Year: 1868

4
Scott decision or to the combined eff
forts OF the three Departments of a
Democratic Administration to fasten
the slave system upon Kansas, to find
the history of the most fragrant crimes
for which the Democratic party North
will have to answer. The last eight
years tells tale of treachery to the ma
tion and treason to humanity, which all
would dc well to ponder who love
country more than party, and who pre-
fer he perpetuity Of constitutional lib
erty and the Union, to the perpetuation
of anarchy and slavery.


In 1850 the Republican party were
engaged in bringing about the election
OF Lincoln on the single issue of the
non extension of slavery. The orators
and the press Of the Democratic party
in the South with singular unanimity
declared that the election Of Lincoln,
though in strict accordance with the
mole prescribed by the Constitution,
was sufficient ground Of justification
for them to destroy the Union. Did
the Democratic party North, take the
ground that this would not be good and
sufficient cause for breaking up the
Unioni Did this revolutionary and
reasonable doctrine meet with rebuke
from the Democratic press and speak
ers in the North? Did Horatio Sey-
mour, G. H. Pendleton or G. L. Val
landigham denounce this threatsned
violation-or rather destructiOn-of the
Constitutions Give us the time when
and place where.


The entire Democratic party North
encouraged the rebellion in this its in
eipient stages, They denounced the
Republican party aud all its acts as un-
constitutional. They demanded that
anti-savery men throughout the North
should vote for Douglas or Brecken-
ridge or Bell, because if we did not al
low the South to be victorious, they
would break up the Union. They new
er qestioned their right to do so. They
repeated with mendicant pertinacity
that the United States could not coerce
State. In other words, if the slave
holding States choose to destroy the
Constitution and the Government of
the United States and levy war against
them, or adhere to their enemies, the
United States could do nothing to pre-
vent this. The question-has the Fed
eral Government rightto maintain its
existencel the Democratic party decide
in the negative. As a party-we are
speaking now Of the Northern wing of
it-thcy supported the doctrine of
James Buchanan, tat any State could
dissolve the Union whenever it saw fit
They sustained Toucey when he sent
the few ships that belonged to the navy
to the four quarters of the globe they
indorsed the course of Floyd when he
disarmed the North to arm treason in
the South. They did dnotcondemn, and
have not condemned to this day, the at
tempt in Baltimore to assaninate the
President of the United States while on
his way to Washington, but on the con-
trary, heaped upon him the coarsest
abuse and most cOntemptuOus ridcuIe
for having adopted means to avoid death
by assassination. The party press de-
nounced the Inaugural Address ofPres-
ident Lincoln, every message and proc
lamation, and letter and speech emana-
ting from him from the day that he be-
came the constitutional Executive ruler
of the United States until the day of
his death. The Democratic press and
public men North declared with the
most solemn asseVerations that Lincoln
was bent on an unconstitutional inter
ference with slavery in the States where
it existed, that no dependence could be
placed upon his declarations to the
contrary. They assured the South that
the Democrats of the North would
fight for the South, never against the
South; prominent members of that
party went from the city of Columbus
to Washington to assure Jefferson
Davis, while in the Senate Chamber,
that the Democratic party Of Ohio would
stand by him; others publicly declared
that an army sent to coerce the South
must first march over the dead bodies
of Northern Democrats. A Democrat
ic President-than whom, who
could be supposed to speak with more
authority? solemnIy proclaimed that any
attempt by the Government to put down
nsuwection against its authority in the
South would be followed by fighting
and insurrection against its authority
in the North. Werelt not for these
assurances and ten thousand like these,
the South never would have embarked
in the rebellion. .


The rebellion began, and the aid
which was promised was given, but it
was not that material aid which was
promised and desired.


There was an intervention in behalf
of slavery but it was not the armed in
tervention promised. Moral support
and aid and comfort were bestowed in
unstinted measure. The Democratic
party North opposed the raising of men
and money. They declared the legal
tender acts unconstitutional forced-loan
bills; they opposed the negotiation OF
a foreign loan or domestic loan; they
attacked the nations credit by declaring
that the debt was becoming so enor-
nous that neither the greenback debt,
NOR tho honded debt would ever be paid,