Year: 1863

twelve times the power of New York,


and Rhode Island has more influence


upon its present destiny than your State.


G"That's so" ,s -.lf a.


Men of New York, give up your chase


after that which will disappear as the
frost before the morning sun, and direct


the power of your State in favor of the


preservation Of your liberties and the
Union of our fathers. [Great applause.
Wall street had it in its power at one
time to have ended this strife, but let the


time pass. New York has it in her pow.


er to-day to end this strife. Applause ]


When one fifth of the country in aSolid


column of ths,people ofthis Statespeak,


and speak In words of soberness and


truth, the nation must heed. How will


you settle this diticulty2 By single


act, in my humble opinion. 1 give it


mot as the only mode, but as one that


suggests itself to my mind, by single


amendment of the Constitution, not


amending as much as a line of printed


matter upon the page, without alluding


at all to this question Of slavery, without


wounding the sensibilities of any man in


land, and in perfect cordance with the


theory upon which your Constitution


was framed-that this is a Government


of checks and balances, intended to be a


Government of the people-dsgenerated


into Government of a party. The


amendment I suggest is in entire harmo.


ny with the intention Of the founders of


the Government and the authors of the


Constitution. The great fear of the


men of that day was'in the organization


of a sectional party. They we're fearful


that the larger States might oppress the


smaller States, and hence the equality


of representation in the Senate of the


United States They attempted to make


each branch of the Government q check


upon the other, each department check


upon the other-a Government of checks


and balances. Experience has shown


that the apprehension of the founders


of our Government was not directed in


the region where danger lay, and no


provision was made for the representa-.


tion in the Government of the majority


of the people, although it was intended


to be, and was framed upon the theory


that it would be the peoples Govern.


ment. Now, to carry out this theory,


and to perfect the intention of the found


ers of the Government, you have nothing


in the world to do but to adopt provi-


sion to the Constitution, making the can


ddate for Vice President upon the de.


feated ticket the President of the Senate
OF the United States, with an absolute
veto power npon the legislation of Con.


gress, and every interest in the Govern
) ment is represented, aud it becomes a


peoples Government, as it was intended
: to be. Observe that, by doing his, you


would not take from the majority the
) power Of legislation, but you would ena-
BILE the minority to protect itself from
, vigorous legislation, and to retain the
, condition that the country was in at the
, time the party in power went into pow
J er. We would have had then no legis,
} lation in direct conflict with this dogma
, of our Republican friends, that freedom
is national and slavery is sectional. |
have laughed at them often when they
r advanced this theory, and asked them
| why, if freedom is national and slavery
f sectional, they insert a clause into every
, bill relating to Territories, prohibiting
slavery there? If slavery is sectional
that is not necessary. Cheers. With
this provision we would have had no
} Legislation working injuriousy against
the minority, When three tickets are
, run, the defeated candidate that receives
l the highest number of votes would be
, the President of the Senate. Under
/ such provision we would now have
. Lane or johnson in the Senate of the
= United States, with power to preserve
| the people from the mad legislation Of
5 fanatical party. These men have been
j educated to one idea for the last TWEEN.
: ty.fve or thirty years. Nothing but alb
i. oltion has been preached to them moth


ing has been taught them in the schools
9 they have heard of nothing else from thu
: stump; they have been educated to in
| dulge in feeling against their brethrer
s of the South, that belongs exclusively tc
q hell-and that is the feeling of hate
}, Cheers. Let, then, the energies o
o this Government, instead of being mis-
# directed and misapplied for the purpos'
}, Of perpetuating in power party obnox
e ious to the people and subversive of tn,
n Government under which we have beef
4, born and reared, let them be directed t,
}. the object which they said at the begin
l ming they had in view, the restoration o
e the Union, the holding of the propert,
IS of. the Government, and the execution o
l. the laws of the land; and if that be don
n in good faith, and it can only be dom
d by your requiring it, and it may not ye
l. be too late for you to do it, if that b
IS done, my word for it, some simple pro
= position of this sort is all that is wantet
d to bring peace and prosperity to ou
10 country, and restore our once proud ant
IT happy Union The recollection of wha
10 the flag once represented is, tonight
i. vivid in the minds of Southern men.


/. 1t is because it has been prostituteC
n to purposes for which it never was in
y tended, [applause, that a feeling o
It hatred is being engendered against it. :
d 1t is not the colors upon the flag, it i
]. not the red and the white and the blue
It and the stars, nor the stripes which W,


love, but it is that Of which they are em