Year: 1875

letter from Hon. j. S. Black.


At recent congratulatory meeting O
the Democracy, held in Philadelphia, tht
following letter from Hon. Jeremiah S
Black was read


PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 2, 1874.


GENTLEMEN-Iam honored by your invi
tation to the dinner of Democrats to-mor
row evening at the Continental Hotel, anc
| beg you to believe that nothing prevents
me from attending but an imperative duty
which calls me elsewhere think l can
understand how sincerely you all rejoice
over the great political events Of the last
two months 1t you wish to know what
my feelings are l must decline to tell.
simply because l cannot do justice to the
subject. Democracy-which is the COM
mon honesty Of the nation organized tor
public purposes-was supposed by its enc
mics to be etlectually killed. 1t was but
natural that the heart Of every patriot
should burn within him when he saw it
rising again. facing the oppressor with a
front as determined AS ever, and denounc-
ing corruption in high places with the
same mighty voice which in former times
went over the land like the tones of a
trumpet


But let us not merely congratulate our
selves upon the recent past. Think moth
ing is done until the work is finished The
victories of this year will put only one
House Of the Federal Congress into our
hands, and we must wait year to realize
even that. Our perfect independence
must be achieved in 1876 by a struggle
which will prove that we are worthy to be
descended from the men who proclaimed
the rights of the States and the liberties
of the people hundred years earlier Ii
we succeed, then will this puissant ma
ton, like awaking Samson, "Shake her
invincible locls,n and start the new cen
tury under auspices so grand that nothing
can arrest her tree career


We must bear it always in mind that the
triumph of Democratic principles means
the restoration OF constitutional govern
ment on basis which will give absolute
security to the rightS of men against the
m5gbts of men. The broken walls OF the
Constitution are to be built up anew and
made too strong to be thrown down again
by the rut1ians of the higher law Our
opponents themselves will become recon-
cied to the principles Of American liber-
ty when they pass into the minority and
find the magnanimous democracy taking
every possible precaution to guard them
against the oppression which they intlict-
ed upon Us III the days of their power.
Peace will come, too, sectional strife will
be ended, and the public robbers who
now swarm over the Southern States will
cease their neiarious occupation when we
revoke the license which the appropriate
legislation" Of the last nine years has
given them.


But we cannot reasonably hope to ac
complsh the object Of our mission with
out much labor and faithful exerton after
the machinery Of the government shall be
put into our hands, Fifteen years of domi-
nation by an anti-constitntional party has
utterly demoralized every branch of the
public service. These corruptions have
been so numerous and 50 diversified, have
sent down their tap roots 50 deeply,
have been practiced SO openly. and have
become in q certain sense SO respectable,
that for many of them q mere change OF
administration will not speedily furnish q
remedy. But the abuses may be ended
by the impulsion of the same moral force
which carries their authors out Of public
life When Hercules undertook the task
of cleaning the Augean stable he did not
use the FORK or the shovel but turned the
current of a river upon it and so swept
all its filth to the sea The stream OF pub
lie opinion il rightly directed will in like
This hydraulic method Of reform being
necessary, the freedom Of the press and
the untrammelled right OF the people to
speak their sentiments-everything that
lets tle water on--should be sedulously
encouraged and securely guarded So
may it come to pass in due time that we
will remember the days Of the gag law,
the practice Of kidnapping freemen, and
the murder Of innocent people by military
commission as we remember the wears of
mildew and potato rot and cholera, to only
shudder at them and try to prevent their
recurrence.


If should close here you might mis-
understand NE have not the least idea
that we ought to unsettle anything which
has been fixed and determined or take
from any human being a right vested in
in him by existing laws. We propose no
counter revolution, While we mean to be
Just, we are determined also to be liberal
in the broadest sense Of the word The
faith OF the government, no matter by
whom pledged, is irrevocable. The whole
civilized world knows that the public
credit is saler with us than with our op-
ponents, and this is shown by the TACT that
since the November elections American
securities have risen in every market
We submit to the amendments Of the
Constitution, though they were carried by
fraud and force, and the two last were in
tended to take away our inheritance Of
selt-government. and give it to another
race of men without right and without
ability to hold it or to use it, But we viii
execute the whole Instrumental amendments
and all, in q way that Will save the rights
Of the honest white men as we'll as those
of the abolitonist and the negro


Another thing; 4 large and most re-
spectacle body OF men who, until lately,
acted with the Republican party voted for
our candidates last month We are not
to forget how much we owe them. The
debt can be paid by showing that we de-
serve their confidence in our moderation
and fairness toward all classes OF the
people. am faithfully yours. &c,
j $ BLACK