Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-10-10
ADDRESS OF
JUDGE WILLIAM q. WEST.
Delivered at BeIIefOntaine seDtemberIs,

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FELLOW CITIZENS AND NE1eHBoRs: The opposing
forces OF the political antagonists again in the
field The issues between them are made up and the
point Of substantial difference sharply defined.
In the declarati0no Of August there is much which,
rightly apprehended and applied, is very good; but
fer thatif is employed as meal for the conceament OF
sf, usurnafon l Federal authority on State rights,
has very ancient and fsh-like smell 1t was the
shibboleth under which Calhoun Davis, Toombs q %
sought 70 nnIlfy the constitutional laws Of the nanon
strike down the temple of republican liberty over
throw popular government and carry the pecuhAL II
tutions and ideas of the Southern states lnlo every
stner stste and Territory, in defiance OF local fl
individual liberty God and humanity. Correctly IN
terpreted and defined the relative rlgnts anu
powers Of people, States, departments, and nation,
are and Of right ought 10 be, invisible But as inter
preted BIZ those of whom the August Convention was
he legitimate descendant, their application IN prac-
tics IS destructive Of all the ends for which popular
eoyerp ent Is Instituted Their incorporation into q
Democratic platform is therefore rather cause Of ap-
prehension than hope rather revival OF Calhounism
1an the establishment Of security, especially as those
who proclaim these doctrines the confreres and
eoadjutors Of the great nuliher and his rebelious
Much Is said also Of economy honesty public virtue,
and Of equal and exact justice These are noble sen
tments, beautiful as the precepts Of Seneca divine
the doctrines Of the decaogue But the preaching
of righteousness by Salan does not secure an abiding
confidence in the preacher II is not that the song IS
vicous il Is the sirens thar sing, whose cavern Is
hied with dangers and dead heroes bones, whom the
song Is employed to lure into their consuming
and destructive power OF these noble SEN
ploysd the words Of Madame Roland in regard 70
liberty, HWhat crimes have been committed 10 thy
name In view Of the unpublished rObberies OF bres-
lin and Lsslys OF Lancaster and Georgetown, perpe5
frafe6 when Democracy held und.spuled sway, ana
yet tfFesh in the memory q plundered people, ana
more especially in view Of the shameless invitation
put forth in the platform Of the August ConYeption
TO violate the public faith and tarnish the nation
honor the utteranee Of these sentiments by the De-
moeracy Of Ohio only have been INTENDED to serve
the purpose of the Trojan horse By means Of whch TO
recover the power Of repeating its former plumbers
When, therefore, the DemOcratic party shau nave
shown disposition 70 regard the observance OF PUBLIC
faith and to punish rather than patronlze and
protect lis local thieves, then, and not until
then, should its protestations OF public
for national robbeesi for where the carcass IS there
the birds Of prey viii c0ngreate, and Democratic binds
viii not be the less yoracous because Of their protraet
ed last II they viii not punish their great as they
have not punished their small thieves, and the
perenee Of the past best lights the future, God
the country when their opportunities shall become
The arraignment Of the Republican party for its al
legged tyranny and cruelty but discovers the old eaven
the ancient sympathy. While the August Conven-
ton was laundering Its anathemas against the sup
posed dishonesty oppression, and crimes OF Its own
government common charity might have supposed il
capable Of mildly condenning the cruel wrongs and
bloody outr2ges the preparation Of which in these
same states shocked the sense Of mankind and calieo
forth the strongest denunciatons OF even Davis
Toombs q Co Is Democracy in Ohio more insensble
70 outrage; less shocked by the shedding of human
to sympathy 1s bT iDseeuTity 10 life IbertT
and property than the arch traitors who sought their
conntry's overthrow Let the silence OF that Con-
Baf pass from these gIittaring generaitiestO the
-onsideraton Of the specific issues, some Of them
which made in the platform of The Democracy in
the Of which, points in the Columbus speech Of
Mr. Pendleton supplemental to and explanatory Of the
platform, VIII be necessarily involved. Indeed, Mr.
Psndleton and the platform of the Democracy pop
rary regarded as one and the same, to be discussed
together.
TAXATION OF. BONDS.
IN.
b0lds made with full knowledge that their taxation is
prohibited by the Federal Constitution is reiterated
insult to the intelligence of the American people.
