Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-08-13

IN excuse for all omissions. Thel
constantly neglected great nationa
interests, because they feared to in
fringe upon the prerogative of States
they proclaimed themselves th,
champions of of States rights; they
arrOgated to themselves the name o
the States rights party.
1t was a specious pretonse, but i
was utterly insincere. So long a.
our archives remain, so long tina
very party will be known as the one
which struck the foulest blow at tht
rights of States which could be con
| trived.
That is the party which, on tn,
18th of September, 1850, wrote The
fugitive slave act in the statute book
By that act the United States com
manded the Federal courts to multi
ply court commissioners without
limit By that act the United States
| offered such commissioners a clean
bounty OF five dollars each, tor GER
tificates that residents of Massachu-
sets, or of any other State, were
fugitives from Texas or some other
State and when such a certificate
was obtained, pledged all its forces
to remove such resident to the State
wherein he was claimed; which
made that certificate, SO purchased
Of such hucksLers, conclusive evil
dence Of the right to remove, and
commanded every tribunal within
the nsulted State to be still, and all
it's cilizens to aid the outrage
statute the very first victim of which
was free man from Pennsylvania,
who, being declared fugitive by a
fve-d lar commissioner, was trans.
ported to Virginia by the United
States, and finding no man there
base enough to claim him, he was
allowed to get back at his own ex'
pense.
In all those years the national
character had not been raised an inch
On the contrary, through them all
it had fallen constantly lower and
lower.
When England and France pro-
pos ed. in 1852, to join with the Unit
ed States in mutual remuneration OF
al, designs on Cuba, an American
Secretary of State did not hesitate to
gn as a reason for refusing to
ION such a convention, chat it
would give a new and powerful i'm
petus" to attacks con the island Of
Cuba, by lawless bands of adventur.
ers from the United States, with the
avowed design of taking possession
of the island"-attacks which, he ar
gued, no administration would be
strong enough to resist.
NO POWER TO SAVE THE GOVERNMENT.
A government which denied its
right to aid commerce over the Des
Moines Rapids, and which advertised
its impoteney to control its own fill
busters, could hardly be expected to
make q becoming figure when con-
fronted with war. When, therefore,
in 1861, the standard of rebellion was
raised, and State after State wheeled
defiantly into the ranks of revolt, it
was perhaps not so very surprising
that one-half the Democratic party
joined the revolt, while the other
half exclaimed it could not be re-
sisted-not SO very surprising that
the six per cent. bonds issued in
February, 1861, were sold at a dis
count of six per cent. and not so
very surprising that Great Britain
should have proclaimed the rebels to
be lawful belligerents, before she
knew a gun had been ired.
But it was surprising that Presi-
dent of the United States should ad.
dress a special message to Congress
to persuade the public that, although
the rebellion was illegal, yet the
Government had no right to sup
press it i; for by that act he intro
duced to the world q Government,
the like of which had never before
been seen-a Government against
which it was unlawful to revolt, and
By which it was unlawful 70 suppress
revolt. Such government is des-
crlbed nowhere in political history,
save in the message of President
Buchanan.
Such was the style of administra-
ton, to which the Republican party
succeeded on the 4th of March, 1861.
That party was instructed to but
one duty. As you had never known
the National Government to do any
thing, you evidently did not expect
it to do much. You simply COM
manded it to save your Territories
from the detilement of slavery that
was all.
THE ORDER OBEYED.
That command has been fulfilled.
There is no slavery in any of your
Territories. That will scarcely be de
MED even by the opposition journals
There is just as little slavery in any
Of the States. Something more than
you then thought possible has been
accomplished.
OTHER THINGS ACCOMPLISHED.
But there is no need to dwell upon
| Tue UhIIOHdi VI lhO thDe
thirteen years-they were too con-
spIcuous not to have been seen; they
are too recent to be forgotten. 1t
will suffice to present a schedule OF
the leading events.
At home and abroad the Union
was proclaimed to be dissolved in
| 1861. The Union is restored now.
Nine States then claimed to have
left the protection OF the Constitu-
ton forever. They have all return
ed 10 that protection now. "Those
that thou gavest me | have kept
and none is lost" said the Saviour
OF mon The Republican party has
preserved more than the States you
committed to its keeping. 1t has
found those which were lost.
In 1861 the Confederate States o
America" so called, were clamorin&
for admission into the family of ma