Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-06-13
Speech of General Garfield.

publican State Convention at Clncln-
natl, ratification meeting was held
and General Garfield being called for
spoke as follows:
Mr.. PRESIDENT AND FELLOW CITIZENS:
am certain that you don't want speech made
at this time Of night Cries Of eyes, we do
90 onpl | take pleasure in paying my re.
spects to you to the extent of saying a few
words. have watched with very great in
terest the proceedings of this Convention,
and no more, nor with so much, as the decla-
ration OF opinion and sentiment that have
gone forth from 1t as representing the great
party of Republicans of the State Of Ohio to-
day.
You have bridged chasm of great many
years OF history in what you have said
to-day. You have seen attempts made against
the National authority and Jurisdiction that
have turned YOU back to the days of fifteen
years ago You supposed, ! supposed, and
one of your great citizens OF this State some
years ago supposed, that war legislates, that
1t settles some things beyond recall. We had
all supposed that Supreme Courts settled some
questions, but in the years between the year
1861 and 1865 there was a question pending
too large for the COurts--a question that had
to be appealed to the final courts, the court Of
Kings, the court of war And that question
was whether this was Nation, or not. The
question was whether this was a Nation or
merely league of States, and whether each
State had the right to break the league at any
time it chooses. This question the courts
were powerless to settle and appeal was made,
After four years of bloodshed we supposed
1t was settled forever that there was no State
so sovereign as the Nation. We supposed at
| the termination of the war that 1t had been
| settled beyond recall; that our fathers pro-
| vded that the Constitution and the laws of
the Nation were the supreme law Of the land.
| But, fellow-citiZens, no sooner has the Demo-
| cratic party got itself into power in both
| Houses of Congress but they proceed to as
sert, as though they never heard of 1861 and
| 1865, that the States have supreme control
| not only of their own elections, which we ad-
| nit, but that they have right to control,
| also, our National elections, and that the Gov
| ernment of the United States has no business
even to witness the election of its own Legis-
| lature.
We have this day, pending now In the House
of Representatives, bill that cuts off all pow
| er to appeal from the courts of the State to
| the National Courts in great questions of Ma
| tional concern. AS far back as lIS9 our IA
| theirs passed the great judiciary act that ex-
tends the judicial power OF the United States
| to all cases arising under the Constitution of
| the Nation, and allowing appeal from the
| State Courts to the courts of the Nation when
ever a Federal question was concerned. In
| Jackson's day 1t was provided that all civil OF
| fcers of the United States in the discharge of
their official duties should be tried, If tried at
| all, before the courts of the United States. In
1865 we were compelled to strengthen this iu-
dicial power of the Nation, and this 1t is now
proposed to destroy.
Look at the facts for moment. In the
| last two years there have been 800 people ar
rested for violating the laws of the United
States, and all but 140 of that number were in
the Southern States There have been gath
| erings In the Southern States to prevent the
collection OF the revenue of the United
States. In the effort to enforce the laws and
to collect the revenue of the National Govern
ment, a great many men have been killed.
| The States have arrested many OF the officers
OF the Government (some of them for muir
der simply in doing their duty in enforcing
the laws OF the United States. Now, as the
| law stands, we can transfer these cases of the
arrest of National officers, for deeds done in
the discharge of their official duties, to our
own United States Courts But the National
| Representatives of the Democratic party pro-
pose that there shall be no appeal from the
| State Courts in these cases or transfer to the
National Courts and any man that dares to
| carry out the revenue laws OF the Unlted
States in the Southern States, must do 1t at
the peril of his own life; must do it at the
peril of being triedin rebel court before
| rebel jury, and the arm of the United states
shall be powerless to protect its own officer II
this law should pass.
The States may be supreme in their own
sphere and jurisdiction, and we admit all their
proper rights. But they contend that the
| Nation is not supreme in its sphere, ana
there we meet them with denial and defiance.
| You and are citizens of the State OF ONO,
and as such we owe allegiance to the laws
made at Columbus, but at the same moment
we are citizens of the United States, and as
| such we owe allegiance in a straight line 10
the laws made at Washington, and not around
| by way of Columbus. We obey the Nation,
no matter what they say at Columbus, ana II
our Nation be not the supreme Government,
| with its powers reaching everywhere that It's
duties reach, then we fought for nothing, and
the blood shed for the Nation was wasted
The old doctrine of State sovereignty, in lts
worst form, in its most discouraging aspect
has been brought back in the very hour of the
return of the Democratic party to the twC
houses of Congress. But, thanks to the good
fortune of the Nation, we still hold the Ex
ecutive Chair and meet them prolonged ap.
plause amid which the remainder OF the sen.
tence was lost.
When the war was over, and when recon.
struction was completed, there was large
number of large-hearted, generous, magnan
imous optimists in the Republican party who
believed that we ought to do great acts o
Cancellation toward the South, which they be
lieved would be met in a like spirit. Tht
Greeley movement originated in that spirit
and carried off from the Republican party
many of the nobest and most charitable ad
herents; and a great many good, honest
earnest Republicans who staid by the party
and did not go off with the Greeley move
/, ment said If you will go to the South in the
full spirit of brotherly love and kindness anC
conciliation, you will win their hearts. There
were many of the best and nobest men in the
Republican party who so believed. Well, the
Republican party had to deal with that ele
ment. 1t either had to overcome it or "try
the experiment The man we elected two
, years ago from this great State of Ohio fol
the chiefest place in the Nation, as true Re
publican as ever lived, was at the same time
great optimist. He was determined to try
the doctrine of Cancellation. He went to the
, South with olive branches in both hands He
went further, far beyond what many of III
thought he ought to go. He rendered then
in all brotherly kindness and charity, and il
J made many of our people sad because they
believed he was making a mistake. One o
those who believed with him at that time IL
the man you have to-day made your standard
bearer in the coming campaign in Ohio. A
year ago he became fully aware that the policy
, was not bearing its fruits in bTotherly love II
return, and he declared as much in cam
paign speech.
We have seen what returns have beel
brought to us from this policy of conciliation
} aud now there is not an optimist in all ou
party. There is not a sentimentaist in al
this land belonging to the Republican part,
, who does not see that we have tried 1t full
and faithfully, and they have been unworth.
7 of the tender And we have now got back d
3 the old campng-ground of the Republican
party and to-day, throughout the breadth o
the land we are one. You can make NJ elias
of Stalwarts, for we are all Stalwarts. Sine
, 1868 you have never seen this party united a
= it is united to-day. And you see it united be
q cause you have seen this Nation assailed in 1t
integrity, in its functions, in its future, in it
safety, with the same spirit and animus as yol
s saw It assailed in 1851 They have expresses
t the determination that every Yestige OF tn
war legislation should be blotted out. The
have announced their purpose to unroll tn
!, record of history and go back over the wor
i of the years step by step. They do not sa
that they will do away with the Constitutions
n amendments, and destroy them, but 1t is nc
: necessary for their purpose to do that
- they pursue their present line of policy the
Q can freeze them TO death without repealin
S them. The Constitution does not execute 4
n self II must have behind it the will OF th
people in the form of law to make it effective
l. and III the legislation of Congress take ava
n the forces, or paralyze its force, it causes Oh
n amendments TO become a delusion and
v snare. There is something in the instincts {