The Van Buren press., 1871-09-12
Pulaski County Moving.

ItseItcu anu tHo ocitxlte3 uanlItsteu uccp
interest in she movement. The meeting was
called to order by Hon. Thos. Fletcher and
Hon. Sam. W. Williams made chairman who
opened the meeting In a stirring speech.
/ Maj. TRos. c. PEEK and Hon. X. A. HOWARD,
were the speakers Of the day. New County
Committee was appointed and the more per-
feet organization OF the party in the county
set on foot.
We extract from q synopsis OF Col How
ards speech in the Gazette the following:
At the time Of the democratic convention in
| New York there were no fourteenth and iif-
teentl amendments. and the democracy is not
Inconsistent with the platform then adopted
In any position II may now take in regard 10
these late amendments, The fourteenth was
declared TO be ratified on the Goth July, lsGS
and the fifteenth on the 30th March, 1870.
Many OF the United States courts, and even
judges of the supreme court, on the circuits,
recognized these amendments as valid and
binding. and the speaker laimcd that, whoth
er they had done so or not, the amendments
havin. been declared ratified by the political
departments Of the government, there was no
power TO undo what had been done. except
those same political departments .s operated up
on ana controlled by the people through le
this. these amendments have been acquissced
IN by all ue States and the people every
where. 3s set forth in your very admirable
Ioufui resolution here to-day. 1t Is fact
that in every northern State where the ques-
tion of negro suffrage was submitted to the
people, 1t was voted down-but now this
question having been determined by the fif-
teenth amendment, the negroes vote without
opposition. Take Kentucky. Her constitu-
forbade rnlDrsI m tha hnll -i,,,t
since the adoption of the fifteenth amendment
colorcd men vote there the same as here. So
with all the States and their people, and all
departments ofthe goyernment-thet fifteenth
amendment Is, and has been, since the decla-
ration by the State department, of its adop-
tion, recognized as part of the fundamental
law OF the land, and this very recognition by
the people, and by all branches Of our gov
ernment-fcdcral and state-makes the qucs-
tion of negro suffrage q dead issue He had
opposed the two last amendments and lie was
not yet satisfied he was not right in doing so
but it was not his duty now that they been
declared as part of the established laws, to
endcavor 10 reopen this question. 1t was his
duty to obey them. He opposed them when
ton has been closed, it was not tho part of
wisdom to continue that opposition, lie be-
lieved these amendments, rs 4 matter Of fact,
We're not properly ratiied-tlat the means
taken by the general government to bring
about this result were contrary to the spirit
of our free, republican institutions. But not
withstanding that, they are n part OF the fun
damental law of the land, He believed in n
democratic government, with its three CO. or
dinate branches; that one branch Of the gov :
ernment could not interfere with the other.
He knew this was broad ground. 1t has been
said by some that the supreme court could de-
termine the question Of the validity of these
amendments, but he saw no authority in the
constitution giving one branch of the gov
ernmcnt power to decide the validity of the
acts OF another CO. ordinate power 1t would
have been proper for the supreme court 10
have decided as to the constitutionaity OF the
reconstruction acts; but after amendments
have been declared part OF the fundamental
law by the executive branchof the govern
mcnt. he did not concede the power OF the ju-
dicial branch to pass upon the validity of the
acts Of the other, -.....-' ...
He believed in the doctrine of State rights
and thought every encroachment on the re-
served rights Of the States after the origina
formation Of the government was ill-advised
When these late amendments became par,
OF the constitution, they amounted la eifec,
| to the taking away 90 much more from State
sovereignty and adding so much more 10 the
power Of the general government, and that OF
itself fjustlied democratic opposition to them
| lie denied in toto that the democratic par
ty asa party was ever an advocate ofslavcry
If there ever was man who approached near.
ly to the pro-slavery sentiments enuneiats,
by the greatest IcaAaSrk,, it' was the foundc,
Of the democratic party, Thomas jefferson
| Slavery went to the ground as a necessary
consequence OF the war; and even southern
democrats, standing, like SO many mariners
amid the wreck Of their own fortunes drew
consolation from the fact, that the institution
was gone forever. Revive IL! There is no
n handful Of democrats from Maine TO Cali
fornia who would revive it II they could. I'm
dcrly ing all their belief was the secret dstast,
to slavery, and IL would have broken out il
their ranks long before the war had 1t no
been that the democratic party considered /
question for tho States, and, upon princjplc
refused to interfere through the national GOV
ernmcnt with the local concerns Of any por
tion Of the people. ...
As to the fourteenth amendment one yalif
objection that democrats had to the first sec
tion was the ambiguity of tho language
which. when the government Is in the hand.
| Of bads men, may be construed to mean thai
the general government has tho power to in
tcrfere with the rights OF the States. 1t ID al
unnecessary departure from the theory of ou
fathers. Ii the government Is administered
bv pure men, no such construction will b,
| likely to be given to that section, but const
tutional guarantees arc, or ought to be- 81
framed AS to prevent bad men from don.
harm in the name of law. Another clause o.
that amendment prevents a large class from
the privilege OF holding Office. We obIcctec
to that section because We believe n mar
should not be punished before he Is tried anC
found guilty. We are in favor OF and demant
, hat congress shall do away with this restric,
ira '1use-o Of the amendment. le
color. 4 man-"Then that will put VI
| ,,, won't Il ?"
Col HowardENo: Wearc opposed to put
| ting single shackle on yu,.' eitnei 70 restor'
those you wore when you belon "eo TO mas
ter, who furnished you with food A.. u ciotn
,ng, but compelled your labor, or TO contn.. .u'
upon you the fettcrs of a set Of ycnal un prin-
cipled, interested knavcs, who. under cruel
party discipline, demand and force your SER
vices. withoat supplying you either food or cloth
iaQ. iGreat applause afy y.s.. m.
The speaker, resnming. said: And while the
democratic party Is just Just to the black
man, II proposes, also, to be Just to such OF the
white race as labor under political disqualif-
cation. Renewed applause by both whites
and blacks. He would not disturb the nf-
tecnth amendment. because II would bring in
its train nothing but strife and ruin. IL Is
best that we take the constitution as 1t now
Is, instead Of trying to make it better by
tinkering with 1t again. 1t Is time both white
and black men should cease to talk OF these
matters as black men or white men. APP
peals TO prejudice are the arguments OF dcrna-
gogues. He would like to see white and black
men come up to the polls and not ask to what
party they belonged, but inquire what were
their duties as ffeemen. 'fA
He would not now disturb the right Of the
lI.,, IL IA