St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-09-26
President Hayes Speech.

President Hayes Speech.
The speech of President Hayes to his
old regiment at Youngstown, Ohio, is
worthy the consideration of every one
who is interested in the issues now be-
ing set forth by politicians. Speaking
of the causes and issues of the civil
war, he quoted Mr.. Lincoln's language
in relation to them as being fully to the
point, and then paid a glowing tribute
to the martyr President who so eau
tiously and successfully guided the
country through those perilOus days.
The President said:
Believing that Mr.. LincOln's opinions
are of higher authority on the questions
of the war than those of any other pub
lie man on either side of the contrOver-
sy, desire to present them quite fully
and in his own language. "FOur score
and seven years ago." said Mr.. Lincoln,
''our fathers brought forth on this con-
tinent a new nation, conceived in hber-
ty and dedicated to the proposition that
all men are created equal. Now, we
are engaged in great civil war, test
ing whether that nation or any nation
endure"
And again, in closing, he said: sit
is rather for us. -. that we
here highly resolve that the dead shall
not have died in vain that the nation
shall, under God, have a new birth of
freedom and that the government of
the people, by the people and for the
people shall not perish from the EARTH"
No statement of the true objects of
the war more complete than this has
ever been made. 1t includes them all
Nationality, liberty, equal rights and
self government. These are the princi-
Piles for which the Union soldier fought
and which it was his aim to maintain
and to perpetuate.
UuquestiOnably the states have the
powers and rights reserved to them in
and by the national constitution, and
upon this point, in another part of this
great message, Mr.. Lincoln says: "This
relative matter of national power and
state rights, as principle, is no other
than the principle of generality and 10
cality. Whatever concerns the whole
should be confided to the whOle-to the
general government; while whatever
concerns only the state should be left
exclusively to the state. This is all
there is of original principle about it."
Mr.. Lincoln held that the United
States is nation, and that its govern
ment possesses ample power under the
constitution to maintain its authority
and enforce its laws in every part of its
territory. The denial of this principle
by those who asserted the doctrine of
state rights, and who rightly claimed
it was inconsistent with state sover-
eighty, made up an issue over which
arose one of the leading controversies
which led to civil war. The result of
that war decided that controversy in
favor of the supremacy of the national
government.
This decision is in accordance with
the principles of the fathers. On this
day, % years ago, the delegates in con-
vention at Philadelphia agreed to the
constitution of the United States, which
was afterward ratified and adopted.
On the same day, September II, 1887,
Gen. Washington sent letter trans
mitting the constitution to the Congress
in session in New York. In that letter
he said =
''The friends of our country have
long since desired that the power of
making war, peace and treaties, that of
levying money and regulating COM
merce, and the correspondent executive
and judicial authorities should be fully
and effectually vested in the general
government of the Union. 1t is obvi-
ously impIacticable in the federal gov
ernment of these states to secure all
rights of independent sovereignty to
| nanh inf
and safety of all. In all our delibera-
tions on this subject, we kept steadily
in our view that which appears to us
the greatest interest ofevery true Amer
ican-the consolidation of our Union
in which is involved our prosperity, fe-
iicity, safety, perhaps our national ex
istence."
Lincoln held that the Union is per-
petual; that its government is nationa
and supreme; and that all of it's inhab,
itants should be free, and be accorded
equal civil and political rights.
These are the great fundamental
T principles, affirmed on the one side anC
denied Oh the other, upon which tn,
appeal was made to the God of battles
do not undertake to review the de
bate as to the nature and powers of th,
, government of the Union, and as to thu
doctrine of state rights, which begaI
with the foundation of our institutions
and which was continued until it wa
hushed by the clash of arms. 1t i
enough for my present purpose to sa,
that, as matter of history, all of th
political parties of the past, whel
charged with the responsibility of di
recting the affairs of the government
have maintained in their practical ad
P ministration of it precisely the sam,
, principles which were held by Presiden
, Lincoln. The principles as to the DOW
: ers of the national government ar
D among the legitimate and irreversibl
+ results of the war which ought not t
be questioned. i1
The President referred to the emar
: cipation and enfranchisement of tb
J. eOlored people, and the ready respons
e which 100000 of them made to I'll