The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-10-08
GENERAL DURBIN WARD
Defines Democracy as the Instinct
Of Humanity.

The Issues of the Campaign Ably and El- |
oquently Discussed by the Demo-
cratic So1dier-Statesman Before
an Audience of Five Thou
sand Persons at Xenia.
XENIA, O., September. 17.-General
Durbin Ward addressed an audience of
nearly five thousand persons in this
city tonight on the issues of the cam
paign. In the audience there were
nearly two thousand colored men,
many of whom cheered him to the echo.
The following is his speech in full:
MY FELLOW CITIZENS: Personal and pro-
fessional engagements will prevent me this
year from speaking as often as usual, but
hope to find time hereafter to discuss the
and administrative reform questions. The
election of Cleveland and a major ty of the
Lower House of Congress encourages us to
hope that we shall soon have control of the
government State and National, and we
must meet the responsible. .es of that con-
troll; None of these questions can be def
nitely settled this year but we can make
progress in the right direction. The Congress
already elected must act as to tariff, cur
rency and all National matters and the tenn
perance question can only be met wisely, by
an appeal to the people for constitutional
change. The appeal can be made by the
Legislature elected this fall, submitting a
constitutional amendment two years from
now. The Democrats and the Leonard men
favor such submission.the first for license
licans, with the timidity of decrepit and
dying party. play the jugglery game, and
sometimes the temperance ball is thought
times the taxation thimble. They rail
at the Democracy for opposing an un.
frau1nlnD nndar foot constitutions
National and State, that they can see
no beauty in any regulation except. an
the Revelations, with one foot on sea and the
other on the earth, they cry with loud
voice as when lion roareth," give us the
GeaVing % ali II these @ questions ms for @ the en- preseat
propose to-day to deal with the election of
Cleveland as a reconciliation of the sections.
and final burial, and then we can better treat
the economic and administrative issues rap.
idly coming to the front. In the spasms of
of their great sectional agitator, Blaine, the
Republicans have been claiming that the
election of Cleveland was the revival of Sec
tionalism, instead of its extinction. Their
real object is to hold in their ranks the col
ored vote, which is preparing to break away
as other classes of citizens do. Everybody
knows that the colored vote has given the
Republican party in the North, and especial
The % eoored ed men me- hold hold the h nts BALANCE lance of DOW
cr; they rule the country. Let them divide
as they ought to do, and as they soon will do,
and RepublicaniSm is dead.
During the war the supreme question was
the restoration of the Union, and in further
ance of that end Lincoln and the war abol-
ished slavery. Since the war the supreme
question has been the preservation Of the
States. The Republican party claimed to own
the colored vote, and have used it and the
turn the States into provinces. 1 have
received no more valT ed compliment than
was paid me by my learned, clear-headed,
clnnati, when he lauds my efforts to preserve
tho States from overthrow. Humble as my
part was in fighting to save the Union and
my political life and more priced than the
highest Office would be. Conscious as / am
that Cleveland's adm Distration will close
perpetuate forever the States andthe Union
feel that the struggles of the Democracy
for generation are crowned with success
We can now congratulate ourselves that the
stitutional pillars of State autonomy, is
civil war, but by the political equality and
fraternity of all sections and races. In
bidding farewell to this question
WSe has berne
past sectional strifes, with the impartiality
due to true history, and in studied language
always s ae SPEAK With With that hat CAREFUL
which recognizes your intelligence and judg
ment. l am prompted the more to this re
view because the leading Republican of the
West Senator Sherman, has chosen to ar
ragn the Democracy in a vindictive spirit, IL
becoming his age and experience. l have
therefore thought it allowable to recall thu
elemental ideas of the party.
DEMOCRACY NATIONAL-NOT SECTIONAL.
Democracy is the instinct of humanity. L
| It is alike the dictate of the deepest philoso
ply, the broadest common sense and thu
| lofiest patriotism. 1t breathes in poetry ant
no fnon nbn
| freedom of relig on, thought and industry
and promotes science, invention and enter
prise. In church and state it makes peer o
! toll. The prince and the beggar are eacl
links in the chain of human broth herhood an
| Democracy recognizes the indiyiduai an,
/ fortif1cS his interests by the ramparts of law
/ Social order is essential to equal rights, ant
racy therefore enforces social order by equa
| protection to person and property.
| American Democracy proclaimed fnde
pcndcnce, achieved the revolution and estat
1ishcd the constitution. That stormy per:o
| famed into flame the slumbering spark
1 of Democratic spirit which had warmed tn
| Elements. Our race has always been iealOu
| of individual rights and when our father
| came to found new government on the ac
complished revolution, the guarantee @
| these rights, and the permanence of our il
| dependence as n nation were the control
ing considerations of the hour: PatriotisI
| was equal protection to both. Dread of sui
| lection to foreign power, and inhexibl
| purpose to maintain popular liberty CAV
supreme direction to events. If the framer
of the constitution could have been sure O
| permanent Independence, the article c
| Confederation would not have been revoked
ernmpni @ f and ni its surer guarantees to indiv;t
ual rights would have outweighed fear c
internal dissension. They would hav
conquer the yet lingering love of ar:st'
cratic caste But it was justly argued tina
internal dissension would endanger nation,
existence and bring back foreign depen,
encc. for it was known there was yet a lon
ing for reunion with the mother countr.
The action and reaction of these soci
forces founded the Federal const tuition an
1 made it the supreme organic law of a natiO
whose existence is well defined as an "indi
soluble union of indestructible States"
In this union there are constitutionaliy 4
.'sections," there are only States Fac
State has equal right oyer its local affair
and equal '.indestructibility' in the "Unior
OF the constitution. Every act. whether
| the nation or State" which invades Il
power of this "indissoluble" union. or tt
| right of local government of these lind
structible' States, is equally revolution al
treason to the spirit of the constitute
and defines treason against them in the fe
lowing pregnant words: Treason again
the United States shall consist only in lev
ing war against them, or in adhering to the
enemies. giving them q and comfort" I'll
nat on has no more right to make wa
direct or indirect, upon the organic existen'
| or lHSUituUlOu OI IL Stdte, tudu II SIdIS HAS
secede from the Union, or to make wa
direct or indirect, upon the supremacy
institutions of the nation. Both are co
| stitut' 'onally correlative arms of the sau
| sovereignty. And the nation and each Sta
has the right, and is bound to the duty
protecting itself against rebellion, insu
rcction and treason, and may use all fore
military or otherwise, for that purpos
But this is war against attempted rev
luton. and not against the Federal Union
sEcrIoNALIsM.
Sectionalism, though not constitution
has been actual ever since the foundation
the Union, but it is more nearly extinct nc
than in any former period. Its first trac
| are found during the Revolution, and in Il
4 Federal convention of 81 The rights
States, not sectionalism, generated the ms
ter contentious. Even the defenses
slavery was as much the assertion of Sta
| rights as the source of a sectional feelin
and State rights meant the defenses of loc
government. In time, however, defenses
slavery grew to be sectional quite as nu
through causes traceable to the North as
the South. Tho slave trade was tolerated
| twenty years in the interest of Northe
! slave merchants and Southern planters. III
| purchase of Louisiana aroused in Ne
England the first sectional threats of d