The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-07-01
To tz,e People oc PennsyIvanl:a.
Address of the EscnOPEa&ic State Gem
trssl Committee.

The Executive Committee of the Demo
cracy of this State. to whom the following
address w as cferred by the recent State Con
ventioD. now present TO you the same as en-
bodying some of the reasons which actuate
and control the organization they represent
We here soemnly renew our often repeat
ed declaration of fidelity to the great prlncl>
Piles upon which our party has acted from
the time Of its first organization. Our ultl-
mate objects are those of our fathers when
they adopted the federal constitution, VIZ:
"rTo form more perfect union, to establish
Justice, to insure domestic tranquility, to
promote the general welfare, to provide for
the common defense, and secure the blessings
of liberty to ourselves and our posterlty. =
We sincerely believe that the government OF
the United States administered as ii was In
former days. with direct view to the ad-
yanccment of these principles, would do for
us and for our children all that any people
can reasonably desire from the political sys-
TEN under which they live. We are equally
sure, that, if not carried out in the spirit of
those by whom it was framed, it must be-
come a curse instead Of blessing. Situated
as we are, obedience to the fundamental Law
means not only the honest performance OF
sworn obligations, but freedom, peace, and
prosperity to all classes of the people. On
the other hand, the usurpation of lnterdcted
or undelegated power is not only crime in
itself, but the fruitful parent Of other crimes,
and will lead, as it has already led, to in
definite misgeverRment. corruption. and
tyranny, subvertipg all liberty, and render
ing the rights of all men insecure.
When we speak of the federal constitu-
ton. we mean the whole instrument, with
all it's amendments, aud acknowledge the
equal obligation of every part. Several OF
those amendments were carried by brute
force. and by frauds upon the public will so
glaring as to tase from their authors all
claims upon our respect. But we cannot
deny that they have actually become par.
of the constitution nor can we avoid that
fact. or get behind it, by showing the corrupt
misconduct of the men who at that time
controlled Congress and mastered the State
Legislatures WhosoeveT swears to support
the constitution must perform all that is Gin
the bond" Any change which experience
and reason shall prove to be desirable must
be made in the prescribed way, and Tot by
revolutionary or disorderiy means.
No candid person will deny that the
leading men in power at Washington have
been Enf4ithful to their duties. They have
broken the pledges they made to the people.
and, in reckless disregard Of their oaths,
they have violated the plaiuest provisions of
the constitution. They have deprived the
States of their sacred right Of self-govern-
msnt in matters purely local, and disarmed
them of the power to enforce their own
laws for the preservation Of order within
their own boundaries they have passed
bills of pains and penalties operating on
millions at once without regard to the guilt
or innocence of the parties they have
,Io,l iNs Of 4
and property treated the h0JcGs corpus
law with contempt, and denied the right of
trial by jury ; they have sent out swarms
Of their hireling agents with instructions to
kidnap, impTisou, and kill free citizens for
political offences, without judicial accusa-
tion, without warrant, and without legal
trial. They have not only trodden on the
great principles embodied in the original
constitution as it came from the hands Of it's
framers but even the amendments, which
they themselves interpoiated, have been
broken without remorss whenever it suited
their interests In defiance of the Xlllth.
they have doomed many persons 80 the
worst kind of slavery or involuntary ser
vitude" in the public prisons, without the
pretence of any "crime whereof the party
was legally convicted )" in the face of
the XIVth, they have abridged the equal
rights" Of whole masses of white citizens;
without the least respect for the right OF
universal suffrage, guaranteed by the XVIII,
they ha We iuterfered both forcibly and fraud>
ulently to prevent fair elections, and to set
them aside after they were held.
These outrages upon justice, liberty and
law have been perpetrated not during the
coufict of civil war-nOt N the moments
of. wild passion, or heated excitement-but
in cold blood, upon deliberate reflection in
time Of profound peace, in full view of the
cousequeuces-and their authors have fol-
lowed out this line of policy. step by step,
with persistency which shows their fixed
determination for the future, as in the past,
to be bound by no oath, and hsld by no
promise.
The two last aud most important of their
anti-constitutional measures show more dis
tiuctly than others their settled design to
strangle the liberties of the nation and take
perpetual power into their own hands. The
force bill authorizes the President. not only
to invade the States at his pleasure, but by
declaring martial law, to subvert all gov
erDmeut, except what consists Of his mere
will. Under the election law his cannon is
planted directly against the freedom of
State elections. Already the bayonets of
the executive have CLEANED around the poll
ing places of the people in the city of New
York and Philadelphia. Who can mistake
the meaning of these preparations for the
next Presidential election Who doubts
that warning and rebuke are needed now to
prevent the administration from carrying out
its purpose by force? If the warning be
not given by the people, or fail of its props
er effect, can we hope for peace? 1t seems
to US an error to suppose the American peo>
pie tame enough to be kicked under the
yoke of despotism, or ignorant enough to
be juggled out of the great inheritance of
free government which their fathers left
them.
We complain of orr present rulers for
lawleSs usurpation of power. Power not
delegated is always abused. In this as in
other cases, usurpation has been accompa-
MED and followed by corruption. Frauds
without number, and almost without linlt,
have been committed on the public Men