Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-08-18
His Speech !. and IN d. His 'aR Reasons eBs,,,n

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bSa ispesial Correspondence Of the Enquirer.i
3.Tra,rWEsT ~, LIRERTY, O.,Aug. IA, 1865
q IA large mum Der of Democratic neigh
.bors Of General A. Saunders Piatt re-
paired to his residence Jast evening, and
after some very sweet music from the
West Liberty Brass Band called upon
that gentleman for a speech. General
Piatt said ;elGI llsM 3iiiSs9 .lefe6Ftfe
wslMY FEEEow DEMoeRATs AND NEIGH
sBoRs: I need not tell you how deeply
: appreciate this complimentary demon
d Hstratioh. ;aIfeel it the more from; the fact
that'it gives me an opportunity to say a
few things / wish to say publicly. No
one knows better than I the strength oi
party association. Next to patriotism
to ones country comes loyalty to ones
party. and the ties binding the last can
not be severed without attaching GER
tain amount of blame to the individual
who secedes. One is anxious, therefore
!. to give, his reasons for such severance
and justify himself, if possible, for the
course he takes 1e ba776-TEy|l /
In few words, then, let me say, that
Lam; disloyal to the Republican eorgani.
szation beeauseI seek to be- patriotic to
my Government. Applause. Under
stand me, / attach no blame whatever
to my late political associates. be-
lieve the great mass to be honest, earn
est and patriotic, and that patriotism
they have asserted by their blood upon
all the battlefelds, and their lives in all
the hospitals, of the late war. But il
does not follow ON that account, that as
party, heated by partisan zeal, they
are not as dangerous to tho republic as
the men themselves they went out to
fight. o. 10 Y s - !. 40
1sbIabelieves it was the design of the
fathers in the formation of our Govern
ment to secure our National indepen-
dence through the General Government
at Washington, and the rights of the
citizen throughthe State organizations.
need not take your time, and waste my
breath in illustrating, or, rather, demon.
strating this fact. No one fact is clearer
to the student of constitutional law than
this. 1t may have been dream of the
fathers, and quite impracticable in exc
cution; but it was the design. and until
it is found impossible, propose to as.
sist in giving it life and strength. ZAP.
plause. .-sfs, s,6t~23eF
ob Long before the late war broke upon
us, the power of the General Govern
ment had falleu into disuse. The States
arrogated to themselves all the power
that had before been delegated to the
grand Central Government. need re
fer to only a few instances to demon
strate my meaning. Citizens of Massa-
chusetts were seized and imprisoned. in
South Carolina for merely exercising the
rights guaranteed by, the Constitution
9 of the United States.e Massachusetts
in return, enacted laws that equally sci
at defiance the rights of South Carolina
under our Constitution. The right to
regulate exchange and furnish National
currency was usurped by the States
and our land was flooded with irredeem'
able trash called paper money. that en-.
griched a few "Shylocks"-at the expense
Of the many. Each State had its code
OF. laws in antagonism to her sister
States, and to this day you can not tray.
el through New Jersey without paying
tribute to that State in direct violation
of the compact under which the fathers
propose we should live in peace and
3 good feeling + AHvoice 5aD-n New
Jersey !" That State was not alone tc
blame. We have our own sins to an
swer for in that direction. Why, my fel
low citizens, the General Government
had fallen so low, that when the Mexican
war came our President, instead of re
sorting to the draft, had to call for vol
unteers, and humbly solicit the Govern
ors; of States to furnish him aid in tn,
support Of our National flag on the felt
of battle. "a ~ ,t.5ea-r IN 81
Z This sort Of practice and their evi
teachings continued until they culmi
mated in secession. South Carolin,
avowed her right, and appealed to thu
wager of battle in its support, to with
draw from the Union in the same way
that she had entered the Union.
My fellow citizens, and especially my
Democratic friends, when man is asked
to become Siamese twin he has an un
doubted right to refuse. But having
consented to be one of Siamese twins
he cannot sever the ligature without con
sulting the health and inclination of hi
brother twin. Laughter and cheers.
|g South Carolina had the unquestionet
right to refuse to enter the Union, but
having become one of many, her right i
merged in the rights of all, and an at
tempt to- exercise such privilege of he
own motive is simply rebellion, or, i
you will, revolution. - - o. ~
Unfortunately for the country, unfor
tunately for humanity, the Democratic
party was committed to this grave error
Then it was 1 left the Democratic party
Il left my motherless children and my
Individual witnesses, and went to tn
field when South Carolina and her err
ing sisters had thrown down the GLOW
and stood armed to the teeth to .battl
for the wrong. Long and loud applause.
i did then what Z should do again-an,
in ny last hour, yea, in my dying mo
ments, believe, feel that l shall fnt
consolation in the remembrance that i
| the deadly hour of my country's peril
stood in the smoke-of battle, where dead
ly missiles carried desolation to the
households, and fought for our flag an
our Government. Renewed and long
continued applause. ,g1oia
We were victorious, and flushed wit
victory we now swing over to the othe
extremes. This is human, nature, an
heated by partisan zeal and led by fac
tion we hasten to do on the other ez
treme as great. anaevil as that propose
by the Hsecessionists. The RepubIica