The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1868-10-15
the will of the people. IA voice

l. y q
They say now, openly, that even
Seymour and Blair should be electet
by the people and this policy receiv
another condemnation, that they hav
secured themselves for years and year
in the Senate, which the people can
mot reach; they have brought in tn
carpet -baggers and reinforced them
l'selves. They say they will not und'
the policy, and it will be revolution il
any one who attempts it. [Cheers.
| Yes, fellow-citizens, and because, upo1
a recent occasion, I declared that thi
will of the people should govern il
this country, that if the people willet
4 it, these statutes should wither anc
die under their breath, "Bully!" ant
cheers] 1 have been proclaimed al
over the country as revolutionist-l
have been denounced as willing to re
new this rebellion yes, by these Sen
ators- and ex-Senators and ex-Secre
tary, who are perambulating the coun
try, who kept their seats safely during
war, when I was in the field fighting
against this rebellion with the best
ability 1 possessed. Yet I am rev.
lutionist, and willing to renew this re.
bellion, because I declared that the
will of the people, expressed under the
forms of the Constitution, was in this
country the supreme law; Eapplause,
and that no mere fragment of Con.
gress, no rump Congress, should tie the
hands of this people and make pol
icy for them in opposition to their
wishes. Cheers -'' .a3-
Fellow -citizens, this reconstruction
policy, and the principles upon with
it stands, have been declared to be un-
constitutional by the Supreme Court
of this land. On several occasions ii
has been declared that the principles
upon which these measures rest are
unconstitutional. 1t has been de-
clared by the Supreme Court, erected
under the Constitution to decide upon
the validity and constitutionality OF
az acts of Congress. And yet these
men say that those who would exc
cute the decisions of the Supreme
Court are revolutionists. Those who
are for holding to the Presidential oath
to maintain the Constitution, now
trodden under foot by this fragment
of Congress, are denounced as revolu-
tionists. Those who are for executing
the will of the people, or express con-
demnation for those so-called recon-
struetion laws, who eonde mn this ac-
tion-a verdict which will be rendered
by the people in November next, con-
demning for the second and third
time-they who go for the execution
of the will of the people in this popu-
lar government government which
belongs to the people-they are de-
nounced as revolutionists.
20 Now, my fellow citizens, these laws,
as T have said, are unconstitutional,
null and void, and have been so pro-
claimed by the supreme court of the
country. They commenced by estab-
fishing military despotism, and SUBJ
verting civil government in ten States
of this Union. Does not every man
know, every man of intelligence with
in the sound of my voice, and every
man Of Intelligence within the broad
bounds Of the country, that the Con-
stitution provides that the military
authority shall always be subordinate
to the civil authority of the country
Now in defiance of its plain, and pal
pable, and unmistakable promises,
these men have subverted all civil
government in ten States of this
Union and established a, military des-
potism. And, my friends and fellow
citizens, if they have established this
in ten States Of this Union, why not
in ten more? why not in all the
States Itell you, my fellow-citizens,
they have the will to do it; they have
shown the will to do it; and if you
confde the power again for four years
more in the Executive Chair and in
the Congress of the United States,
they will advance a step further, and
establish a military despotism in ten
more of the States, and perhaps in all
of them. [Cries Of "Never, never w1
But in the same breath these men
who have thus subverted our Consti-
tuition, who have overthrown it, stifed
it, trampled it under foot, have pro-
claimed all of us who go in for the
restoration of the Union and the main.
tenance of the Constitution they have
denounced us as revolutionists. a.r
r. Fellow -citizens, there is a provision
in the Constitution Of the United
States, or was, that every man charged
with crime should have the right tc
be tried by jury of his peers. This
runp Congress has stricken that pro-
| vision out Of the Constitution they
have stricken it out so far, as it con
Germs all the people Of all the States
And yet those of us who demand the
restoration of that great provision
| that safeguard of the liberty of every
man, high or low, among us, are de
nounced by the maIefactors who havt
overthrown it as revolutionists, ant
ready to renew the rebellion. lap
plause.] HG2 '.'3,s "a u -'' 'i''' =.
Yes, my feHow-e citizens, these mel
have also stricken down that jothel
great right-the right of hdbeds cor
pts-within ten States of this nation
The Constitution provides that tn,
right Of ha6eas coapns shall never b.
suspended except in times of invasion
| | yet at q moment of profound tran
guilty and peace, when there is no
4 an enemy of the republic within it
!! whole bounds, these men have sus
lpended the right of ha6eds corpus