Year: 1871

L ldE lOlIOWlug lTOIu lu6 speech OF
Senator Morton, recently delivered at
Louisville, KY:


| The first thing he would consider would
be the attitude of the Democratic party of
Kentucky in regard to reconstruction of
the constitutional amendments. Within
ninety days the Democratic party North
have pretended to make complete somer-
sault, by pretending to be in favor of the
reconstruction of the Southern States, and
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amend
ments. If this new departure is sincere
and hearty, no man would rejoice more
than /. When these things are accepted


North and South, / shall consider my po-
| ltical work as done. Is this preten nded
revolution real or false? have right to


know. l do not intend to be cheated,
nor do intend the Republican party shall
| be cheated. When the situation is really
accepted, shall be among the first to an
nounce it, and the first to rejoice. And
until then will do all l can to expose all
cheats and swindles on the subject. There
are some individuals and few newspapers
In the Democratic party who are sincere
in the acceptance of it, among whom, I
believe the C0uTier-,I0uT'1GL of this place
is one; but am satisfied that with most
of the party it is pretended and insincere,
and is only simulated to gain power and
to put the question of the amendment out
| of issue until the Democrats get control
of the government. This is clearly shown
by resolutions of the Democracy in the
conventions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ken
lucky, Iowa and Maine. In none of their
resolutions have they declared in unequiv-
ocal language the acceptance OF the -Four
teenth and Fifteenth Amendments. They
have used equivocal language, and have
dealt with the people in double sense.
1,os- -l,.@1a a.f4 hos to aara rhn
public The same may be said of the ad-
dress of the Democratic Senators and MEM
bers of Congress.


Parties are not got up to order, nor
created by conventions or politicians.
They grow up out of the condition of the
country, or spring from great events.
They have q corporate existence are COM
posed of many individuals, and are the
creatures of education, tradition, and pre-
judice. Men may control their actions by
their wills, but they cannot control their
beliefs in politics or anything else. The
Democratic party has been, by its whole
education and history, committed to the
doctrine of State rights and State SOW
ereignty The right of secession is a
necessary offshoot of Democratic prin-
ciples 1t has arrayed itself in justifica-
ton and defense of slavery against the
emancipation of the slaves, and all its pre-
judices are arrayed in behalf of that in
stitution. 1t now pretends that within
ninety days it has utterly changed its prin-
| ciples. Before that time it declared the
reconstruction measures unconstitutional;
that the ratification of the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth Amendments was procured by
| fraud and duress, and were no part OF the
Constitution. If they were in earnest
ninety days ago, they believe it yet. If
| fhou do moi hQlipxp If thew
hypocritical then. Their conduct justi1es
me in saying that their pretended accept
ance of these amendments was hypocritl-
cal, and is only simulated till they shall
get into power. They have said to the
South, "Let us make the platform, and
select the candidate who will carry out the
cheating programme. Without power we
can do nothing. Trust US with the power,
and then we will be true, as we
have been in the past, to the Democracy
of the Southern States. The South
must take US on trust" Thus do
they propose that the next canvass shall
be made upon false issue. While insist
ing that they are in favor of the new de-
parture, they cling to the doctrine of State
rights and State sovereignty. The party
nowhere repudiates the doctrine of seces-
sion. IF State rights is correct. the night
of secession results from it, and Buchanan
was right when he said there was no pow
er in the General Government to cOerce
State Until this doctrine is repudiated 1t
stands as perpetual threat against the in
tegrity of the Union, and until that doc
trine is dead the nation will always be In
danger. Kentucky is the second child OF
the Union, and it is as absurd 10 talk about
the sovereignty of Kentucky as for child
to claim to be the twin brother of its
father Kentucky was born ith the Con-
| stitution, and was made a State by the
| United States The leading idea Of the
Republican party is that this nation is un-
divided and indivisible; that the nation IS
sovereign and the SAFES subordinate; that
there is one sovereign, and not thirty-sev-
en-. There is no danger of centrallzatlon-
For one, shall regard the rights OF the
States as zealOusly as any one, and there
| is no desire to override them; but do re-
pudiate the idea of State sovereignty-tha
the state has the right to withdraw from
the Union at pleasure. All the states
have rights, because the Constitution con-
fers them upon them, and guarantees them
| to them.


The Democratic party, by history, edu-
cation and tradition, is incapable of reform.


You cannot engraft reform upon it any
more than you can engraft live branch
upon dead trunk, or place new roof
upon tumOle-dONn mouse, WIN IOtten
rafters and crumbling foundation. 1t has
already out lived its time, and ought, for
| the good of the country, to pass away. Ii
the new departure has been taken in
earnest, there is no excuse for its living
sn 5ther day. Its repentance should be of
the deathbed character. 1t should ask
only to be forgiven-not to live. But it
seems to retain the remarkable theory that,
By confessing its crimes and processing
to adopt Republican principles, it is en-
titled to supercede that party in power,
and thus acquire title over those who


have been doing right all the time The


pretended new departure is but develop
ment of the irrepressible conflict in the


Democratic party. 1t thus confesses that


it can't succeed upon its own principles,
and that the time has come when 1t should


pass away, and, as political organization,


pass away forever.