Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-08-31

at every stage of our progress b
the whole strength of the Democrs
party.
The evidence of this is abundan
We find it in the State platform il
self. They inform US in that docu
ment that they will apply
the Constitutional Amendment
the doctrines of strict cor
struction. We know what thi
means. 1t means that all the legs
ingenuity of the party will be az
piled to the language of thes
Amendments to make it mean a
little as possible for liberty and hu
manity. Before the war the South
ern wing of the Democratic party
by applying to the Constitution tn
rules of strict construction, foun,
in it the right of secession and re
bellion. l think the Northern win
are, at least, equally ingenious, an,
they may yet be able to discover, b
use OF strict construction, that tn
Amendments to the Constitution
were never designed to protect tn
freedmen in their rights. The Dem
ocratic platform also declares tina
while the Constitution is permanent
until abrogated as prescribed b,
that instrument, all legislation is il
its nature temporary. What is tn
object of telling us this? Certainl,
not to give US the very obvious in
formation that a law passed by on
Congress can be repealed by an
other; but the object is, rather, t.
prepare the minds of the people 70
the repeal of all laws which coult
make the Constitutional Amend
ments worth anything for the pro
lection of those classes whose safe
ty is threatened. AS sample o
what they propose to do, they asl
at once for the repeal of the only
laws of this class which are of mucl
value,-those known as the En-
forcement Bill, and the Ku Klu1
Bill. The impression made by theil
platform as to the position of the
party is confirmed by the opinions
expressed by their leading speaker:
and press.
Gen. McCook said, in his speech
at the State Convention, that he haG
not read the platform, but that al
that it could mean, was, that tho
Democracy would not engage in {
revolutionary attempt to overthrow
the re'ent Amendments to the Con
stitution. Mr.. Vallandigham, OF
the same occasion, remarked thai
they must "subjugate" the new
Amendments to the doctrines o.
strict construction. "Subjugate'
was the the word. How much, think
you, will be left of these after they
have been "subjugated' to Demo
cratic strict construction? About
as much, l imagine, as would be left
of bunch of yiolets when put un
der a trip hammer. The Cincinnati
Enqntrer informed us, after the
"new departure" that this has mere
ly changed the field of the contest
that hereafter the question would
not be IN regard to the Amendments
but in regard to the constitution of
the Amendments. In the first ses-
sion of the orty-Second Congress
the Democratic members of Congress
voted in al ably, against every
law introduced to enforce the Four
teenth Amendment. And when we
further remember that Mr.. Jefferson
Davis, and other leaders, in the
Southern wing ofthe party, have re-
Gently announced themselves as de-
cidedly opposed to the '.new depar-
ture," and recall to mind the infu-
ence which that portion of the party
has always exerted in determining
its policy, we see how little the De
can be trusted to maintain
those great Constitutional guaran-
tees which the altered circumstances
of the country imperatively demand.
And if we surrender this question
to the Democ, acy, so far as the
is concerned, we know not
what may follow. The cause of the
negro, after, all, is our own cause.
If we begin by allowing his interests
to be sacrificed, the time may come,
as recent events have foreshadowed,
when we ourselves may not be per-
mitted to pass in procession along
the streets of our towns in honor of
such political and religious princi-
Piles as may be dear to us. Indeed,
ifw we once yield to these encroach-
ments upon the political rights of
the citizen, the time may come, rs
it did the other day in France,when
no man will be safe in the EXPIRES
sion of his honest convictions,eve
at his own fireside.
2. The next issue of which /
shall speak is the faithful payment
of the public debt.
1t is not necessary to enlarge, be-
fore this audience,upon the value to
a great nation of the public credit.
And l need not say to you that the
public credit depends upon the
maintenance of the public faith.
Without this no nation can borrow
money, raise armies, defend itself
against invasion from abroad or
maintain its dignity and authority
at home. The instances which we
have had of repudiation, in some
of States, ,have not affected our repu-
in some of the States, have
not affected our reputation rs 4
people in such a way as to encour-
age us to try this practice upon a
larger scale.
The position of the Republican
party upon this issue is well under
stood. On the 18th of March, 1869
a few days after his Inauguration,
President Grant signed an act,which
had just been passed by a Republi-
can Congress, declaring that the
faith of the United States is solemn
ly pledged to the payment in
cases where the law expressly
provides that they may be paid in
currency other than gold and sill
YER.
In direct antithesis to this is the
position of the Democratic party.
In their State platform, adopted on
,he 1st of June last, they declare
that the United States bonds should
be paid in greenbacks, unless the
otherwise provides, that is,