The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-30

line were decorated and illuminated; side
walks were densely packed with people,
red and white fire flashed up to the sky
from all the drug stores, and the cheers of
the people all along the line were tire,
mendous. Four or five bands were 10 line,
body of horsemen led the way, banners.
flags, transparencies and notices graced
the long line, and the enthusiasm was I'M
bounded.
AT UNION SQUARE.
Around the stand there could not have
been less than 5000 people, and not until
IL o'clock at night would they give the
speakers a rest,
Hon. James NJ. Buford, president of
the day, presided, and after giving notice
that Killers Hall was reserved for the,
Scandinavians, and that Capt Eric John
son would address them there in their
native tongue, and inviting all who wished
to hear him to repair to the hall. he intro
duced to the vast audience the Hon.
Charles Durham. of Henry county, our
candidate for next member Of congress.
MR.. DUNHAM's SPEECH.
Mr.. Durham was welcomed with per-
feet ovation of cheers, and in his clear. dis
tlnct and ringing utterances proceeded to
make speech of about an hour or an hour
and a quarter, which for solidity OF argu
ments, close reasoning, sound truth, and
entire absence of personal or offensive
language, has not been exceeded by any
speech here during the campaign.
Mr.. Durham commenced By saying that
| Republicans charge the Democracy north
with being doughfaces and tools of the
| Democracy south-a charge that was un
true, and revolving to the sensibiitles OF all
right minded men, and he proceeded to
denolish it by the strongest sledge ham-
mer blows. He showed how the Demo
cracy north, under the lead of Douglas.
resisted the claim set up by the Democracy
south, viz: that they had right to carry their
slaves into the territories against the will
of the majority of the people of the terri
les; how we refused to yield to their de-
mands in 1860, on either platform or can
didate; and how we stood up for the right
of the people to control their own institu
tons in their own way, in territories or
states, subject only to the constitutions; how
we battled for the right and for Douglas
in the face of certain defeat. rather than
Weld to the south; and how. after defeat.
we stood solid by the union, and brave
Democrats and Republican alike marched
together to battle to put down the rebellion
and to die iE defense of the union. 1t was
La master refutation of the nonsense thai
the northern Democracy had nc back bone
He showed that the Republicans were 10 q
minority; that less than 40 per cent of the
people voted for Lincoln and a good many
Democrats included in the number,
that more than 90 per cent of tho voters
were opposed to him. If the union was
saved by Republicans, as is fslsely claimed
and if all who were not Republicans were
rebels, it showed that 40 per cent of The
men of this country could destroy, wipe
out and put down 60 per cent. The ide,
was absurd He said that Mr.. LiDcolr
received only about 5000 majority in Lii
nois. 1t was only 4,529. The vote was al
follows; Lincoln 2,l6l: Douglas 100.
l2l5; Bell 4,913; Breckenridge 2,404-
leaving Lincoln only 4,529 majority ovel
ALL Mr.. Durham said that Illinois alone
sent 100000 men to the war, aud he asked
Were these all Republicans" This pro
duced an indignant and tremenduou'
mo" and great applause. The men who
voted for Lincoln, Douglas and Bell 1887,
1897 were certainly union men, and it is
said be, absurd to class them with southern
sympathizers in the heresy of secession.
Mr.. Durham made solid argument il
. relation to the rights of the states and the
Importance to the people of jealousy
, guarding ali their reserved rights from thu
slightest encroachment by federal power
He denounced secession as a heresy ant
never part Of the doctrine of states
rights, and only used as such by those VIII,
industriously misrepresent US. BRINGING
the case home. he asked if our people die
not think themselves capable OF enactinl
their own laws upon all local and stat,
matters the rights OF persons and proper
ty, marriage, the entailment of estates
guardianship, apprenticeship, the preser
walton of peace, the punishment of crime
the collection and disbursement of schoo
money. the management of public schools
the assessment of property, the collection
} of taxes, ETC., etc. This was all there wa
of state rights. The constitution declare
, Art. X. that "1he pOaoers not delegated
to the United States By the constitution, no
prohibited By TITO the states, are resercet
to the states respectively. or to the people.
: This is the Democratic doctrine OF states
rights, defined in the constitution by Dem
ocrats, who made it. The federal govern
ment is only supreme and we owe it abso
lutte loyalty only upon all subjects given t.
!. it by the tates,-nothing else. On every
4 thinp else ua QUE absoluf. iavalfv 4,
our state. He denounced the recen
: proclamation of President Grant in regar
. 10 South Carolina as an act Of ,oar, and a
Outrageous interference with the rights G
t sta.es,--an infringement so outrageous, S
s unconstitutional that many Republican
had already condemned it. The constitu