Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-03-04
FORAKER On THE STATE
And Its Relations to the Union.

banquet in Detroit Monday night of las
week, Governor Foraker sad:
Ii you will let me add one other word
on behalf of the Republicans of Ohio, as
TO why they should have achieved the
reputatien for that state that has beer
alluded to, let me say it is all to be found
in the one simple fact that they are Re-
publicanS and never ashamed of theil
achievement, the victory Of last October
was because when they iaangGrated that
campaign they did it by adopting a plat.
form that Was full OF Republicanism
from the top TO the bottom and then pro.
ceeded TO light it ont GA that line.
They believed in the protective tariff
Mr.. Eyarts; and, unlike Republicans in
some other places. they are not afraid to
say so. (Applauss,) They believed in a
free ballot and fair count, and they
never lost an opportunity to proclaim it.
| (Applause.) They believed in the pat
riotic recolleclions of the war, and they
never hesitated to appeal to them (ap-
plause) certainly never for fear they
might crumple the feelings of some es>
thetic mugwnmp. They were even so
decidedly reckless that in the progress Of
the campaign they sang, Rally Round
the Flag, Boys" and Marching Through
Georgia" (Applause] And l might
add one thing else there, they did not
have any patience with this pre,ense of
a Democratic Reform administration at
Washington, and they did not hesitate
to say that, either. Nobody in Ohio APP
pealed to Republicans to vote the Repub-
lican ticket in order that they might int
dorse Democratic administration. Cap
plause.) And as l said a moment ago,
going upon that line, they worked out a
victory that has been alluded to. (Ap>
plause.)
The Governor, in responding to "Our
state egovernments-Their relation to the
federal government and to each other"
made a great speech. In referring to
the state governments he said:
1T is true they can not declare war,
very much to the chagrin and mortifca>
tion of the Governors military staff
Qaughter); nor can they conclude treat.
les of peace-which would again, if we
happened TO have war, be still more to
their chagrin and disappointment; nor
can they coin money, which is very much
against the interest of the governors, for
if they could they would be able to get
better salaries than they do, possibly;
nor can they do, seriously speaking,
many other things that properly pertain
to Independent sovereignty; but by their
legislatures they do provide the laws,
and by their judicial tribunals they do
settle the disputes that pertain to the
| domestic concerns Of the 60,000,000 of
people who constitute the American ma
ton; and as agents fer this purpose they
constitute the most important feature
of our somewhat complex, but most for
tunate distribution of that tremendous
political power necessary to govern this
great republic. In Ohio alone, and l ret
fer to that state simply because happen
to know something about it there, and
that you may get an idea Of what that
power amounts to, we have to-day more
people, more interests, mole varied in.
dustries, greater wealth, and thousand
times more business transactions IN a
minute. than they had in the whole of
the thirteen colonies when the Declara-
tion of Independence was adopted. And
as it is with Ohio, so too, is it, in greater
or less degree, with every other state of
duties only you do not get the full meas
IRE of the powers and duties of these
governments; you get that only when
you bear in mind also that in addition
our state governments provide for the
poor, take care of the afflicted, deal with
the life and liberty of the criminal class
es, regulate the exercise of the elective
franchise-and by looking to Ohio you
will see how important that has become
educate our children, and sustain and
promote our civil and religious liberty.
IL is only when all these matters are
borne in mind that we have the full
measure of the powers and duties of our
state governments, and learn and under.
stand why it is they have always enjoy
ed, and deserved to enjoy, warm place
in the hearts, and a jealous defense at
the hands of the American people"
In treating of the relations of states to
the Union, his excellency spoke most ell
oquently on the results of the civil con-
flict and of the years of agitation. This
was the main body of the great effort in
which the champion was shown to be
the Republican party from 1856 to 1886.
with it came Lincoln, Chase, Sumner,
GiddiDgs, Wade, Seward, Chandler. 1t
came dedicated to the sacred cause of
human liberty, but it came also, and if
possible, even more particularly conse-
Grated to the cause of the Union and ths
preservation of the Constitution. Our
Democratic friends at once shifted the
controversy to the field of battle, but il
never hesitated for moment, but met
the issue with million men; million
men who, on the 300 battlefields of the
republic, amid the storm clouds of war
in the blood of our heroic slain, wrote
with the bayonet as final Judgment
and put an end to this controversy that
had been waged for nearly century
that the Constitution of the United
States, as to the powers by it given tC
the general government, was the su
; preme law of the land, and that the
ideas of state eoyereiOntv in IN far n.