Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 September 1873 — MORTON ON DEMOCRACY. [ARTICLE]

MORTON ON DEMOCRACY.

Tie “Eternal Principles” of the Moribund Party. Ab Able Review of Party Politics. O'-' United States Senator Morton recently replied to the late speech of Senator Thurman at Dayton, Ohio. After explaining that the speech of the Senator contained sentiments just hs applicable to the latitude of Louisiana as of Ohio, he continued as follows: I •ball notice Senator Thurman's and Major Allen’s speeches eonrewhat at length—not because of their intrinsic merits, but because they represent the Democratic party in this canvass, and 1 want to present the showing they make in behalf of thCir party. Senator Thurman, in bis speech, made bnt one reference to the Democratic party. 1 shall read to you now all that he said about Democratic principles. It occurred in the beginning of his speech: "Issues have been made upon measures and have been decided, and those are dead issues. Bill there are certain principles that are etertjal. Measures and men may die. bntprinciples last forever. And just so far as the Democratic principles are of that eternal character; just so far as they are applicable iu all times and under all circumstances; just so far as they are the foundations of free institions. just so far will they forever endnre and forever command tbe affection of those who belong to that party. But dead issues are another thing. We don’t seek to revive them, and therefore of them 1 shall have nothing 10-nay to say." That is all the reference Mr. Thurman makes to the Democra.ic party or Democratic principles. He Bays: .“So far as Democratic principles are eternal, so far they are applicable to all limes and places." I will agree to that; but he failed to tell the country what principles of the Democratic party were eternal, as from those xbax per tain merely to lime. He makes this siaiemem, which amounts to nothing, and takes no furtber notice of the party. You look through the speech 'itt vain for one word in regard to the affairs of the country. You find nothing in regard to the tariff, nothing about free trade. He passed ic by. You find not one word in tbe speech in regard to banks and the currency. You find nothing on the great question of transportation, now agitated m a large portion of the great Northwest. All these questions are passed by, as if the country w’ere not interested in ihem. We are not told what the Democratic principles are, although the country were expecting it at his hands. He w’as the one who had insisted that the Democracy should be re-organized on its old basis, and that it should set up for itself. The Liberals, you know, were kicked out at Columbus; they were kicked out at New York, and every place else, and the Democratic party resolved to fall back on its old principles, it was expecied that Senator Thurnfau would say something in defense of the record of that party; but he shirked the “eternal principles.” He gave the record of the Democratic party the go-by. Kr- Thurman talked principally 'about three things in his speech. The first was the history of the Union Pacific Kailroad. His history is fall of errors. Next he talks about Credit-Mo bilier. He then talks about corruption in the Attorney-Gen-eral s Department at Washington, and then about the salary-grab and the defalcation of Paymaster Hodge. Now, this speech is a confession. It must be to Democrats a humiliating admission that their Senator can furnish to them no feast, can put before them nothing but sensational scandals that have appeared under sensational head lines in the newspapers for the last ten months,and of which the coun.ry is sick and nauseated. 1 shall not follow hnn through the history of the Union Pacific Kailroad- lou have read the story of the railroad, and Totrtave read the investigation of the Credit Mooilier. Do you know how that investigation came to be made? It was made by resolutions of the House of Representa.ives. But for the Kepubli cans, there would have been np investigation, and Thurman would have known nothing about it The Committee was appointed by a Democrat in the Chair at the time—B. S. Cox, formerly of Ohio, was put into the chair to appoint a fair committee, and its presumed he did so. That Committee was engaged in the investigation for many weeks and you read the testimony until you got tired. The committee made a report, in the course of which they found that but two m«mbers of eongrt-s» had be<-n licaliffi'-Sviiti that Stock corruptly, although others had received the stock they had