The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-08-28
The Republicans and States
Rights.

The Republicans and States
Rights
A Most Manifest Change of
Wind.
The bette nOir that hAunts the Re-
publican leaders BY day and disturbs
their slumbers by night IL the question
Of State Rights. 1t was not always
thus. Their minds have shown .
most wonderful elasticity on the sub
jecf, which is now the great leading
question In the minds Of the Ameri-
can people. When they desired to
count In and install . President whom
the people had Overwhelmingly reject
ed they we're herrifled at the idea Of
going behind the returns and certia.
Gates Of fraudulent Returning Boards
and State officials, and declared not to
permit them to defraud the American
people out Of their choice of the Ex.
ecutive Of the nation would be pal.
pable invasion Of the sacred rights of
sovereign States. But now when their
interest seems to demand It in order
to secure the election Of Congressmen
and Presidential electors to enable
than TO perpetuate their power, they
insist upon the right to invade the
States by bodies Of armed men and
hordes of Supervisors and Deputy
Narshals to take control Of the ballot
boxes and corrupt and overawe the
people; virtually declaring that the
States have no rights which the Fed
eral Government 10 bound to respect.
The position of the party upon that
question is materially different from
that which 1t occupied during earlier
history when such men 90 John r.
Hale, Joshua r. Giddings. salman p.
Chase, and Benjamin +. Wade were
Its great lights and leaders. They
have entirely deserted the old land
marks of their party and seem to have
utterly forgotten It's early history and
the position occupied by their leaders,
and for the purpose of refreshing the
memory Of our readers in reference
thereto we publish below . few scraps
of history. -
On the 23d of February 1856, Ben.
Wade, the idol Of the Republicans of
Ohio and IN acknowledged leader of
that party throughout the nation, in
speech in the United States Senate,
uttered the following language:
"Who is to be judge, in the last re-
sort, Of the violation Of the Constitu.
ton of tho United States by the en-
actment of . law? Who 10 the final
arbiter7 The General Government, or
the States In their Sovereignty Why,
air, to yield that point Is to yield mp
all the rights Of the States to protect
their own citizens, and to consolidate
this Government into miserable des-
potism. tell you, sir, Whatever you
may think Of il, II this bill pass, col
lisions will arise between the Federal
and State ju1sdictions-con1icts more
dangerous than all the wordy wars
which are got mp in Congress-con-
flicts in which the States will never
yield for the more you undertake to
load them with acts like this, the great
or will be their resistance."
[See Appendix to Congressional
Globe, End Session 33rd Congress,
page 2l4.]
And in the Same speech Mr.. Wade
said: t.-,s is'i 2ats.. ~
81 said there were States in this
Union whose highest tribunals had
adjudged that bill to be unconstitu-
tional and that ! was one of those who
believed it unconstitutional and that
under the old Resolutions Of 1798 and
1893, . State must not only be the
judge Of that but of the remedy In such
CASE" ga4, e. a fti.1 ~
That smacks very much not only Of
notification, but 10 an open avowal of
the right of secession. Still these MT
terances of Mr.. Wade met with .
hearty response from and were open.
ly applauded BY every member of the
Republican party throughout the land.
But this was not the solitary inter-
ance Of an individual member of thst
party. 1t was the well known senti-
meat Of all of its members. In the
year 1859 Benjamin F. Wade, VIM. 81.
Upson, Salmon p. Chase, John r.
French, Peter Hitchcock, and other
leaders, had . grand mass meeting
in Cleveland the ayowed object of
which was to show resistance to the
authority of the Federal Government
in reference to law of Congress
which had been pronounced constitu-
tiopal by the Supreme Court of the
United States. the highest judicial tri-
bunal in the land. They had q street
parade, led by the Sons of Liberty,
and Aaunted sixteen starred banners
upon which were inscribed the words
/" Here Gin the States) is the Govern
ment let tyrants beware, "No Union
with slave holders" etc. Violent
speeches were made, and they
adopted uer6atins, as the sense of the
meeting one of the resolutions of 1893
IS follows:
Resolved, That the several States
composing the United State of Amer.
ica, are not united on the principle Of
unlimited submission to their Gener.
81 Government; but that. by COM
pact under tho style Of the Constitu-
tion Of the United States, and of
Amendments thereto, they c0nstituted
a General Govesnnaent for special pur-
poses,-delegated to thst Government
certain definite powers, reserving,
each State to itself, the residuary mass
Of right to their own self.government,
auA fhak xwh IN ooovop the (lnnaral Gnu-