New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-07-16

States rights party.
1t was a specious pretense, but it was
utterly insincere. So long as our ar
chives remain, so long that very party
will be known as the one which struck
the foulest blow at the rights of States
which could be cOntrived.
That is the party which, on the 18th
of September, 1850, wrote the fugitive
slave act in the statute book. BY that
act the United States commanded the
Federal courts to multiply court COM
missioners without limit. BY that act
the United States offered such commits
sioners clean bounty of five dollars
each, for certificates that residents of
Massachusetts,, or of any other State,
were fugitives from Texas or some other
State; and when such 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 hucksters, cOnclu-
sive evidence of the right to remove,
and commanded every tribunal within
the insulted State to be still, and all it's
citizens to aid the outrage-a statute the
very first victim of which was free man
from Pennsylvania, who, being declared
a fugitive by five-dOllar commissioner,
was transported to Virginia by the
United States, and finding no man there
base enough to claim him, he was al
lowed to get back at his own expense.
In all those years the national charac-
ter had not been raised an inch. On
the contrary, through them all, it had
fallen constantly lower and lower.
When England and France proposed,
in 1852, to join with the United States
in mutual remuneration of all designs on
Cuba, an American Secretary of State
did not hesitate to assign as a reason for
refusing to join such convention, that
it would give a new and powerful i'm
petus" to attacks ION the island of Cuba,
by lawless bands of adventures from
the United States, with the avowed de-
sign of taking possession of the island''-
tratiOn would be strong enough to re-
sist.
NO POWER TO SAVE THE GOVERNMENT
A government which denied it's right
to aid commerce over the Des MOines
Rapids, and which advertised its impo-
tencyto controlits own fillibusters, could
hardly be expected to make a becoming
figure when confronted with war. When,
therefore, in 1861, the standard of rebel
lion was raised, and State after State
wheeled defantly into the ranks of re-
volt, it was perhaps not so very surpris-
ing that one-half the Democratic party
joined the revolt, while the other half
exclaimed it Ould not be reslsIeu-nut So
very surprising that the six per cent.
bonds issued in February, 1861, were
sold at discount of six per cent, and
not sovery surprising that Great Britain
should have proclaimed the rebels to be
lawful belligerents, before she knew a
gun had been fired
But it was surprising that President
of the United States should address a
special message to Congress to persuade
the public that, although the rebellion
was illegal, yet the Government had no
right to suppress it; for by that act he
introduced to the world Government,
the like of which had never before been
seen-a Government against which it
f,,1 l.,
was unlawful to suppress revolt. Such
a government is described nowhere in
political history, save in the message
of President Buchanan.
Such was the style of administration.
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 Govern,
ment to do anything, you evidently did
not expect it to do much. You simply
commanded it to save your Territories
from the deflement Of slavery that was
all.
THE ORDER OBEYED.
That command has been fulfilled.
tories. That will scarcely be denied
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 the
national achievements of the last thir-
teen years-they were too conspicuous
not to have been seen; they are too re-
cent to be forgotten. 1t will suffice to
present schedule Of the leadingevents.
At home and abroad the Union was
proclaimed to he dissolved in 1861. The
Union is restored now.
Nine States then claimed to have left
the protection of the Constitution for
ever. They have all returned to that
protection now. ''ThOse that thou gavest
me l have kept, and none is lost" said
the Saviour of men. The Republican
party has preserved more than the States