not bought it under circumstances that involved personal corruption. Ohly two members had dealt with it corruptly. One Oakes Ames, of Massachusetts, a Republican, and the other, James Brooks, of New York, a Demo.i“«y ' ve . r,! leading men of the House, men ofdeetded ability, aud against whom personally had been laid before. p Mr. Thurman goes on to name the Republicans who had to do with the Credit-Mobilier, charging them with corruption, all but one. Mr. Garfieldbut he omitted to name Mr. Brooks, of New York’ who had received more of that stock than anv “i**" °o*“ Ue , kept back lhe name of Brooks, whj . Because James Brooks was a Democrat. And he calls this fair dealing. He chargss corruption upon some because they were Republicans If you will go into the penitentiary at Columbus it is probable you will find a majority of two or three hundred of die men there confined were Democrats before they went there, but it would be very unjust Io dold ,be Democratic party of Ohio responsible because of the- poiV“ 01 . the v men in that prison. Aud it was just as absurd for Senator Thurman to hold the Republican parly responsible for the politics of the men engaged in the speculation aud corrup ion of the Union Pacific Railroad, as it would have been for me to hold James Brooke responsible, because he had received more of that stock 'J 16 1 mention this matter that you may despise the charge of holding a party responsible for the acnon of a few men, who, m dealing in that stock were not acting as party men, but as private individuals. I would not nave referred to Oakes Ames and James Brooks in this way, bnt for the wrong that is done the living rue committee reported in favor of their exnulsion, but the House changed the penalty to censure. It has so happened that both these men olher SIUCe dlel1 ’ a “ d " iUd “ a few weeks of each _a PP etit ? only for Republican frauds. He has no appe me for Democratic frauds. There was the fraud of the Tammany Society, of J'ew'iork, ')hicb Boss Tweed was the hero, which controlled the politics of the Democratic pariyforso many years; that nomiuaied McClellan in 1004; that nominatedßeymbtirTn 186 b; that made the nomination last year of Horace Greeley That Tammany Society that has controlled the politics , a” couotry, that has been found guilty of frauds to the extent of fifteen millions of dollars—the most wicked and disgusting of political frauds that have ever been unearthed—the Senator made no reference to this society and he frauds They were on the wrong side. Boss Tweed has never been puuieh- d; noone of those connected withhim has ever been punished. .. There are two classes of travelers that come to In’' ® ou P tr y Dom abroad, one class combs to see and great aud grand in our country. They take nonce of all that is beautiful. They observe the growth, the development, the prosper!, y, intelligence, and happiness of this great nanon. And they go home and write glowing accounts of the glorious things they have seen But there is another class of traveler-: thev are a kind of scavengers; they look only for fifth and nastiness; they pass by all that is great and grand and beautiful. They take no note of tbe growing power and intelligence and pro.-peritv of this great nanon, but they creep into the alleys, into the cellars, ont-bouses, and sewers, and then thev go home and write a picture of our country very Tharmau - fpe<ich :.. [taughiCT . one of these travelers should come to Davton, instead of riding through Vouf beautiful streets, and look ng “t your splendid private residences, the homes of comfort, and luxury and happiness the flrst thing he would - do Would be to inquire for the mouth of some dirty sewer, and be would go down and sncjc his head in. He would snuff the odor, and then go home and tell what a nasty place Dayton is. [Laughter.] , So there are two classes of politicians. One looks on the bright side of things, and sees everything full of hope; the other looks onlvforwick-de-pairand wrollg ‘ doLn =' and fill their fuinds with v A fC '\ Worde , in re 4’ ard to the Democratic partv. have shown that Mr. Thurman shirked tbe - eteraal principles J altogether. Only a few weeks ago the Democratic party declared at Columbus that they had cast off all entangling alliances; it stood upon its own platform aud record. There was much congratulation on this declaration. They did tbe same thing in Pennsylvania ams elsewhere, except that they struck out the tariff plank, cban”ln ß “5“ suit the people of the several states. But wmm their champions come forward they dare not tell you. what those principles are. -„?