Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-09-24
THE TRUE ISSUES.
THURMAN AS THE INAUCU-
RATOR or A NEW POLICY.


JUDGE THURMAN AS THE INAUcU.
RATOR or A NEW POLICY.
THE SENATOR'S GRAND CONSTITUTIONAL
SPEECH AT CoLUMBUs-How THE DE.
MocRAoY STANDS ON THE LIVE CUES
TIoNs OF THE DAY-soME RADI-
CAL ISLANDERS.
Senator Thurman marked his active
entrance into the Ohio campaign by a
speech delivered at Cincinnati on the
9th inst, in the presence Of an audience
such as few Ohio cities, outside of it
could furnish. The distinguished Sem
ator appeared to be in the best of
health and spirits. His speech was
almost entirely a constitutional argu-
ment, and as plea in defense of the
Democratic position on the roigning
issues of the day, was simply superb.
The address was received with un.
bounded enthusiasm. The Senator
after being introduced to the large au.
dience by Hon. Frank Mckinney,
Chairman OF the Democratic Exeeu.
tive Committee, spoke substantially as
follows:
Mn. PRESIDENT AND FELLOW. CITI.
zENs The persistent efforts of the
Radical leaders to destroy the plainest
rights OF the States and Of the people,
and thereby to overthrow local self
government in the United States. will
justifyme in asking your attention to.
night to some observations that have
been repeated thousand times, and
have therefore no charm of novelty to
recommend them, but which cannot
be repeated too frequently if we
would preserve our system of govern
ment and the liberties of the people.
Now, my friends, let us consider for
moment what ours system ofgovern.
ment and then further consider what
would be the result of overthrowing
local self-government and consolidat-
ing all power in the hands of the gen.
eral Government We have IN this
country two governments-th Fed
eral or National Government, which
ever term you prefer, deriving all its
powers from the Constitution of the
United States and the State Govern
ments, deriving all their powers from
the State Constitutions. The nature
of this system was expressed with ad-
mirable brevity by Chief Justice Mar
shall delivering the unanimous opinion
OF the Supreme Court of the United
States in McColoch VS.. the State Of
Maryland, Wheaton, 40. He said
ain America the powers of sovereign
ty are divided between the Govern
ment of the Union, and those of the
States. They are each sovereign with
respect to the objects committed to it,
but neither sovereign with respect to
the objects committed to the other"
In the same opinion, page 4O5, speak
ing OF the general Government, he
said
"This Government is acknowledged
by NIL TO be one of enumerated pow.
ers. The principle, that it can exer.
else only the powers granted to it,
would seem too apparent to have re-
quired TO be enforced by all those ar
guments which its enlightened friends,
while it was depending before the peo.
pie, found it necessary to urge. The
principle is now universally admitted.
But the question respecting the extent
of the powers actually granted, is per-
petually arising, and will probably
continue to arise, as long as our sys-
ITEM shall exist"
1t Texas VS.. White, Z Wallace, 725,
Chief Justice Chase, delivering the
opinion OF the Supreme Court, said I:
"But the perpctuity and indissolubility
of the Union by no means implies the
loss of distinct and individual exist.
encc or of the right of selfgovernment
by the States. Under the articles of
confederation, each State retained its
sovereignty, freedom and independ-
ence, and every power, jurisdiction and
right not expressly delegated TO the
United States. And we have already
had occasion to remark ut this term
that the people of each State compose
a State having its own government,
and endowed with all the functions es-
scntial to separate and independent
existence, and that without the States
in Union, there could be no such po-
litical body as the United States Not
only, therefore can there be no loss Of
separate and independent autonomy 10
the States through their union under
the Constitution, but IL may not be un-
reasonably said that the preservation
Of the States, and the maintenance OF
their Governments, are as much with
in the design and care of the Constitu-
ton as the preservation Of the Union
and the maintenance OF the National
Government The Constitution in all
its provisions, looks TO an indestructi-
bic Union composed OF indostructible
States"
You thus see, my friends, that ac'
cording to the highest authority, the
rights OF tho States are as indestruct-
bic, if our system of Government be
preserved, as are the rights of the Fed
eral Government that the one is just
as sacred as the other; and that he
who assails the plain rights Of the
States is Just as much an enemy OF our
system OF free Institutions rs is he who
assails the Just power OF the Federal
Government
Now, mark II, my friends, the doc.
trine Of States rights, or, in ether
words, local seli-government, for which
the Democracy contend, is wholly dii'
ferent from tho doctrines of nullifica-
ton Of secession. The Democracy OF
the North never believed in either OF
those doctrines. They never believed
in the right of notification or of seces'
sion. One great cause that endanger-
ed tho Union (slavery) has ceased to
exist. To rc-cstablish IL is manifest
impossibility Noman, North or South,
imagincs that il could be re.establish'
cd. Tho Southern people would be
among the first and tho most earnest
10 oppose such measure. Their po'
litical power is largely increased by
the emancipation OF the negro, and
thcy are fast coming to the conclusion