The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-01-08
The Principles of the Fathers.
NUMBER 3. |

NUMBER ..
MR.. EDITOR Thus Ohio, twenty
years after the solemn judgment dis
tinctly pronounced by the people
against the heresies of Adams and
Hamilton, in coalition with unpun-
ished tories, ente red on record her full
approbation of the doctrines of the
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions,
This was not, however, the first time
she had expressed her views. In the
first presidential election, in 1904. after
her admission as a State, her rebuke
was not less significant, and in no il :
tervening election were her express
ions less decisive. At the time OF the
passage of the resolution copied in my
former article, there were but four
votes in the Senate and seven in the
House recorded against it. Among
the supporters of the Resolution are
reported the names of VIM. Hen y
Harrison, Charles Hammond, Gor.
Trimble. Gov. Lucas, Eli Baldwin,
Elisha Whiitlesey, Thomas Morris,
Judge Harper, Mirajah Il. Williams,
VIM. Schenca and Others we'll known
| in the annals of Ohio.
| Whatever may he the virtue or vice
OF the " solemn but painful vote oil
| 1901, that generation stood by it man
| fully, unfalteringly. They had fought
| for and made y government and a con-
stitution of government, in opposition
TO kiugly and despotic methods, ant
they considered they had right, and
that it was their duty to themselves
anu posterity to put their own inter
pretations upon that constitution ant
government, if any doubtful terms hat
been employed in the organic laws
| Hent they repudiatei l, and continued
to repudiale AS long as they lived, ant
they seemed to wish it never to be for
gotten, that they ranked Hamiltonisn
not a whit better than they did Tory
ism. This is some of their language
found in the address of Virginia to tn
other States:
their sovereignty by the generality q
the preamble, and had the fedora
government been endowed with what
ever it should judge to be instruments.
towards union, ustice, tranquility
common defence, general welfare an'
the preservation of liberty, nothin!
could have been more frivolous thai
an enumeration of powers" TIL
! artificors of monarchy" were told tina
they " were deluding the people witt
professions of r6publicanism." " 1
lover of monarchy may coDfoun'
monarchy and republicanism, by tn
art Of definition"
F Never since history was written
/. never since governments We're instl
tuted and changed never since man
kind sought through revolution t
better their condition, to define humal
, rights and correct political evils, wa
there so complete and finished a dis
cus+ion, before so earnest and tran
scendantly grand a tribunal.
. 1t is easy to love and venerate tn
American people of that time. On
could die for them and their institu
tions, without taking honor into ac
count. In 1904 the whole combine
opposition had only IA electoral vote
out of l76 1t had no avowed platforr
/ of principles. Except the resolution
passed at the Hartford Convention i
i'll January 1918, the opposition coul
be said to be without platform, frOI
1900 to 1886, and then it nominate
for President man who vote
for the Virginia and Kentucky Resi-
2 lutious sixteen years before, in til
} Ohio Legislature.
No governmental restraint was in
: posed on its presses, its orators ru
? mad with abuse and calumny of th
administering the government. Whe
3 at length it began to recover strengt
and consideration, it was not from an
inherent improvement of its own id
+ osyncrasy, but from hitching on TO III
/ various schismatical, fanatical All
2 disaffected elements which free go,
ernments are apt to breed.
In the war of 1872 Massachuset
, disregarGej federal requisites. In Is;
! Sonth Carolina insisted on mOditic:
ton of federal laws, and they wei
modified. lu other years other Nortl
. ern States had virtually nuiiified til
} fugitive slave law, and made it essel
TALLY dead letter. In 1859, Obi
proclaimed. through its GovernO
Salmon P Chase, that should the ST
: preme Court of Ohio assert cOntrt
over federal prisoners then imprisone
al Cleveland, "he, as Governor {
Ohio, Wonld see the decree carried int
execution" Bat these acts, thong
ark now ledging the sovereignty of th
States, were i'll advised and illegit
| mate fruits of JeftersOniau democracy