Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-09-30
The Democratic Position There
on, Reviewed.
A Party Which Endorses Trea-
son and Secession.
Mr.. keyes Recites al Import
ant chapter of Political
History,

immense audience in the Opera Hall, at
Marnette, on the issues Of the campaign.
Mr. KEYEs said:
While the candidate of the Democratic
party for the high st office in the gift OF
the American people has no political
record, the party which placed him in
nomination has record; and it behooves
all those who wish to understand thor.
oughly and we'll the great question in
volved in this contest paramount to all
others, and which involves the nationality
of the United States, to go back little -
to turn over the pages Of history, and to
refresh their memories so that they can
be better able to judge OF the response.
bility resting npon them as voters. Every
voter has doubtless some ideas of his own
upon the question of State Rights, but
most of them do not fully understand the
question; they do no, realize the great
extent to which the Democratic party has
gone in recognizing and adopting that
principle in its party platform.
After the adoption Of the Declaration OF
Independence, the colonies or the original
States were held together by articles Of
confederation 1t was found by expert.
cnce that there was not a strong enough
bond of union for all the necessary pur-
poses of government, and TO obviate the
difficulty and remedy the evil, constitu-
tional convention was authorized by Con
gress, aud our present constitution was
formed in 1897, and subsequently ra tilted
by the States.
The struggle at once began between
those who claimed that we were Nation
with all the powers of government, and
those who maintained, on the other hand,
that we were yet, under the constitution,
only a confederation of States.
In 179S Congress passed a series of acts
known as the Alien and Sedition Laws.
The first act provided for residence in
the country of fourteen years as condl-
ton of naturalization. The second gave
the President authority to order out Of
the country all such aliens as he might
Judge dangerous to the peace and safety
of the United States, etc. The third pro
yided that in case of declaration of war
or an invasion of the United States, all
resident aliens, natives or citizens OF the
hostile nations, might, upon proclamation
to that effect to be issued at the Presi-
dents discretion, be apprehended and Sc
cured or removed The fourth, the Sedi-
ton act, made it a high misdemeanor for
any persons unlawfully to combine and
conspire together with intent to oppose
any measure of the government of the
United States, etc.
These acts may have been weak and
foolish expedients, but they formed no
better ground for the dissolution of the
Union than the erection of new Collec.
ton District in any one of the Southern
States; but nevertheless the passage of
these acts was made the occasion for the
first declaration of the principle of State
Rights.
The subject was considered in 1898 and
1899 by the Legislatures Of the States Of
Kentucky and Virginia, and a resolution
embodying those principles was con-
Cured in by both the Legislatures of
those States The resolution is as fol
lows:
THE RESOLUTIONS OF 1889.
uTbot fine several states con,nosinp thp
United States of America are not united
Oh the principle of unlimited submission
to their general government, but that by a
compact under the style and title of the
Constitution for the United States, and of
amendments thereto, they constituted IA
general government for special purposes;
delegated to that government certain
definite powers; Teserylng, each State to
itself, the residuary measure Of right TO
their own selEgOyernment, and that,
whatsoever the general government as.
Sumes undelegated powers, its acts are
unauthcritative, void, and Of no force
that to this compact each State aCceded as
a State, and is an integral party; that the
government created by this compact was
not made The exclusive or final judge Of
the extent of the powers delegated to it
self, since that would have made its dis
erection, and not the Constitution, the
measure Of its powers; bit that, rs IN all
other cases Of c0D1pact among parties hue
ing no c0Hlmon judge, each purity has az
6qUal right 10 judge fer itself, as nell #
lnfracti0Hs as 0f the made and measure If
redress, "aHd that awullffcd-
ton ~ those Sorereigaties Of all uqautdor-
tze1 acts done UHder the c0l1r If that IN