Year: 1863

'Nn rPotol oI, tbnt the g0vefnmen
to be strong must be founded in the af
iectious Of the people.


They tell us that the Constitution ma,
be set aside. BY what right do you wor
ship your God as your conscience die
tates BY what right do you stand ~
here in the face Of this comm unity anf
say, although ] stand alone, no man sbal
stand between me and my Maker as tc
the mode in which I shall worship him
why, 1t is written down in the great
charter Of your liberties. 1t is by that
alone that you have all the evidence to
which that right exists, and all the means
by which that right can be enforced. By
what right. when you go to your homes,
however humble they may be, do you
close the latch, saying. "this is my cas-.
tie z" 1t is only by the guarantee oi
hebConstitution. What is it that m makes
sacred the relations between you and you,
wife. and sister, and aged father and
mother that sit by your freside? We
are told that men who talk of Constitu-
tions are traitors to their country. We
are told that the Constitution is no writ
OF protection against Abraham Lincoln
as General. although all powerful
against Abraham Lincoln as President.
| am not one Of those who bad particu.
lar admiration for Abraham Lincoln a.
President. / have sustained him freely
and fully. frankly. and fairly. did not
want him there. but have infinitely more
respect for him as President than as a
General. (Cheers.) These doctrines are
dangerous and revolutionary; they strike
at the existence Of the government; they
endanger your national liberties; they
threaten to shatter the very bonds of So.
ciety itself. The Vice President of the
United States, in aspeech within the linn.
its Of your own State, said :


"Tbere are some men who want the
Union as it was, and the Constitution as
it is. Well, they can't have them."-
We can't have the Constitution as it is
This question is involved in the coming
elections. I ask you when you have. by
the edict Of your votes, sustained party
that declares itself opposed to the Con.
stitution. will you have left one third Of
that Fundamental law to protect you p
| defy any man to show whenever we
have been untrue to the Constitution or
untrue to our past. / defy any man to
show that it is not true that we on our
part have been in favor Of exerting every
material and every moral power and ev.
cry exertion Of statesmanship to bring
this war to q successful conclusion, and
on the other hand. that we have refrained
from placing those obstacles in the way
of the result which are placed there by
the theorists who propose to make it no
longer war for the Constitution, but q
war Tor the determination of slavery
and for the crushing out of the rights OF
the States, for the lessening of the juris-
diction of the Constitution, and the wide.
ming Of that of the Administration.-
| [Cheers. These things are involved in
the election that is about to take place.
AS l said in the outset, they concern each
man in his liberty. in bis conduct. in his
home. l have alluded to the wrongs
done our State. l have not alluded to
the wrongs done to myself, nor shall do
SO. For l tell you here. and in saying
these things know am speaking for
every true lover of the country, however
unjust our political opponents may be to
US. however much they may traduce our
character, however much they may threat
en-, we shall never be turned aside one
hairs breadth from the faithful perform
ance Of our duties. (Cheers. We shall
not be prevented from doing our whole
duty to this administration. in all re-
spects where they have right to call up
on us; nor, on the other hand. will we be
driven to do a wrong to our own rights
by the full exercise of this power.


We will do our duty. and we will de-
mand our rights. We will battle on faith
fully and hopefully for our country. for
let me tell you this, and say that which
l believe in my inmost heart, that dark as
the clouds are which hang over our coun-
try, mistaken as has been the policy of
our rulers. unfortunate as has been their
conduct tell you, Notwithstanding that.
feel in my own heart assured that our
Union shall live, that our Constitution
shall be preserved, and that peace will
again dawn upon our land loud cheer.
ing, / believe that the very experiments
our political opponents are making will
be attended with good. Up to this time
we only knew that we had prospered mar
velously under the system of government
which our fathers adopted. But there
have been those who maintained that we
should have been still more successful un-
der . more centralized Government. By
the experiments now making the question
will be set at rest, and no man will again
advocate Capitalization. So l am still
full of confidence.


Ihope, in the language Of another. for
the time when the war shall be passed by.
and there will be upon the flag of our
country every star that glitters there. and
in the bound of our Coniederacy, q State
for every star. (Cheers.) hope before
many months shall have rolled away.
that all will agree that those men are trait
ors who would tear asunder the flag OF
our country. or who would wipe out from
the azure field . single star that glitters
there. aud that all men will unite in re-
storing the States TO all their original
splendor. to all their glory. to oil their
greatness, and to all their united strength.
Tremendous and long continued cheer
ing.]


At the close Of Gov. Seymour's speech.
Ex- Governor Hunt was introduced
amidst tumultuous applause, and made an