Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-10-28

/ OF the war, SAID. secession was all wrong
but there is no power in the government to
put it down" Laughter That was
his idea. Now, my countrymen, what
was the origin of this? This difference of
opinion does not fairly grow out of Il cues
tion of the construction of the constitution.
! but grows out of what is sometimes called
in politics the resolutions of Kentucky
and Virginia in 1898. At that time there
was great political dispute between
parties that have low no existence. The
democratic party. or rather it was called
the republican party Ill those DAYS. bv the
! Kentucky resolutions or the Virginia res
olutions resolved that this government.
! this national government, was a compact
between states, each equal to each other,
/ and that the constitution was nothing but
the form of government agreed upon by
! the states-as states created this govern
ment so states might destroy il. In other
words their idea was the idea of the reso-
! lutiOns of 1898, that this was new con-
federacy of states, an agreement made be-
tween states permitting the government,
and when one Of the states disregarded the
| terms of this agreement, that il alone had
the power to iudge-that is as the state
Joined in making this government it could
! join in destroying it. So thus this govern
the other hand believed with Chief JUS
tice Marshall, one of the mos. exalted
names in history, that this was a govern
ment of the people. made by the people,
supreme among the people, that would
| disregard state lines or to use the more
hOmely language of abraham Lincoln. A
name that will live as long as the name OF
America lasts. Great applause His
idea was that this was a government of the
people, by the people and for the people.
| Great applause.
Now there is the broad line between
those two great parties, the republican
party believing that this is
\ GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE,
and that their voice expressed through
congress makes the law under the deciding
power of the supreme court, that the laws
are made without regard to state lines.
| Great applause On the other hand our
democratic friends believe that this is a
mere confederacy of states, which may be
dissolved at the pleasure of the states. that
any state may set at defiance and disregard
any measure. LGreat applause.] That is
the origin Of the c0nfederacy But it has
one or two strange developments. Some
OF the young men around me
may not be familiar with the
history Of those times, and will speak to
them before | go 70 other questions OF
more immediate interest. Up to 1890 this
construction of the resolutions Of 1898 had
not occurred to any one. On the other
hand, these resolutions did not prevent the
growth or development of the country;
they did not prevent the purchase Of Lou
isiana by Thomas Jefferson, and they did
not prevent the signing of the second bank
bill by James Madison. But things driftcl
along, until 1880 under the astute mind If
John G. Calhoun, a different and more
practical construction was given to these
resolutions of 1898. John G. Calhoun was
opposed to the tariff laws, those laws which
imposed duties on imported goods, and un-
der the resolutions of 1898 he claimed
that South Carolina could nullify them.
John G. Calhoun said that the tariff laws
were unconstitutional, null and void, and
that South Carolina, one of the states that
made the government, might withdraw its
consent to that government, it might null
lily these laws, and the convention in
South Carolina actually framed the laws
of the state by which they proposed to null
lily the laws of the United States, which
required the collection of duties in Charles
ton. Then it was that there was a man
president of the United States who did not
believe in mOdern emocracy-Andrew
Jackson was then president of the United
States. When he heard of this act of
John &. Calhoun, he issued his proclama-
ton, and every part of that proclamation
might well fol M a part Of any republican
platform. LApplause.l 1t contains the
very doctrines we now avow. He said
that this was
| NATIONAL GOyERNAIENT OF THE PEOPLE,
that the people must obey it, and that the
laws must be enforced by the people with
out respect to any state lines, and he told
John G. Calhoun: ''If you attempt to car
rY out your threats, by the eternal God
VIII hang you" Great applause. And
the worst of it was that these people be-
lieved lie would, and he would. [G5reat
applause. And so that controversy set
tied down. Then, my democratic friends,
Il strange dissolution occurred in the DEM
ocratic party. After General Jackson had
retired from the presidency the democrat
ic party gradually drifted to the
southern states The south wanted
to build up the institution OF
islavery. They therefore put forward this
doctrine of state rights more and more,
and the democratic party in the north be-
came weaker and weaker. Great APP
plause. Time was when Wisconsin was
democratic, when Indiana was democratic,
when Illinois was democratic, when Ohio
was democratic, when Iowa was democrat
ic when the power of the democracy was
in the northern states. But gradually, un.
der the influence of this evil principle
the power of the democratic party faded
away, first one state and then another
People by the thousands and tens of thoUs
ands deserted the democratic PARTY anC
went over and Joined other political or,
CARNATIONS. Sc that the power of the
democratic party drifted into the south anC
was there used to foster slavery.
My countrymen, the democrats succeed
ed in electing three or four feeble presi
dents. When | name them some of you
will scarcely remember there were sucl
presidents. There was Martin Van Buren
there was Franklin Pierce, there wa.
James K. Polk, and finally there wa
, James Buchanan, and he was the las
democratic president. All the time the
: democratic party was going into decay
, was going to seed. | think it would hay;
been better for the people of the country
if the democratic party at that time haC
; ceased to exist, and had dropped thei
political organization.
Why is it that, although the democratic
= claim to have been in power some forty
odd years, that We never have had, during
the existence of that party, good nationa
money? The reason was because under
their idea this kind of money was uncon
stitutional, null and void. 1t was ''contrary
to the resolutions of ;98" They though
there was no power in congress authoriz
ing the issuance of any form of papel
=, money, either by the national banks or b,
: the United States. They therefore pro