The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-10-06
JUDGE BLACK ON GAR
FIELD /!
s. THE ISSUES ALL WITH US
AND THE ACCIDENTS
NOT AGAINST
US!o
III o w GARFIELD Z HIN KS
TREACHRRY TO HIS COUN-
TRY is FIDELITY TO HIS
FRIENDS 5l

1 '! -
the Hon. Jerry S. Black, o1
Pennsylvania, sent in reply to
an invitation to attend the
great Democratic mass meet
ing in the city of New York,
Sept. %, will command the at
tention of thinking men of all
shades of political opinion
BRocKIE. YORK, Pa. Sept. %. 1880.
! GENTLEMEN 1 cannot attend the
meeting of the DemSeratic-Repub-
licans at the city of New York on
the 23d inst. But can assure you
of my concurrence in it's object, and
if time and space permitted I could
| give you a reason for the faith that
is within me.
/ / trust we are approaching the end
of our long struggle against the op,
preston and fraud Of the anti con-
stitutional party. They have sought
the destruction of our Government
by every possible means in their
reach. BY our Government l mean
the whole system of Fundamental
law under which we live, including
the granted powers of the Federal
Union, the reserved rights of the
States and the personal liberty Of the
citizen. These three are all vital
points of our political organization,
| and the life Of the nation depends as
much on one as another. Ifyou want
to kill man it makes no difference
whether you knock out his brains,
stab him through the heart or tear
open his bowels-either way he is
done for, Certainly an American
who forcibly tramples on civil liberty
or by violence extinguishes the
rights Of the States is not less
traitor to his country than one who
resists the just authority of the Fed
eral Government.
need not remind you with what
manifold treachery our opponents
got possession of the power which
they have so frightfully abused, At
the beginning of the war they SOL
emnly pledged themselves to use the
forces put into their hands for the
sole purpose of defending the Fed
eral government and maintaining the
supremacy of the Constitution and
laws, with all the rights of the States
and the people unImpaired i and
they promised that when this was
accomplished the war should instant.
ly cease. In consideration OF this
special pledge, superadded to their
oaths, the men and the money were
put into their hands which complete
ly subdued the armed opposition of
the South to the Union. But when
the conflict was over they announc-
ed that the victory instead of de-
Tending the Government had reyo-
lutionized and overthrowu it.; that
the whole doctrine of State rights
was exploded and personal liberty
was consequently thing of the past
that the military was above the
civil authority, and through that in
strumentality they the central oil
garchy might kidnap, imprtson and
kill citizens for political offenses
without judge or jury. The right of
suffrage had ceased TO exist except
when it was exercised by their per
mission and in way which suited
their purposes. Destroying all the
election laws of half the States IN
the Union, they filed the State Of
fees with notorious thieves and
crowded Congress with redemption
less rogues who did not pretend to
any title except what they got by
force and fraud, and in all the States
they claimed the right to be repre-
sented at State elections by the bay.
.onets of their standing army. Would
you have me enumerate the eorrup
tions generated by this infamous
system? Count the stars if you
can try to number the sands of the
seashore. -6
Their idea of strong government
was fully developed. Six years at
ter the war fraud and force had
made it so much stronger than lib
erty, justice and law, that the Con-
stitution had but seven friends in
the Senate and less than third of
the members in the lower house.
But the principles of free and hon.
est government were not destined
to be crushed out forever. The
moral influence of the Democracy
WAS itself a power which abashed the
anti-constitutiona leaders and be.
numbed their faculty of evil doing.
Thousands of true men, who in mo-
ments of error or alarm had wander.
ed from the track Of principles