These securities never have BEEN never can be taxed
The Democratic bonds issued for the Of 1872 for
the Mexican var and for the peace
bebt Of Buchanan, we're not taxed.
Are Democratic peace bonds more sacred thar Re
publican var bolds2 Their taxation was never at-
tempted but once and that South Carolina; but in
that case it held in Charleston Weston Chief
Justice Marshall pronouncing the opinion, that the
Constitution Of the United States by its own vigor
been reaf5rmed by Chief Justices Taney and Chase,
the entire bench eoncuring. and ever since has been
and now is, the supreme law Of the land. None knew
this better than Gen. Ewing, who presided over Mr.
PendlefOn, who inspired the action of, and Judge
Thurman, who was yietimized by, the August Conyen
ton Did these gentlemen presume upon the Ignorance
Of the people, that they should thusstufy themselves?
As well might it have been resolved that the sun be
exeised or the moon pay tribute for shedding their
Light The declaration would have been idle Its en-
forcement impossible, its authors madmen. Why
then resolve to tax Federal securities when there Is no
power under heaven among men to enforce it2 The
observance Of that honesty recommended to obtain in
public Affairs would have omitted this declaration
tom the platform Not against the Republican party
is this fight waged, but against the Constitution its
revolutionary authors and great expoundsrs. Cease,
viperss you gnaE hle-"
EIYE-rwENTY BONDS
Soon after the war Mr. Thaddeus Stevens asked Con-
gress to declare that fve-Eenty bonds were payable
in egal-tender notes This request though urged by
the powerful influence Of his great name was over
Ehelmingly denied. Afterward Mr. Peudleton an
propriated the idea as a popular hobby which to
Tide into the Presidency. His cohorts swept down to
the National Democratic Convention of 1853 But they
returned like the legons from Moscow or the crusade
ers from Jerusalem, discounted broken and Scattered
The fascination Of this theory had secured to It such
support seriously impair the public credit and
threaten the nations honor. Aeeordingly Ia 1859
&Congress to put the subject at rest declared aarm
atively as it before had done negatively, and the
Democratic Convention explicitly, that these bonds
we're not payable in legal-tender notes.
. In the face Of this history, the Columbus C0nven-
ton, inspired by the genius Of Mr. Pendleton at
tempted TO renominate his defunct hobby
Sy declaring La .s that III, the ave-txenty bonds
law under which they issued payable in legal
tenders In support Of this letter Of Senator sher-
man Is given Il would have been well If instead
ofinrenching the heresy behind the individual opn
ion Of adversary, the letter Of the law had been
pointed out on which Il IS founded Nothing Ia sus
ceptibie Of clearer demonstration from the provisions
OF the law itself, than that Congress intended the Eve
twenty bonds should be paid in the same kind of
paid. But as the Democratic party stands pledged TO
enforce The law Of 1882 and pay the Donds ia coin the
la7ie las become DaIreu Oue and Will only
cate instead Of discuss the for the opinion
The legal-tender notes and fve-twenty bonds were
originally authorized by the same statute. These
NOTES were intended to meet temporary eKigeney,
and were not originally designed TO furnish perna-
2ent currency. This is obvious from the fact that
the law authorized their immediate conversion
into erest-bearing bonds It conferred
on every citizen holding legal-tender notes
% the amount Of fifty dollars any multiple Of fifty
the absoute right 70 return them the Treasurer or
any Assistant Treasurer Of the United States and
made It the duty Of that officer 70 issue and deliver 70
MN corresponding amount Of Gve-tWenty bonds in
exchange therefor.
Il is incredible that foolish mockery as payment
q tnee bonds IN iegaltender notes could have bean
intended BY law which authorized the creditor -
repudiste the payment retarn the notes and i5stant
" demand ana nave renewal Of the debt and rede-
livery 70 him Of the same bonds Il Is equally in
credible that any body should have ever en-
posed Il TO have 50 intended sup
Again, legaltender note is itself mere evidance
Of debt The only difference betW cen II and > 6ve
twenty bond Is that bears interest the other not
Payment in ea-tender notes is therefore sinplv tbe
substitution Of one debt for another The law eonid
have motive for doing this except 10 avoid interest
Butn this had been the motive Of the law interes-
beavirg bonds would never have been issued Legal
tender notes would have been exclusively employed
IN the first instance, and interest avoided from