Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-07-07
Senator Sherman's Speech.

BURLINC
Senator Sherman's Speech.
Hon. John Sherman made very admirable
speech before the Ohio State Convention. He
showed that the new departure - Of the de-
mocracy offers no better guaranty to the country
than it hSs hsd before from the party of obstruc-
tion and disloyalty. While protesting to accept
the amendments, the democracy demand that
they shall be constructed in such way as to
deprive them Of all force. Without appropri-
ate legislation" says Mr. Sherman. "the
amendments are mere dogmas without inherent
power Of enforcement" Yet the "new depar-
ture 3" platform clearly shows that all the laws
for their enforcement would be repealed by the
democracy, if they could BY any means gain
the power to do 80. Under the analysis which
Senator Sherman gives it, this movement pre-
sents itself in its true colors, as = piece of pc
lticsl trickery.
We make some extracts below from Mr. Sher-
mans speech, snd commend especially to the
careful attention of the reader the exposition Of
the Republican and democratic financial policies.
Mr.. Sherman is chairman of the Finance Com
mittee Of the Senate, and is thus thoroughly
acquainted with the subject lie presents, in
strong contrast, the wise, wholesome and sue
cessful Legislation Of the Republican party. and
the reckless and disturbing course Of the &C.
mocracy, and shows most clearly to any fsir
mind that the country has nothing to gain, and
much to lose, from a change of political su-
premscy in the nation
TIE " NEW DEPARTURE"
I congratulate you that we have now, in
Ohio, at least, the formal approval Of the great
distinguishing measures Of Republican policy
by the recent convention Of democratic politi-
clans here in Columbus II tiss great matter 10
secure even formal acquescence in the Consti-
tutional chsnges, especially when they involve
the rights Of millions Of people, and when they
have been so steadily opposed in sll stages by
the democratic party, North and South They
were the issue Of war They are the issues
since the war. They were mainly the issues of
the last Presidential campSign. Opposition to
them was the starch, the uniting element Of The
democratic party. W here would they have been
without the hate Of the negro What line holds
the ma,s Of the people Of the South to the demo
cratic party but - negrophobia - Where will
Kentucky be without this tie Her old sfinities
were not with the democratic party. Where
will be the great mass of honest but mistaken
men, who feared the effect upon our institutions
Of the citizenship Of emaneipated slaves Where
will be the other Glass of democrats whose only
political idea was founded upon prejudice against
and hate Of negroes, snd who, in the mobs Of
VI So H. 8 q f..rnk
hunted down, whipped, and murdered negroes,
to prevent them from exercising either civil or
political rights and who whipped, scourged,
and murdered white men, and women, too, for
educating sud being friends to the negro race =
" hat Will JET. Davis say, who, though his life
vas fairly forfeited by his treason, yet commands
influence over mere votes in the South than We
have democrats IN Ohio What viii the large
minority Of Ohio democrats SAY, who protested
IL tie convention agains, acluiesc.ng IN the |
amendments Still, in spite CT sll this uucer-
tainiy, il IS glorious fact, Of which Repnbh-
cans may feel proud, that = ms lrity Of the /
democrats Of Ohio scquiesce in The grea; mea-
sures We have brought about, promise obedience
70 them, and the enforcement Of thea, and beg
Of Us no longer 20 consider them as political
issues before the country.
rnE DEAocRArIc FLING AT THE AlESpNESrs I
We would hsye greSter cause for rejoicing IL
we did not see so many reasons FOR regarding 4
this new departure IS a Trojan horse-a new De /.
vice Of the enemy-to steal into cur camp aud .
betray our cause. What 10 they mean by de- I
nouucing the &c extraordinary means ' by which
the amendments were adopted They were .
passed by vote OF two-thirds OF esch House Of
Congress, and ratified by three-fourths OF the .
States. Was this cousea. given Il SO, the
ar,qrIl r1nufz ave rho E1v-f f-fa thew
pute the fact, Il not, why this "blsckhauied .
lick At whst they rStify and sgree to enforce. .
