The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1880-09-15

would impair in the least the dignity, i'm
poriance or rights of States but, ,'after all
they are subordinate to the United State,
In all the great powers Of the government
defined by the Constitution. The State
cannot be shield to prevent the national
government from protecting all the citizens
OF every State in the rights conferred upon
them by the Constitution of the United
States and in case of dispute as to the
limit and extent of these rights the supreme
court of the United States is the final Judge
and arbiter.
Here the Democratic party takes issue
with us in principle end detail. Under
the dogma of State rights that party gradu-
ally subordinated the rights and powers Of
national government to those of the several
States, until it finally claimed that any
State might nullify the laws of the United
States and secede from the Union.
You will always find the Democratic
party opposed to our view of national au-
thority. 1t seeks to belittle, to degrade
and cripple the national government; to
subordinate the rights of the citizen and
the nation to the law or public opinion of
the State; to treat the national government
as confederacy of States, without power
to enforce personal rights or national in
terests within the limits of the State with
out.the consent of the State. You will find
this radical difference cropping out in every
contest on every question, great or small,
that enters into American politics. 1t was
this that led to the civil war. Under the
lead OF the Republican party the Union
was preserved, the Constitution was main
tained in its full vigor, and strengthened
by amendments so as to declare the equal
civil and political rights of all men, with
out distinction of race, color or condition,
and that Congress should enforce these
rights by appropriate legislation. Upon
these terms the rebels we're restored to
their rights and privileges as American
citizens, and now, with their Northern as
sociates, under the name of the Democratic
party, they revive the old contest, and
deny to American citizens the protection
of national rights by national authority.
Senator Hampton, in recent speech at
Staunton, Va, stated the issue fairly:
"Consider what Lee and Jackson would |
do were they alive. These are the same
for which they fought for fc~;;
years. Remember the men who poured
forth their life-blood on!Virginia's soil and |
do not abandon them now.
"The South did fight for the rights OF
the States, as they understood them, and
this contest has already cost the nation
100000 lives and S6,00C,O00,000. 1t is for |
the people of the North, who took the bur.
den of this contest upon themselves, to say |
whether, within twenty years after our
heroes were sacrificed in the war, and while
the debt still bears heavily, they are will
ing, for the sake of gratifying the Demo-
cratic party, to vindicate the principles
against which we fought Nor does it help |
the matter any that this party, with such
aims and ends. bats its hook with soldier
who did honorable service in our cause
We are intelligent enough to look beyond
this tempting bait to the animating prin-
ciples which lie behind this demand for a
change. They say they want Hancock a
maior-general in the regular army. We
had for several years, while General Grant
was President, Democratic defamation,
without limit, against military rule. We
have been warned by the lessons of history
that free institutions are only endangered
by ambitious men, who may seek, under
military forms, to enslave the people. And
this-ety party, forgetting their declama-
ton. propose to take soldier who has had
no civil experience, whose mind was devel-
oped in a military school, and whose life
has been spent under military laws; but
they take him to carry out and maintain
the principles for which they fought, and
not those for which he fought under Re
publican auspices. Excepting the adop-
ton of the old doctrine of State rights, l
know no distinctive principle of the Demo-
cratic party which can be made by an in
telligent citizen, no other measure which
they seek to accomplish, no other policy
which they seek to develop, and yet we
are asked to make this great change.
"And now, fellow-citizens, suppose
change is made, suppose the restraint of a
Republican President is withdrawn, what
will the Democratic party do under the doc
trine for which Judge Thurman and Wade
Hampton pleadP On the day of the in
auguration horde Of greedy office-seekers
hungry in search Of Office, will come down
upon the heads of departments with their
claims for reward for party services, and
inexperienced men will be thrust in to dis
charge the most difficult functions of official
life. Trained and experienced officers, whose
capacity and fidelity are recognized every
where, will be turned out, and the great op'
erations Of the government be placed al
once in inexperienced hands.
"a still more dangerous horde OF CLAIM
agents, now haunting Washington, alread,
keen for plunder and versed in all the rick
of the trade, will seek to open the doors o
the treasury to the brood Of Southern claims
, which, despite our overfowing revenues
| will bankrupt the treasury in year. Thu
! far, during the administration. the gate ha
, been put down and barred against all thes
I claims. The statute of limitations and th
r decisions of the department have cut ther
: off but under a Democratic adminIstratio
e al the treasury department, how easy