Year: 1863

ofNew York.


Mr.. Voorhees, began by saying that he
owed his loyalty to the people The people
have settled down, he said, to understand
the great fundamental principle
which lies at the foundation of our govern
ment, which is expressed in the first line of
the Constitution, that the people make this
government, and when l stand before the
people and talk to them am talking to the
only government owe any allegiance to-
Applause.) Loyalty is often defined by
some speakers and by men in the halls of
legislation. / can defee my loyalty in a
single word. owe my allegiance to the
Constitution of my country owe it in
that sense in which our fathers wrote it
The sovereign power of this land was placed
by them in the hands of the people in ex-
press terms-not by construction, and in ex
| press terms, not Mr.. Lincoln and his cabinet.
(HisSes.) No President and no cabinet. no
| otice-holders constitute your government
These are times, however, when few office
holders whose time is soon to expire. bay-
ing the power to-day, promulgate the strange
doctrine that they are the government
Let that doctrine once prevail and this free
government no more-your government is
overturned, and you will accept a monarchy
or despotism or any other form Of govern
ment from the other side Of The Atlantic,
and our form will be no more. | am not
here because anybody lets me come-be-
cause any master, provost-marshal, Presi-
dent, or Secretary of War says | may be
here. | am here because It is my right to be
here, because you invited me here, and when
| look in the faces Of those before me ten
der my allegiance to you as my government.
| owe none to those that would overthrow
the liberties of my country. (Applause.)-
owe them simply commentator and sup
port in that in which they are right owe
them opposition and denunciaton in all that
they do that is wrong. (Cheers.) The
speaker then reviewed at some length the
history of the Democratic party, saying that
it had always been noble organization to
which any man might have been proud to
belong, aud contrasting the condition of the
country under Democratic rule to its condi
ton now, he said see its history written
in every bright line OF your country's pros
pcrity and happiness. The people were safe !;
the Union was saved; the Consti tuition was
c-,,.t &C lol1 ~,
sons of toll no gigantic debt, no taxation,
no wailing widows or sobbing orphans mark
ed its track and the policy Of this govern
ment, and yet would you ask me tonight to
abandon this time-honored and glorious or
ganization for this pirate of the high seas of
politics that I shall speak Of directly? |
saw in the morning papers Of the other
morning that distinguished gentlemen of
your city said it was good once in while,
as we were progressing along, to get out of
the old stage of the Democratic party-that
John Van. Buren (groans and hisses} said it
was good to get out Of the Democratic ON
nibus and walk and [ understood him to
say that he was out and walking now. |
will tell you how to do: just instruct the
driver to whip up the horses and let him
trudge the balance of the journey on foot
(Applause) A man that would rather walk
on foot, and trudge along in common with
Wendell Phillips, and Horace Greeley, and
Lincoln, and Stanton Cloud hlssng,) and
that class of foot-passengers, do not think
is fit company to ride inside stage-coach
full of Democrats. (Great cheering.) Mr..
VOORHEES, read from the debates in Congress,
showing that Douglas said in the Thirty
sixth Congress that if his party had triumph
ed in the last election the people of the South
ern States would have rested in the security
that they were safe, and the Union never
would have been dissolved. Washington,
Jefferson, jackson, Clay, and Webster pre-
dicted that the result of a sectional party
would be dsunion and civil war, and yet the
Republicans are excessively sensitive about
being charged as being the authors of this
war; I am sure, said the speaker, if felt
that the blood of this war was in any way
upon my hands, or that any vote of my hand
had brought into existence this thousand
miles of graves upon the borders of the South,
had caused this mourning of mothers for
their first born, like Rachel wee ping for her
children because they are not. If | thought
that was responsible by word or deed for
this war, should feel that upon my fingers
was the blood-red damned spot of murder
that would incarnadine great Neptune's wave,
and that all the waters of the ocean would
not wash out. (Great applause, and "three
cheers for Voorhees, the patriot" given heart