Year: 1868

has provided military despotism. Ger.
tainly if no valid State law protected
these people there was at least Federal
law which ought to have protected them;
for every foot of that territory and every
individual that iuhabi's it the great fun.
damcntal law Of the Constitution Of tho
United States prevails in all its vigor, and
gives to every one of them every priyi-
lege and every immunity which il extends
to the American citizen anywhere and
everywhere. With this Constitution, then,
fully in force over all that territory and
all those people, where does Congress find
its warrant for supplauting a legal State
government Where does Congress find
its warrant in time of peace to suspend
the habeds corpus, to take nway the ines.
Unable privilege of trial by jury, to re.
move the civil officers Of the State and
substitute Federal officers in their places;
aud, finally, to try, t. condemn, TO punish,
to imprson, TO hang these people for civ
il offences by the judgment of military
court? Where does Congress find its
warrant in the Constitution Of State by
voters Of its own creating 10 pass suf.
fragc law for State Where does it
find authority to say who shall vote and
who shall not vote in State elections 7
Lastly, where does it find authority 10
make new class Of citizens, and TO gave
to that class of citizens greater rights
than were ever conferred before by the
Constitution upon any class, and to take
away from those who always enjoyed the
rights Of citizenship the most precious OF
these rightsY Gentlemen, ! have been
at the bar for nearly half century, and
have been a constant student, not only OF
the common law, but of our constitutional
law and do not hesitate to say that the
whole OF the Reconstruction acts of Con-
gress. from beginning TO end, first, second
and third ia the series, are uuconstitn-
tional aud void. These arc times when
10 be silent is to be uufaithful These
times when men must speak out. | will
not attempt to school myself into rcti.
cence upon these great questions, and /
could not if | would.


And now, my Democratic friends, you
see the reason why | am here, and why
your Committee has confded in me 80 far
as 10 ask me 10 respond To one Of the senti-
mcnts of your programme. Itiseaough for
me 10 know that upon the great questions Of
the day and upon the great issues that
are to be fought during this year we have
at last come together Twenty years ago
! If | had been told that the time would
come when | would take an active part IN
i Democratic celebration, that the time
would come when | should rejoice at "A
/ Democratic victory. | could scarcely
have believed it. In those contests
thought the Democratic party was always
wrong and the Whig party always right.
+ But, gentlemen, the issues of those days
were not like those that are before us
Both parties then fought under the Con-
stitution. So with this new and danger.
GU. party that now confronts us-old
Wings aud old Democrats-under the
name of Radicals. The time has come
when We must strike hands, aud shoulder
to shoulder unite and fall upon the COM
mon enemy or the battle will Sc lost |
see that a distinguished Senator from
Indiana few days ago, in an address
delivered in this city, before the Soldiers
aud Sailors Union, volunteered to give a
name Of those persons who opposed the
Congressional policy, and to state of what
materials the party was composed, aud to
fix up the issues for which they were to
contend in the approaching Presidential
contest. As to the name he gives it under
an alias as the Democratic or Conserva-
tive party. and he says it is composed OF
the Northern Democrats who sympathize
with the secession and rebellion OF the
Southern rebels and few recruits from
the Republican party. Now, if he means,
as | suppose he does, that the recruits
from the Republican party are those who
voted with that party in the last Presi-
dental contest, how will the honorable
gentleman explain the last election which
has taken place in OHIO, State that lies
so close to Indiana that he cannot fail to
have heard the result There was nine
ty-fve thousand Republican majority in
that State in the Presidential election OF
1864. There was only thirty thousand
Republican majority given in that State
at the last election for Governor in 1867:
so that there were fully forty five thou
sand recruits in that State alone.


But this is not ALL To these forty five
thousand must be added twcnty-six thou
sand more who voted against the Repub.
lican party at the same election upon the
vital question Of universal suffrage; SO
that we have here somewhere about sew
enty thousand recruits in one single State
And more than that, the recruiting force
is still in full operation in that State, and
every day is adding to its swelling mum.
bers. have not time to enumerate the
we'll known results in other States which
have recently held elections. We know
that recruiting Offices have been opened
in California, in New Jersey, in Psnnsyl,
vania. in New York, in Connecticut, and
even in Massachusetts; and that, in fact
the recruiting service is now in full oper.
alton all over the United States, and, that
the people are coming forward with the
same alacrity to vote for the restoration
of the Union as they did to fight for its
restoration. Now observe, gentleman
that Senator Morton says this new party
is composed of just three elements--the
Northern Democrats who sympathized
with rebellion, the Southern rebels, and
the recruits from the Republican party
Of course, we must drop out the South.
ern rebel element in considering the re:
suits of the election in the Northern
States, leaving only, according to Senator
Morton's classification, the Northern
Democrats who sYmpathised with secess.