River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-09-18
A sTALWART SPEECH.
Remarks OF Vice President Wheeler at the
New York Convention. ON Taking the Chair
as its President.

be computed by progression, thrice am
grateful for your kind Partially. l had the
honor 10 preside over the Republican state
convention twenty years ago. when the slave
power, having the constitution, The laws, the
Executive, Congress and the courts in COM
piete domination, was, nevertheless, demand
III for its peculiar interest rights and protee-
ton without the pale Of the constitution; was
secretly organizing a vast conspiracy against
the Integrity Of the Union, and kindling the
flames Of the ruthless civil war, which, within
two years thereafter, opened It's dread drama
in Charleston harbor in the glare OF eleven
batteries OF artillery, which hurled their iron
bolts upon one small, siege-worn company OF
United States troops, whom the Government
in its earnest desire TO avoid hostile demon
STATIONS, was endeavUring TO feed and to rein
force. Ii was at Sumter tn t the experiment OF
starving Government was initiated, with
Tepetitons at AndersOnville and other places
Of historic brutality, and, more recently, at
Washington at the late extra session Of Con-
greSs.
came to this position again in 1872. The
curtain had then fallen upon the bloody drama
open at Charleston. The long, weary, bat
tling years that had interviewed had drifled
into the dead past The flag had been lifted
up from its humiliation at Sumter, and again
inviolaie aud supreme, proclaimed The Nation
al Sovereignty irum the Potomac to the Rio
Grande = half million of the defenders of
that Sovereignty were sleeping in soldiers
graves. The tlood Of hundreds Of battle fields;
the emblems Of mourning; the tears in mil
lion Of sacritciai homes; the bereit, the desc
late, the helpless, the scared and the wasted
encountered on every hand. attested the cost
.iness Of the sacrifices which had been made
Tor the National life. We then confidently be
iieVed tilat by an lmmutablO lsW of the SUI
preme Ruler, such sacrifices which had been
made in vain; TIA t the Nations blood, the
Nations tears, and The Nations treasures Lad
found compeus ton in the destruction of the
germ OF the fatal heresy OF succession, and IN
saving the graz framework Of our govern.
ment from fab ug into wretched fragments.
with imHens' maiUritieS in Congress and
every No thor State, and omnipotent to fix
tte status oi lis defeated cuemlee, the Govern
/ ment, with ma gnanimity for which the his
tory Of the world furnishes no parallel, treat
ing the contest as enc Of principle, and not Of
personal hatred, and lifting itself above the
low level of 81 mere sectional triumph, had
/ condoned the crime Of treason and rebellion,
and actually reinvested traitors and rebels
| with the rights they had forfeited aud made
! them equal participants in the privileges they
mad insolently cast oil in their mad purpose
| TO destroy the National authority. This mag
| nanimIty has been supplanted by every posi-
/ bic effort To lnaugurate in the Southern sec
/ ton OF this country substantial era OF recon
/ citation and peace. Military garrisons have
! been Withdrawn, all alleged National inteTfer-
J
/ ana contrary To all political precedent, APP
/ poIntments 10 Office have been given to those
/ VINO 4 lew years since were moving heaven
/ ana earth 10 PROSTATE The Government and
4 the Union.
! To-day We are here confronting the conse-
/ quences of the magnaumity Of the Govern
! ment, and of its wasted and despiscd efforts
/ to conciiiate lis late armed assalants. In the
/ llght 81 recent events, il is not hyperb0le tu
/ inquire, Was the surrender of Apron attox q
4 re ched, hollow truce, patched mp 10 enable
! TIE e9e Ion u choose a new line of .saiilt
upon the Union, and was to the mushroom
/ Contedracy, proclaimed at Monte emery, real
! ~ Il ldlture, or are lis founders and IDEAS Ia
| become the living. controlling forces Of this
! country? Hhe spirit which defed the a1thor.
