Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-08-17
WOODS SPEECH.
The History of the Republican Party
Reviewed.


thought fit in his speech on Saturday evening
TO charge upon the Democratic party the re-
sponSiblity of finaugurating the last war be-
tween the North and South, and being an old
Democrat myself and somewhat acquainted
with the political history of the United States,
feel justified in giving the flat contradiction
to every assertion he made during his speech,
and charge it upon the Republican party that
they not only inaugurated the war, but they
have wilfully, Intentionally revolutionized
our government and converted our Republic
into despotism more Objectionable than the
worst form OF despOtic government in Europe.
and the dominant party, now calling itself
the Republican party, has always from the
commencement CT our government been OPP
posed to q Republic. They first got possess
sion of the government under the lead of
Adams, and were no sooner duly installed
than they commenced the work of destroying
the Constitutional liberties of the people and
impriSoning every citizen who opposed their
reasonable acts. They passed a law called
the Sedition aw,whereby every person, every
editor, or any one who would make unfavor-
able comments on the acts of the Administra-
ton or spoke in disrespectful terms OF "a gov
ernment officer was guilty of seditiOn and was
imprisoned for term of three years. They
also passed an Alien Law, giving to the Presi-
dent the power of banishing any foreigner
from the land he chose. And when q for
eigncr, ordered out of the country, appealed
to the State Courts for the benefit of the 9th
section of the first Article of the Constitution
the officers of the State were accused of vio-
lating the Sedition Law.
These high-handed outrages called from
Thomas Jefferson his views of the Constitu-
tional power of the general government, the
Constitutional rights of the States and the
Constitutional liberties of the people, which
he submitted to the American people through
the Legislature of Kentucky and are known
as the Resolutions of l79S The American
people made these resolutions an issue in the
election of 1900 and elected Thomas Jefferson,
the author of them, President, and six months
after Jefferson was inaugurated he restored
the country TO Quietnue.
Since that time this reasonable party has
assumed number of different names. Under
the name of the anti-Masonic party John @.
Adams was elected, when the question of con-
Meeting Church and State was agitated, and
could this old reasonable party have been
permitted to have remained much longer in
power they would have had God in the Con-
sttutiOn in order to create religious anmos-
ity among the different sects of Christians i'm
the land; which this Republican party to-day
are trying TO do and which Wood in his
speech limited in strong terms they were yet
destined to do. But the people in them days
had not been educated up to that point, and
they hurled Adams with his principles from
power and elected Jackson. Since that time
they have assumed the name of Wings,
Knownothings, Republicans, and the Great
National Union party.
And now we come to their history since
they assumed the name of the Republican
party. In The town of Auburn in the State of
California, on the 9th day of Septe", ber 1854,
Convention met and there conspired against
States by declaring that sixteen Northern
Stales should hereafter control this Union,
and for that purpose passed the following res
olution:
"Resotped. That we recommend that Con-
ventiOn of delegates from the free States
equal in number to their Representatives in
Congress be held in Syracuse, New York, on
the 4th of July. 1856, to nominate candidates
for the Presidency and ce-Presidency of the
United States for the next Presidential elec-
ton"
nv L,,t 10,
cheering. 1t was also moved to call this the
"Republican Organization" which resolution
was also carried. They then took the Ameri-
can flag and cut out sixteen stars to Indicate
that sixteen States should hereafter control
this government The proposed Convention
was held in Philadelphia, in which only the
Northern States were represented, and that
mutllated American flag(?) being over the
Speakers desk. They organized a political
club called Wideawakes, who paraded the
streets with flag containing only sixteen
Stars; and let those who have any doubt
about the fact hunt up any Repub ublican plcto-
rial newspaper, such as Harpe1's Weekly, and
any American flag painted on any money
safe or any design and they will see that there
are only sixteen stars in sight. John c. FIRE.
mont was nominated, and Millard Fillmore
In speech delivered at Albany, New York,
in the Summer of 1856, made use of the follow
ing: "Sir, you have been pleased to say that
/ have the union of these States at heart This,
sir, is most true; for If there be one object
dearer TO me than any other 1t Is the unity,
prosperity and glory of this great Republic. l
confess frankly, sir, that fear ii is in danger.
say nothing of any particular section, much
less of The several candidates before the peO-
pie. presume they are all honorable men;
but, sir, what do we see? An eXasperated
state of feeling between the North and the
South on the most exciting of all topics, re-
sulting in bloOdshed and organized military
array. But this is not all, sir. We see polit-
ical party presenting candidates for the Presi-
dency and the Vice-Presdency selected for
the first time from the free States alone, with
the avOwed purpose of clecting these candi-
dates by suffrages from one part OF the Union
only to rule over the whole United states.
Can 1t be possible that those who engaged
in such Il measure can have seriously reflect
ed on the consequences which must inevlta-
bly, follow in case of success? Can they have
the madness or the folly to believe that our
Southern brethren would submit TO be gov
erned by such Chief Magistrate? Would he
be required TO follow the same rule prescribed
by those who elected him in making his APP
pointments? If a man living South OF Mason
and DiXon's line be not worthy 10 be Presi-
dent or Vice-President, would 1t be proper 10
select one from the samequarter as one OF his
Cabinet Council or to represent the Nation In
foreign country, or collect the revenue, or
administer the laws of the United states? III
not, what new rule is the President TO adopt
for selection to office that the people them
selves demand in selecting him. These are
serious but practical questions,and in order TO
appreciate them fully it is only necessary to
turn the tables upon ourselves and suppose
that the South having majority of electoral
votes should declare that they would only
have Shareholders for President and Vice
President, and should elect such by their eX-
elusive suffrages 10 rule over us at the North,
do you think we would submit to II? Not for
one moment. And do you believe your
Southern brethren less sensible on this sub
| ject than you are, or less jealous of their
rights? If you do, let me tell you you are GER
tainly mistaken. And therefore you must
see that if this sectional party succeeds 1t
leads inevitably TO the destruction of this
beautiful fabric reared by our fOrefathers, ce
mented by their blood and bequeathed to us
as q priceless inhertance.n
They did succeed, and Mr.. Fillmore's pre-
dictions were correct, and if the Democratic
party is in any way responsible 1t must be
solely on the ground that they did not keep
together and elect their own President and
prevent these traitors from carrying out their
reasonable designs against the Southern
portion OF our common country. But let us
look further ana see If the Democrats are
responsible for the war. AS the aspect OF al
fairs appeared threatening to the integrity OF
the Union, the General Assembly of Virginia
made q noble but futile effort to avert the
horrid calamity about to overtake our coun-
try, on the 18th of January, 1861, passed pre-
amble and resolution inviting the 3tates to
send commissioners 10 Washington to adjust
the sectional difficulty which then threatened
the integrity of the Union. This Convention
met, and now let us see whether 1t was the
Democratic party or the Republican party
that was in favor of urging on the war; The
following is letter from Senators Bingham
and Chandler, of Michigan, TO Governor Blair
of that State;
WASHINGTON, Feb. Is, 1861.
DEAR SIR: When Virginia proposed a con-
vention I'm Washington in reference to the
disturbed condition of the country, regarded
it as another step to debauch the public mind
and step towards obtaining that concession
which the imperious slave power so insolent-
ly demands. have no doubt at present that