Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-08-06
BROAD NATIONAL SENSE.


igan; therefore use the word citizens in
It's
BROAD NATIONAL SENSE.
1t is well fellow citizens, for us to cell
citrate the 25th anniversary of the forma.
ton of the republican party. tits meet
and proper that we should do so. 1t is
well, perhaps, that we should boast a lit
tie Of the part we individually took in
that formations; let me say, Mr.. Chair
man and fellow citizens, that we were
but units in a mighty whole in its forma-
ton. Michigan claims to have formed
on the 9th day of July, 1854, in advance
of Wisconsin, but what does that matter :.
The republican party was formed by
God, to save human liberty. TApplause |
No matter who was day Or week or a
month in advance, in carrying out the
will of Almighty God. We are but sim
pie agents to carry out His will.
Mr.. Chairman, it may be proper for me
F, to dwell little upon this anniversary,
upon its formation, and
THE REASONS FOR THE FORMATION
of this great republican party. Why was
1t born, and why has it lived?
AS has been we'll said to you, the en-
croachment of the slave power had been
SO great that all the lovers of human lib
erty throughout the land decided to unite
and resist the further extension of it's
power. The slave power had repealed
the Missouri compromise law, had re-
tanned slavery and took possession of all
the vast territory of these United States;
and the Republican party was formed as
one idea party to resist that power. We
were one idea party at our BIRTH but
that idea was broad enough and large
enough to cover the continent. Aye, to
cover almost the world. It was liberty
omen. (Applause) Fellow citizens and
MIR. Chairman:
ARE WE NATIoNs
or are we not? At the foundation OF our
government, when our constitution was
adopted, the whole people of these United
States, believed that we were nation in-
deed. And so they continued to believe
until in 1880, the State of South Carolina
declared that we were not a nation, and
that South Carolina had the right to resist
the government of these United States
Andrew jackson was then president of
the United States, and when that State
raised the flag of rebellion against this
government, Andrew Jackson said that
if an attempt was made to resist the laws
Of the United States, by the Eternal, he
would hang John G. Calhoun, the father
of that doctrine (applause), and all the
people knew that he would do it, includ-
ing John c. Calhoun. Iaughter) And
from that day forward it was admitted on
all hands that we were nation. We re-
manned under the conviction that we were
nation until after the repeal Of
THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE,
when notification again raised its head
| took my seat in the senate Of the
United States for the first time on the 4th
day of March, 1857, and at that time it
was denied that we were a nation. At
that time the daily and hourly threat on
the floor OF the senate, on the floor of the
house, everywhere throughout the capital
OF the nation it was said, if you do this
or II you don't do that we will dissolve
TINS Union. They proclaimed that state
sovereignty OVERRIDE national sover-
eighty, and that any one state in the
union had the right to overthrow the
government. That eliminated in 1861 in
A VERDICT AGAINST THIS GOVERNMENT.
What careful preparation had been made
tor that result during the four years pre-.
ceding 1861! Your arms were scattered
mostly among the southern states; your
naVles were scattered wherever the winds
blew and water was found; your national
credit which stood high in 1857, was so
absolutely destroyed that in February,
1861, your bonds bearing six per cent in
terest payable III coin were sold at SO
cents on the dollar, and no takers for the
whole amount. Your credit was de-
stroyed, and you were in no situation to
go to war; but you went to war notwith-
standing that disadvantage; you fought
The war through to successful issue.
When tue rebels surrendered at APP
pomattox they admitted that the United
States was government. Laughter and
applause They said we have submit
ted this question to
THE ARBITRATION oF ARMS,
and we admit that you have conquered,
and we surrender to this nation. Al that
time these rebels made no claims upon
this government; they had pledged, and
IN the very ordinances of secession which
they signed, they had pledg ed their lives,
their fortunes and their sacred honor to
the overthrow of this government; and
having failed, they have lost their lives,
their fortunes and their sacred honor.
Laughter They made no claim to
right against this government, for they
had no right against this government.
They asked, and humbly asked, the boon
of their miserable lives, and that was all
that they did ask. Laughter
Mr. Chairman, such magnanimity as
was exhibited by this nation on that &C.
casion, the world has never seen. We
gave them their lives, we restored to them
their property, and, finding them Naked
WE CLOTHED THEM,
and restored them to citizenship. They
were bound by the laws of nations, and
by the laws of war for thousand years,
to have paid every dollar or the expense
OF that rebellion [applause], every single
dollar they had pledged and lost. and
they were bound to pay every dollar of
the expenses of that war We, in our
magnanimity gave them the debt, and
took them back, and took them to our
arms as brethren, and now, in 1879, what
do we fino? The same identical issues
that were presented to us in 1857 are pre-