Year: 1867

i


Mr.. Douglass said that through the
mistake of his agent, ASSASSINATION
and its Consequences" had been an
nounced as the subject of his lecture,
but that he preferred to talk about the
Sources of Danger to our Republic"


He said that our people had been &C
customed to regard our government as
the perfection of wisdom. Before the
war she sat as queen among the sister
hood of nations; but when traitors
with broad blades and bloody hands at
tempted to destroy her, many defects
were exhibited. The people of other ma
tions regard their governments with the
same admiration which we have for our
own. They now speak of the defects
which they see in US, and regard them
as indications of the failure of Rspub-
lican governments. They point to the
want of a courageous assertion of the
rights of man, to the want of harmony
between the Executive and Legislative
branches of the Government, to man.
| ifest want of a nice sense of honor and
to the disposition to make peace to en-
emies at the expense of friends. 10y
al men have been slaughtered in the
presence of brIstling bayonets and the
muderers are Landed as the true men
of the South. We have not the abil-
ity to hate traitors or love loyal men.
There is an element of truth running
through these criticisms and we should
examine as to whether the defect is in
the government or in the people.


1t Is our privilege to examine our
government and to criticise it. Our
constitution is a human law, founded
with wisdom, to be sure, yet as it is the
work of man, we have a right to look
into it and point out its defects. The
trainers of the Constitution were great,
good and glorious men, and they have
given US a constitution as broad as man.
hood.


In that constitution we are all men
the citizens of common country
The fathers of this Government were
above the petty meanness of measur-
ing a mans liberty by the fatness oi
his nose, by the length of his heel or
by the color of his skin. 1t is bet
ter constitution than could be obtained
from the men who say that this is a
white mans government" r-


Mr.. Douglass said that the rebellion
instead of showing the great strength
had exhibited the weakness of oul
Government. We conquered not or
account of any inherent strength II
the Government, but because the 10y
al soldiers fought on the side of human
ity, liberty and justice, and because the
President was an honest man. A good
cause, a good President and an enligh
tened people won the victory. thank
God that can now call you my fellow
citizens. l could not do it once. But
half the glory is gone because the good
work was accomplished by necessity
rather than by a love of Justice
There are other sources of danger to
be removed. Let us 60 to work and
establish justice where we now have
error. Let US now put into our consti-
tuition that no man shall be deprived
of political rights on account OF his
color. He also spoke of giving these
rights to women, and then said there Is
no reason why such a government
should not stand 50 long as the world
stands. Some people want the negro
free, but not quite so free as other peo-
pie. They want the chain broken, but
a link or two left. The difficulty Is
we have excluded one-haif of the hu.
man family from the ballot box, ard
stricken down FIVE millions more.


Mr.. Douglass protested against the
one man power which Is invested IN
the Presidency. He can treat the wish
es of the people with greater contempt
than caH the kings of Europe. The
short term for which he holds his Of
fee, instead of being check, is a
source of his power. If Andrew John
son was President for life, a day would
not elapse until he was impeached, but
as it is, he can disregard the will of the
people for four years without fear OF
punishment. Mr.. Douglass would take
from the President the immense pat
ronage of the government, and place
it in one of the legislative branches
He would give the President only the
power to remove by and with the con-
sent of the Senate.


Another defect is the two term sys-
tenn. If the President has the hope OF
second term held out, he will be
tempted to be the President of party
rather than of his country.


The veto power is anti-democratic
and anti-repubican. 1t is based upon
the idea that one man is better than
many. His no is more powerful than
the peoples yes from the mouths OF
their chosen representatives. 1t would
cost Queen Victoria her crown to veto
an act of the British Parliament. For
one hundred and fifty years no act OF
the British Parliament has been We
toed, bnt here we can have one every
morning. Down with the veto power
We have Supreme Court composed Of
men. celebrated for their wisdom and
moderation, and this is a sufficient
check against uuWise legislation


The pardoning power should also be
abolished. We haye had enough ot
pardons obtained by bad men and by
bad women. The President can en-.
courage treason, for he has power to
say to the conspirator, if you succeed
all is well; if you fail, all is we'll; il
Congress con6scates your property,
will restore it. Such diplomacy, in
time of peace, should be dispensed
with. In England the humblest mem
Der of Parliament is entitled to an ex.
PLANTATION in regard to the relations
with foreign government, by simply
asking for it, but here if the Congress;
of the United States passes resolu
ton of inquiry, the President can put
| it into his pocket. All that we know
is that we can have the right to shed
our blood when the trouble comes.


Mr.. Douglass would abolish Vice Pres
idents. We are taught that the Presi
dency is the highest good that can De
desired by human ambition. For the
crown 1 know not what crimes men
have not done. Our Presidency is as
dazzling to ambition as is crown OF
the Old World, and nothing but the
life of one man stands between the
Vice President and his coveted prize.
Ii is wrong to place this temptation be
fore a man. In this connection Mr..
Douglass was very severe upon Andrew
Johnson, and said that he had believed
1 that the traitors knew him at the time
of the assassination as we know him
now. In closing Mr.. Douglass referred
to the agony and peril of the the eoun-
try when the negro was called on for
help. to the resolve of the country
then, that justice should be done him
and besought his hearers to stand by
that resolution. At the close, the