Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-09-20
SENATOR OOOKRELL.
His Great Speech at Platte City.
The History of the Democratic Par
ty. Reviewed.
Tho Eternal md Interchangeable
Principles must Be Maintained.

[From the St. Joseph Gazette. September 1871
On Tuesday evening, at the close OF
an interesting day of the Platte County
fair, tremendous throng of people as
semblsd at the courthouse in Platte City
to hear an address by Senator F. NJ.
Cockrell. on national politics. The SEN
ator was introduced by Mr.. I. W. Park,
ofthe Platte City Landmark, in the fol-
lowing words:
A few years ago, in this courthouse,
tho people OF Platte county. in the lar
gest meeting that was ever held here,
Instructed their delegates TO vote for
gentleman of this state OF Missouri, u
patriot and statesman, for United States
senator. How he has conducted him
self it is for you, the public, to know
from public journals. 1t is for me to
simply state that l believe and that the
people OF Plette county know that he
has conducted tn special ability his
full duty. and yisor maintained the
will now appea. ,efore you to give an
account of his stewardship as senator ii
the United States, and have the honor
to present that gentleman to you, Gen.
Francis M. Cockrell.
spoke as follow
the virgin soil of Missouri, and reared
with my faith unchanging and unchange-
able in the principles OF the democratic
party, it is always pleasure to me to
speak to my tellow-cltizsns in that
grand old state.
To American citizens it is equally
indispensable that they should be thor
oughly familiar with those essential
principles which have given existence
and form to our peculiar system OF gov
ernment, and by which alone they can
preserve the constitution and the gov
ernment unlmpaired, and know at all
times the exact position and tendency OF
the party in power; and whether 1t is
guided by these principles and is avoid
ing all dangers.
Let US recur to these essential princi-
pies, the real principles of the democrat
ic party in the past, In the present, and
the future, and thus determine the exact
position and tendency of the democratic
party and of the republican party.
1t is pleasure to me to speak of the
democratic party and its eternal princi-
Piles.
This party is co-eval, with our consti-
tuition, and maintains. and its mission is
to execute. certain we'll defined princi-
pies, co-existent with selt-government
These principles are not new. They
are the chief corner stones which have
upheld and supported personal, civil
and religious liberty wherever enjoyed.
They are the laws, the governing
rules, for organizing, maintaining and
administering every civil government
which derives its just powers from the
consent of the governed. They recog-
nize the people-the eitizens-as capa-
BILE of selt-government, free and equal,
the source of all power, and endowed
by the Creator with inalienable rights to
life, liberty, and the pursuit OF happl-
ness.
In the framing OF our constitution
| these principles. so ably advocated by
MIR. Madison. demanded a general gov
ernment, sovereign in its sphere and in
the exercise of all powers which might
be granted in the constitution; /; and state
governments, then already existing,
sovereign in their respective spheres,
and in the exercise oil all those powers
necessary to enable them to order and
control their domestic concerns, with
limitations and specific prohibitions upon
both the general and state governments
to prevent the exercise OF arbitrary
power.
They asserted that the powers which
might not be delegated to the general
government. nor prohibited to the
states, renamed absolutely in the states,
or the people thereof.
These principles were, at that early
day, strongly antagonized by certain
principles, anti-democratic in their ma
ture and tendency, which demanded a
strong centralized general government,
moulded largely alter the powers and a
curtailment of the powers heretofore
enjoyed by the states.
| The democratic principles prevailed
In the framing OF the constitution. 1t
was submitted for ratification to conven
tons IN the respective states, chosen by
the people, and was ratified with rec
concentrations by quite number of the
conventions, that certain articles of
amendment be at once submitted by
congress to the legislatures OF the states
for ratification
Accordingly. on September %, 1879,
at the first session of the first congress
under the constitution the first ten ar.
tic.es OF amendment were submitted by
congress. as recommended, and were
duly ratified. These amendments are
only assertions OF the democratic prin.
clples.
During the eight years administra.
tlon of Washington the democratic prin
clpleS prevailed, but with tho incom;no -