The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-09-29
SPEECH OF
HON. L D. CAMPBELL,
AT DELAWARE, SEPT. :, 1870.

FELLOW CITIZENS: The policy pur-
sued by the political organization
known as the Republican party tends
to the destruction of the Republic
You may say that this is very grave
charge. / concede it and admit that
if fail to adduce facts or argument
to substantiate it. whatever of reputa-
ton may have in this community
will be damaged.
There have been various forms of
government i'll operation. Despot-
isms in which all the powers of the
Government, Legislative. Executive
and Judicial are concentrated in q sim
gle head; Moharchies in which these
powers are somewhat distributed but
limited to comparatively a few per-
sons, and Republics in which all pow
er is derived from the whole people
who are governed.
Without intending to go tediously
into n consideration ef. the peculiari-
ties of our government as il was un-
der the old Constitution as our faith
ers made it, have few words to say
upon the philosophy or theory on
which it was founded.
There are two. conflicting elements
in human nature always operating in
society. One seeks to acquire power
the other is fearful and jealous of
it. In governments the one seeks to
concentrate it in the few-the other
to distribute it among the many. The
former is the aristocratic or despotic
element-thc latter the Democratic or
Republican.
1t was the active workings of the
despotic element on the part of the
King of Great Britain which led to
the American revolution and the sub
sequent formation of the Republic
You all know that he refused 10 al
low the people of the colonies any
portion of the powers of Government
-legistive, executive or judicial. He
usurped them all, and even treated
their respectful petitions with con-
tempt. This produced that immortal
document, the Declaration of Inde-
pendepce, which was put forth by
such lllustrious patriots as John Han
cock, Benjamin Franklin and John
Adams. 1t was signed, likewise, by
member of the Sherman family. I
do not mean John, the Ohio Senator,
VINO addressed you here on Saturday
last [laughtcr], but one Roger Sher-
man, an old shoemaker of those days
from Connecticut. The Senator is a
descendant of the old patriot who
half-soled boots in ante-revolutionary
times, but l shall not be so rude as to
intimate that he is the degenerate Off
spring of an illustrious sire :" but /
will say that he and the party of which
he is a leader have adopted policy
in palpable conflict with the doctrines
and teachings OF Roger Sherman and
his compatriots who established the
Republic.
After the Declaration of Indepen-
dence followed the war of the Revo-
luton, and after seven years of bloody
war and fearful suffering, our cause
triumphed. Not long afterwards fol-
lowed the Convention to frame Con-
stitution and establish a Government
ON the Democratic or Republican
principle. The world has recognized
that as a body of the wisest and
purest patriots that ever assembled
1t was presided over by the great and
good Washington. And here again
we find in conncil with him, and Mad
ison, and Franklin. and other patriots
fresh from the battle fields of the Rev
olution, Sherman-not J ohm, the SEN
ator, who made the late speech, but
Roger, the old Connecticut shoema-
ker! Laughter and applause.l Guild
ed by the experience of the past they
made Government of the people-a
Republic. With profoundest wisdom
they carefully distributed the powers
and guarded against infringemements
that might result in monarchy or des-
potism. ~.
By this Constitution they conferred
all the legislative power of the gene
eral or National Government i'll
Congress, specifically and cautiously
limiting and defining the powers of
that body. They next provided that,
"the executive power shall be vested
in President and then, that " the
judicial power shall be vested in one
Supreme Court, and in such inferior
courts as the Congress may from time
to time ordain and establish Hav-
ing delegated to these three eo-nrdi-
nate and independent departments of
government all the powers deemed
necessary for the nation, and provid-
ed the necessary checks to prevent
consolidation, to make still more clear
| the purpose Of the instrument it was
provided, "tbat the peWers pot dele
gated to the United States, nor pro-
hibited by it to the States, are re-
serped 10 the States respectively or to
the people, Washington, the father
of his country, was the e6mpatpiot of
Sherman, 4 mean Roger, the shoema-
kerr was the first President under
this Constitution and served eight
years as he retired to private life he
| issued a farewell address to the Amer
ican people. He feared that III the
future the arlstoeratic element of So
ciety would seek to consolidate these
powers so carefully distributed. I
read 9 paragraph or two from it to
show how far Sherman q mean john
and the Republieal PARTY, of which
he is leader, have wandered from
the teachings of Washington:
SIT is important, too, that the habits of think
4 those intrusted with its administration to con
fine thepqsslVes within their respective consti-
o IT. @
on another. The spirit Of encrodGAqgent Jends ia
consolidate all the 71O1reFs Of tie departments in
| one and thus to create, aChdte0er MeforDs of 0op-
er7.ment, a real despotisnl." ,s.
| Without going into a tedious detail
of the various measures of encroach-
ment adopted by the Republican par
ty, will simply refer generally to
facts still fresh in the memory of all
who read. Congress quarrelled with
President johnson and enacted laws
usurping the executive functions un-
der the Constitution, and rendering
him powerless to dismiss the thieves
who were robbing the National treas
ury. Applause. The Executive
Department was thus paralyzed and
poweriess. And just here l must
make slight diversion.
REDUCING EXPENDITURES.
Senator Sherman well knew, be-
cause he was an active party to this
encroachment on the executive con.
stitutional prerogatfve, that Johnson
was powerless. He well knew that
tba Renubiieans had majority of two