/ lty, and sought to destroy the unity, of the
4 Republic, has again taken living form in q
/ solid South supported by the whole power Of
/ the party Nor b, which in 1851, declared that
I the Constitution had left the Government
/ poWerless III the face of an armed enemy
! which, with valOrous spirits but tainting flesh
| pledged itsctl to resist coercion unto blood
/ and which, when our victorious legions had
prepared the winding sheet Of The rebellion
1 IN It's National Convention assembled, re
| solved he war fail lure
stripped Oh ali guise, the two great parties
! OF the country are again ranged on either side
| Of the line Of demarcation Of the powers OF
! the National Government and the States
4
| up IN 1852 Then, the Democratic party de
| manded Of President Lincoln that he should
| peTIure himself IN his official oath, or they
/ would over hOw The Government by armed
| force. Lincoln answered in his inaugural
| You have no oath registered in heaven to de
! stroy the Government, while shall have the
/ most solemn one to preserve, protect and dc
| fend it,
| This demand was referred to the last dread
| G. Fri of driutlamaUr, where Tor four We Irs H.
| he white heat Of Ailul war, the great argu
/ mcnt proceeded until at last ri AppJm4ttoN
tn verdict WAS delivered TO that matches
soldier whose marshalng OF the Union forces
| had brought rebel traitors to submission and
/ avenged an outraged nation. That verdict was
tha! the Constitution Of the United States was
not compact entered into by the States but
was ordained aud established by the people
81 the United States for themselves and their
io7terIty; that no State or Umbination OF
state can nullily the Constitution; til the
| Union i d family OF States, independent OF
| cac h other for lOcul concerns bui united I'M
DIR one g0vernmt mt for tie management OF
common interests aud the preservation Of the
general peacc-a Ian, 10 borrow the Ian
ruayt OF another, most hopeful for cumbin
ing the h me-hred bless ngs Of small Statt
with thu stability aud power Of g great eIa.
pirc" In short. that verdict Wa that the N,-
tionality proclaimed by our fathers shall stand
uutil Justice, domestic lrHquiii. the com
mon defence. General welfare AVID the blcssir
Ofli1erty shall, in Gods own good time, undcr
The stars stripes, be the lasting heri age
Of all who may be dwellers upon he face OF
this entire continent. Aud tie Republican
party Of the Empire State, remembering that
ihe great character Of our Nationality was en-
acted upon her soil, and recalling the heroic
deeds, the sacrifice and the fidelity of the al.
most half million Of her sons who participated
in hat bloody asSiZe. pledges here anew to
stand b. the verdict.
IN this year of grace, this same Democratic
party which sought to cOercc President Lin.
coin from his official duty has demanded OF
President Hayes that he should periure him
SELF in his official oath; that he should surren-
der prerogativc given him hy the Constitu-
lion. so that Congress, af0ae might become the
law-making lower, and that that power might,
by congressional enactment strip the royeru-
ment Ot the power to protect its citizens to en-
force It's laws for the preservation Of the peace,
and for the security of the ballot box to the
end that this palladium Of our liberties might
he left q prey to fraud and violence IN the
South, and swindling repeaters in the North
This revolutionary demand was ACCOMPANIED
by the menace that, th President refusing
the whole machinery Of the government
should be brought TO a stand-stll, by with
holding the supplies which constitute its very
life currents. This new assault upon the Con
>tilulion, differing ia form only from that
made by the same party in 1861, was met with
Rutherford B. Hayes illustrious in his high nf-
flee and a worthy successor of him who, for
twelve years, in field and cabinet, stood
against every such assault q wall of ada
mant
From the decision of Pre- sident Hayes. as
from that of Lincoln, the Democratic party
axis its appeal; not this time to the wager Of
battle, for tile insurrectiOnary States, the great
factor of the party, have not yet forgotten the
tramp Of The armed legions OF the Union, who
bore upon their banners, into its strongholds
the death warrant Of slavery, nor the old in
spring notes of "GlOry, Hallelujah!" rHng out
by those legjons, as they swept by the galows
of John Brown, carrying the day-star of the
morning of liberty 10 those who sat in the
night OF bondage The appeal is now taken TO
the ballot-Lox, which itself is made the brunt
of the assault Of the Democratic party, because
through its prostitution alone lies Is only hope
OF success.
make no apology for putting the perilous
aiional issue nOw joined above all state IS
sues. The Republican party believes first Of
all things in the absolute supremacy Of the |
constitution and the laws of the nation. We |
are thus early, by the acti0nof the Democratic |
party At the last session Of Congress, forced /
upon he first line OF the Presidential canvass |
% neSt year The rebuke OF that revolution |
airy action, by he majority Of The people Of /
tbls tate, speaking through their ballot-boxes |
in November next will he the assurance Of /
fhd complete overthrow Of this new attempt |
10 subyert the constitution.
The Democratic party lacks now only the
Executive department to control the govern
neut Tie Congress has already passed 10 /
the absoute rule Of that over mastering
ouihern section OF party which, by
more than two-thirds majority, chosen always /
Tor its conspicuous fidelity to the rebellion,