- OW 2 10 refresh your memories on this subject. W hat are the “eternal principles of the ptt v - T The y "endt embraced in the tantr plank; they do not all agree on that. They TL 6 *" 1 to baut,< ' public ‘an<fr.~fhe . “IF/ 1 ?. 1 “ greed G “ an 5’ of ,heee 1 Wl l le you what they are agreed mean when they refer to the eternal principles of the Democratic party ” el'!X : L r I e hu r nf l i^ t -’ 11<!Ory of ffbvernment which dea IV a na,ion fe a compact between the several and independent States; that it was not made by this people as a whole people, bnt made by the rhJJr b,. eeparale - distinct mwporarions; that the Consutuuon was approved by the Union and not by the people. Ont of this doctrine has grown nullification; out of it grew secesaion and rebellion; from that doctrine this country came near being utterly destroyed. And these only are tbe principles upon which the Democratic P'FjY ar ? JF ru X d throughout the United Slates. Although Mr. Thurman does not avow it. yet there “ E e “ ec L accord between the Democracy North ana South upon these principles. They are the . principles they have that hold and bind to^eiher •» one organization. \ nww J? 0 '"-day in the Democratic < P >u 1 thcSofth- The first is that of race; that “J man ’ 8 government, and tbe exclu,rom PoUHeal power. Strip off all disguises and it comes to that. There is a canvas now going on in Virginia, and tbe Democratic oratora and uewspaners are appealing to the_people to •“hd by toe white man's government. The Richnwnd AWgiriw aays the question is, Which race r_ hal > beextenninaied? This is the question also ta And in Kentucky the Ku-Klux are ravaging the State thjs very day, and have been

for four years. The Governor is powerless to put them down. He makes no attempt to do it Why? Because there is no public opinion behind him to rnstaiu him in it. He does not call upon the General Government to come in and help him. Why! Because, according to the Democratic politics of Kentucky, it would oe interfering with State rights; and, besides that, they do not regard it as a crime to kill a negro. That is the whole of it. And it is just so in Louisiana, where negroes have been slaughtered by the hundred within a few years, and where very recently the rebel element fought desperately to overthrow the legitimately elected State Government The Senator quoted, with marked effect, the disfiatch published in the Enquirer of September #th, n which the Kellogg Government was admitted to be constitutionally elected, and that there were enormous frauds perpetrated by the opposition. One word in conclusion, in opposition to the Democratic doctrine of State sovereignty. I hold that we are a nation—oncfpeople, that we are sovereign and independent States; that Indiana is not one nation and Ohio another: butthat we are all parts of one great people. But we have certain State rights guaranteed tons as States, by the Constitution of the United States, and they are just as sacred as the rights that belong to the Government of the United Slates. They do not depend for their title upon that blood-stained doctrine that led to secession, but they are made sure by the Constitution of the United States itself. We are a nation. We must be a nation, or we cannot live. We cannot hold together as a mere confederation. We can only hold together thia vast country, stretching from ocean to ocean, and from the Arctic to the tropica, upon the idea that we are one people, indivisable and inseparable, f Applause.] Ohio is my State, and Indiana is yours. lam not a carpet-bagger when I come to Ohio; I have as mnch right here as any other man. It is part of mv country. The Republican party holds that we are a nation; the Democratic party bolds that we arc not a nation, that we are a compact of sovereign, independent States, held together by a treaty of alliance under the Constitution of the United States. That doctrine has brought upon ns all our recent woes We cannot live under it. We cannot take in this whole continent under such a compact and hold together Even with all the railroads that may bind ue together, how far removed are the extremes of our great country. There is no security for those distant States. except in the idea that we are a people of one nation.. That only will hold the people of America together. I exhort you to cherish the national idea. It should he in the platform of every party; the rights of the States never to be infringed. bnt always bearing In mind that over the States there is the nation, and that we uro one people. [Great applause.]