Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-08-14
REVIVAL OF OLD ISSUES.
Prelude to Secretary S.,,-
speech at Portland, MAINE HesNt

OE TSSVIES.
FFeiHGe SGe to SecEetary Sherman,s 6.rea,
If felt at liberty 70 choose +,,,
s, rllosC important to you and to tha ITbnio
pSoPtS Oh the United States, I wonld Nc
seHt the recent revival by the Demoorpotio pi
10y oI @ IaG southern doctrine of States,
fignts' inns doctrine has been the evil
genius of American politics. II waS bor,i GNIi
OF hostility to the Union. It was the
bulwark of American slavery. 1t Doison-
ed and estranged a large section of the
country. Under the name of secession.
it led to the late rebellion and aimed to
destroy the Union by an open armed con-
fiIct with the National Government
Every life that was sacrificed and the
treasure that was wasted in. that war.
were the bitter fruits of this doctrine.
Now it takes the form of notification
hot notification by State officers as
when Gen. jackson Throttled it, but null
itfcation by members of Congress, the
sworn agents and officers of the general
government. Those officers would sur
render essential power of the National
Government, nullify its law, cripple it in
executing its conceded powers, and make
it Confederate instead of a National
Government, In the arrogance of their
power one of their leaders declared that
it was their fixed purpose to wipe out
Their chief effort in the last two ses-
sions of Congress has been to nullffy a
law OF Congress providing for an honest
election of members of COngress-a law
passed in pursuance of a plain provision
OF the Constitution, declared by Mr..
Madison to be essential to the preserva-
tlOn of the Government: a law which has
heen sanctioned by years ofpractical exc
cution, which has been appealed to by
both parties, whose constitutionlity has
never been disputed in the courts, and
which is the only guard provided by Con-
gress to protect citizens of the United
States in the elective franchise The
movement for nullifying this law was
made possible by a ''united South,' uni
ted by terror, violence and fraud, and by
! crimes that disgrace our civilization
| Over the white men of the South, who
were willing to acquiesce in the results
OF the war, the s'united South practiced
social Ostracism and violence. Over the
| poor blacks whose rights were granted
and as we foOlishly thought sufficiently
| secured by the Constitution, it trampled
| with midnight murder and musuuerade
and last year it capped the climax by
election frauds more shameful than the
ballot-boX stuffing and repeating of Tweed
and his Infamous ring in 1868.
Several members of Congress who were
confessedly elected by tissue-ballot-box
stufting, the meanest form of crime against
the elective franchise, participated in re-
! fusing the necessary appropriations for
the support of the Government unless
the President would approve the repeal
of the election laws. When, by the firm
ness of the President, they tailed in their
main object, they sought by conditions
in appropriation bills to compel him to
agree to nullify laws in violation of his
oath of office.
. When the President again defeated this
scheme by his veto they refused to appro-
pirate money to enforce the judicial man
dates of the Government, and the United
States Courts are now powerless to en-
force their DEGREES, or to serve process, OF
to keep the peace unless the Marshals
| serve without the pay fixed by law. Ii
this way majority of either House NAV
nullify any law and destroy the Govern.
ment. We thought all such dogmas were
OverthrOwn by the amendments to the
Constitution. Such policy, if sanction
i ed, will nullify the amendments, and is
more dangerous than secession or State
notification. 1t is revolution and an
archy.
j l. The evident purpose of those now dom.
mating in the Democratic party IS to be-
little and degrade the National Govern.
ment, to elevate provincialism above
natiOnalism, to weaken the tie that bind
this vast country into a Nation. so tina
the winds and the waves of faction MAJ
/ beat uponit and shatter it. Gen. Wadt
, Hampton is reported to have said that ht
does not care whether the candidates ar
hard-maney or sOft-money, so they arr
2 Democrats. A few Democrats from tn
7 North, elected upon any false issue o
artitfce whatever, give them, with tn
solId South. the control of the Electora
College and of the Senate and House.
Through the caucus, conducted in secret
! and controlled always by the most violen
! men, in which the solid South has tn
majority, they hope to rule this who'll
country, and sap and mine all the stronj
foundations of the power and authority
upon which the National Governmen
rests.
> This is the issue before which question
of money, labor, or property sink int
7 comparative insignificance. While [ in
e tend in the remainder of my remarks t.
: cpnffne myself to financial questions.
, beg you to remember that the battle 70
: National authority, for the right of tn
T United States to enforce its laws and pro
tect its citizens on every foot of land o
: water within its limits. though once won
: | is in danger of being lost. Remembe
Z that the National debt, two-thirds of til
T National taxes, the destruction of OH
o commerce on the high seas, all the Sacri
$ fees which accompanied and followe
9 the war, were caused by the very part
= and the very men who now seeks to q
i vide us on questions of political economy
9 so that through our divisions they may
with unchanged principle, seize upon IL
Government that was defended again
, their arms by millions of our cOuntr!
IL men. L trust to the well known DatriO
is ism of the people of Maine that they wi
n not be diverted by divisions in our cam
: about money matters while our old-enem
% is reviVing the lost cause and is sappiI
e and mining the National Government.