Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-06-19
What IL Democracy?

At . Republican ratification meeting, held
in Philadelphia, not long since, the Democ-
racy were shown up right nicely, in telling
speech, by Hon. John A. Bingham, Of Ohio,
from which speech we clip the following
ssThe great party of men who stand opposed
to General Grant were opposed to the war
which that victorious leader carried to . sue:
cessful issue; and the party which supprts him
is the party which aided him in saving the
nation during those four years Of war, If the
latter party is to succeed, in him, who for the
time being is made their standard bearer in
the coming contest, if they are to elect him,
he will do his duty in the legislation Of the
country so long rs law makes power, so long
as it is possible to maintain the American in
stitutions against State secession and State
treason. This is the issue-the life Of Amer
ican institutions in 1868. You may ask mo
for our prof, and am ready to give it,
When the broken battallions Of treason sur
rendered to the victorious leaders Of the re-
puUilC, Ou tIlS JtA VI ApkAl. ACoO, 0n0 SAG
smoke lifted from the field Of conflict, from
the shores of the Potomac to the Rio Grande,
the fact was disclosed to the American peo>
pie that eleven Suites of the Union were total
ly disorganizcd, without Republican govern
ment, without governments Of any kind
known to the Constitution, with the people
prostrated rebels, and the general jurisdic-
ton Of the law at fault, without State organi>
cations, without that Republican government
called for by the Constitution Of the nation;
disorganized communities from which capital
had fed, and to which capital would not re.
turn until peace was resestablished and per-
son protected by the law.
What said the American people They said
in the language Of your declaration, that new
governments must be established for those
States that the nation must be rendered safe
for the future. They instructed their Repre-
sentatives in Congress in the very next sue
ceeding year to propose an amendment to the
Constitution of the United States, which
should secure hereafter in every State Of this
Union, equal protection to all citisens, native
born or not, Of every race and color. Applause]
They went one step further, and provided that
no State nor Congress Of the United States
should ever assume Or pay one dollar contrac.
tel in aid Of the rebellion, or make compensa
ton for emancipatcd slaves. (Applausel They
went one step further BY an article amendas
tory Of the Constitutisn, and declared that the
debt contracted in defence Of the nations life
the debt Of the dead and Of the living de-
fender of the Republic-should be forever in
violate. lApplausel
They vent one step fu, thcr, and declared
that whoever had broken an oath, taken eith-
er in Federal or State capacity, to enter upon
this rebellion, should never again hold An
Office of honor, trust or profit; national or State
until the great people who had triumphed
over the rebellion should, BY their ministers
in Congress, give them that leave. ZAP
plause]
They then sent the article known as the 14th
Article Of the Constitution, but to the people
for their ratification. It was ratified a. you
know, by 23 States Of the Union, beginning
with Maine and ending with Oregon. II was
ratified in part BY the representatives ofss,. !
100000, of the American people, ratihed BY
great unanimity, and thus was the will Of the |,
nation heard. IApplause.1 That was shown
by the eS States in which it was ratified in "a
months, in the years 1867 and 1868. It was
ratified by the Represe sentatives Of the Repub- |
lican party but it was reserved, in the year
1863, for the State of Ohio-for the Legisis. |
ture Of that State-with a majority Of the peo-
pie Of tho State in opposition to the whole A.,
sembly to 60 to work and in the nane Of the
Democracy, to repeal Ohio's ratification, there
BY declaring that it was unconstitutional 70
lay he resources Of that vast region, from
the lakes to the Rio Grands, undsv contri. |
button 10 pay the debt contracted to put down
the rebellion. Aud this is Democracy3 And
this is the issue!
Isay i. here te>night, that would not civ |