Again, what DO they mean by " vigorously sp-
plying the democratic rule OF strict construction .
to the smeniments3'' Does this coucesl some I
covert purpose 70 defeat them Is this new
Kentucky resolution Of 'go, containing the .
heresy Of secession and nl.liicationl The
Fourteenth Amendment il mainly only the true .
Interpretation Of the old Constitution ; bur the .
vital principles and guarantees Of the old Con I
stit1ti9n we're nu!liEai by 's,rict construction
or rather by tl's. construction hence the ne
cessty Of the Fourteeu,h Amendment, which .
defines who are citizens, wha; are the rights OF .
citizen and specifically giyes Congress the power .
to enforce them by appropriate legislation. II /
Calhoun's doctrine Cf Sc strict construction Is .
to be revived, 20 defeat the amendments then .
nothing is settled. Whist we mean is, that these .
amendments are the logical results Of great
civil war which brushed from cur atmosphere
sll taint Il slavery, secession and Calho1uism
thai they shall have their full operation accord
ing 20 the plsin meaning Of English words, sad .
that Congress shall from tine 20 time pass avs
70 enforce them and that tie President shal .
execute there laws fully anl efficiently, subject
only 10 the Judicial power Of the courts ot the
United ststes. If that is whs. they mean hy the
'New Departure it is al right if not. II is
mere political trick, too shallow 70 u.isleAi or
deceive any one
How TIE AMENDMENTS AEr TO De Nu.LlFIED.
Again. vha; 90 they near by their fifth 7cso-
luton Il Is the mere naked axiom that ac;s
passed by Congress are subject to repeal Ii
go, why pompously utter Whist all slnitl Bat
the context shows that they mean repeal Of sll
the acts passed to enforce the amendments The
amendments, without the appropriate egjsla-
tion, are merely dogmas, without inherent power
Of enforcement. The ten commandments sre
laws Of the highest sanction, but wha; are they
worth without penalties and punishmenjs
" hst good does it 20 to say, " Thou shalt not
murder, uness the law comes in and says, If
thou dost murder, thou shalt surely he put TO
death or he imprisoned g' Whist use is il 10 say
that all men shall have equal political and civil
rights, unless the law Furnishes q violation Of
these rights What does this New Departure
mean, except 10 say, 81 We recognize the amend
ments, but We wilt reresl the laws that enforce
them We had many rights secured by the
Constitution as 1t vas, that were plainly and
openly uullidel. The citizens Of any one Of the
States had all the privileges aud immunities Of
citizens in the several States, and yet for years
citizen Of the North could not and did not enjoy
his rights in the South Judge Hosr OF Massa-
chusetts. was expelled from South Carolina for
the mere effort 10 appeal to the courts Of South
Carolina for protection from Illegal imprison-
ment of citizen Of Massachusetts,. The demo-
cratic party by what they call Sc strict construc-
ton, and by their refusal 70 pass appropriate
Laws, stripped the Constitution OF half its
vitality. Do they wish, in the same way, TO
emsscuate these amendments? Does any SEN
sible man believe that a democratic Congress
could, or would, Tass any law to enforce any Of
these amendments? Every effort Of ours to en-
force them has been met by the most violent
parliamentary opposition, the laws have been
resisted by organized violence Now they tell
US they will repeal the laws, aad yet they re-
cOgnize the amendments They believe in the
Maine liquor Law, but are opposed to It's en-
foreement. The " New Departure " " is good
enough Morgan until after the election" and
their platform is loose enough fer all to creep
through, ani follow their old course Of hate,
persecution and violence.
REBELLION STILL RAMPANT IN The toUTH
While these tricks are played upon us here,
the mass of the democratic voters in the South
are waiting and watching, not " over the Dor
DER but IN the heart of cur country, to restore
the Lost Cause and to upset all that we have
gained the last ten yesrs 1t is only necessary
to read the democratic journals, both in Ohio
and in other States, to show that this 'New De-
parure " Is only to shield themselves behind
some jugglery about the construction Of the
amendments and the mode Of thor enforcement.
The essential notifications made in the corfven-