. Disclaim-
ing through the public press, every afilia.
| tion with the 'pole cat or ''blaCk and tam
| Convention. The old Democratic psrty is ful.
" organized. 1t is in the field. In the face OF
the facts have enumerated they have the
| effrontery to ask you to vote for them,
telling you they are the friends to the col
| ored race. And ask you to vote for them
| because among other things they murdered
the man who set you free.
Arrayed against the Democratic party is a
Young giant-vigorous, healthy, strong.
Upon its forehead is stamped the goddess
| Liberty. Upon its ample brows the laurel
of victory and the olive branch of peace.
1t has not become effeminated by long su.
pneness. The vices, fOllies, and coTrup-
| tious of long supremacy and power have
not sullied or weakened it. Such as it is
= l, 0ft.
of progress, of equality before the law, OF
liberty, and national union. 1t is now and
has been the party of all sections, and OF
| the whole country. 1t eXerted its strength
against the armed hosts of secession and
treason. From four million slaves it
knocked the shackles: suppressed the most
| gigantic rebellion of the age; gave the bal
rising above the silly sectional notions Of
| tle time. carried into full force the meaning
of the Declaration of Independence: made
the United States republic in fact as well
as in name 1t snatched the insulted flag
of the republic from the dust of Fort Sum
that dismantled pile. Saw il place the
flag of the free on the hill at Fort Donel
son, and colored garrison left to pro
tect it. II cleaned above the surrendered
hosts CT treason ON the Fourth of July at
Yicksburg, fioated shimmering with liberty
over the prison pens of Georgia, and shone
like sunburst over the burning CITY Of
Richmond. In one hand this party carried
the Bible, in the other hand the sword.
| Wherever its influence is felt invigoration
and renovation is its watchword. 1t is a
beacon of hope to the lowly of this and other
lands. 1t is the poor mans party; the party
ofall the States All the world recognizes the
Justice of its principles. 1t is the party of
liberty, action, great deeds. Its principles
are founded upon the revealed law of God
upon the future prosperity of the country,
upon eternal truth.
The Republican party has set race free,
made them men, American citizens all. In
one fell sWoop it has knocked into nothing
ness the ancient cherished creeds and dog
mas of the Democratic party. In the face
of opposition, subject to abuse under which
| not anything could exist but adamantine
principles, it has come out victorious
| though bloody, from the battle of liberty,
| Already gigantic strides have been made
| toward the restoration of the Union. Ten
nessee and Arkansas have been admitted /;
| while six more are ready to wheel into line
| to the music of our national airs. (Tre-
mendous cheering.)
The Democratic party in 1851 proclaimed
that they could easily whip the North
! And the North was victorious on
nearly every battlefield. They preach
| ed that slavery was founded
on the Gospel, and Abraham Lincoln aboI-
ished it. They said European nations would
assist them, and they bent the knee of SER
Witty in vain-they were all afraid of get
! ting hurt. They pronounced the immortal
| proclamation of Lincoln a ehimera, and it
| proved reality. When the Democratic or
SO called Confederate army surrendered.
| they took the oath of allegiance with ali the
gustO with which a hungry child aafs mill