, 1860-10-04
11r. Arnoldsa speech on PfcsentlHE e The
Prize RanBer.


d@stk<mt1 Widt duates cf tAt Northeast:
"Peace hath her victories, no 1ess renowned
than war." In the great victory Of liberty
abou. to he oonAunn,a.ed BY the election of
Abraham Lincoln 10 the Presidency, your or
9anzstion, Of which sse around me 10 night
50 magnificent and brilliant IN arrsy, sre acr1r 6
most important part.
Auaorg many featured which give to this
Presidential contest peculiar and extra3rei-
nary interest, ,aone are more significant than ttc
organ 'zation Of Wide Awkkes. Your vast as++,.
catlnu, numbering more than half million If
voters. extending from Maioe to Minnesota aid
peue.ret ting every s.ct,on Of the Republic wh" c
free whne labor is hcncIed snd respected, eel
bnd:es for etl::ent action, the zeal. enthrs:a+ ~
knd energy Of the young m:n OF Cur country.
Your orehn zat,oa originated il Crnnesticu:,
durir E the last spring CANVASS there; and :5e
first time the Wide AwakeA paraded n uai!orci,
WAS 10 escast Abraham Liaco.c Of Ilitois to
make political speech.
Tnls ~as gooo on4ea. The first act Of yorz
organization WIS 10 escort plain Abraham Liu-
coin to Republican meeting. The last &C: Of
the campaign will be to escort this Same ABR
hum Lincoln to The White House at Washing
ton.
I'll. oil &C: Of your organization is to secure,
hy aIt fn: and legal means, the election Of the
Republican, candidates..
feu hare adopted as your Ta.cawo1d
and motto those words Of Jefferson, thu.
Vigilance. eternal p!yitanet, is the price rf
liberty" JcHeEenu me ant that those who would
pcserEa their liberties must b.. "Wlo=
Awake."
You, who believe American liberty is in dau-
ger, tom the entertainments Of the slave Ari,-
1ocracy, hare awakened to that d1nger and haze
bc come Wide Awukea." fcu stand seutinels
Oh the watch towers Of freedom; aud being
yourselves it,l}ant TO see the approach Of da"-
ger, are Everywhere arnusing the peopls aad
preparing them for The contest. We'll,
"Wa.chmaa! tel u Of the nfclt.
That the ens u pr0Inae arcs"
Can ycu re pond, AHA wtlIf"
Not Jet, my usase aud gallant champions CT
freeGom, can you give that response! No not
until the Glib Of November next, Wheu vou, and
tte Amtr.cau psup!e. sLal have elected AunA-
HAN LlxcoLS to The pnEs,nEScr. Then, ibdetd,
lne cry ~ill 60 up from to~n and country,
mou.tan aud valley, 4'ALL's WELL" Tocu,
Mrine to Minnesota, from, -. psul to San FRAN
clsco. "ALL's WELL. Ais vel Tor Liberty, the
Crnstitu.ion, und .he Uoion."
Our political opponents have charged you
w4,A o+lng 4 military organization in d.Fgu,se,
and affect IN apprehension Of danger g1o ring
out Of it. Lei net their nerves BE- disturbed.
1t IL, doubtless, true, that tho Wide Awake or
gin z.ton emnndirK much Of the strength of
our citizen scldera; and it is true. that the
tF-de Az. ks 1nu1d rally "a aoon to crush out
domestic treason Us foreign invasion. Hut
your arms are peaceful snd not w4rlike. Your
torches are to light the lreemun's pn.hwsy In
the Ia TO: Tor, rrd not to the battle Held. Our
wea pons ere 1allos4, AID not ba4s.
We believe, E1tn the poet,
"Thtse l = weapon. trmes set,
AID better thin the tay"n I;
Arczpon ti..t 20" e. dowu ~ fill
sss.ow hakes tall nn.n the tod;
a. hshtrings do the Ill cf Cod
II is our ad:4zs4ries WAC use the weapons Of
violence and irar5. They used the bowie knife
Of the bt trde1-1ufliars in kaneas. Theirs is
| tie 1ynch.lRw AID the mob violence Which FL
lences The freeman's tongue and shuts tile pa
| triot's moutb. 1t is they who destroy the lib
erty Of speech aud free aoru Of the nress. II is
theJ who threaten u destroy the Caioa. If We
taken from them tae power Of prcsti!uting
it to the extension Of slsvery. Il is they who
knock down our Senators for telling disrGreea.
BILE truths !! It is they WIN threaten to hang
Northern members OF Corrress like Hale Ind
LoeeioJ on tie nearest tree! 1t is tue slave
| party. which has introduced reign Of trror in
| large ortion Of the South!
Asains: all this, We in.erpose the peaceful
| aRe1ties IF the printing press, the conmon
school, the sermon, the railr oad, the telegraph
above al. the Tree, lone>t hallot. We hare
faith in the "sober second thought Of the nco-
ple"
This peaceful! N >rn1 COZ dict, v.e-o reusoa is
Lett rec u. c"'abat wrong aud error. is the IRE
p'etaiIle C-r.f.ct Of the x1eat Senator Ut New
York, Who is our welcome guest to day. To
this peaceful colA;c. invoke the patriotic and
xea Gus efforts Ct the Wide A~nk<s Of the West.
t;en,lemen! Wide Awakes Of the North.
*tet. Ln,ldreu Of the ordinance Of 17ss: fou
| vii! rot permit a siugle eject RI vote from the
Northwest to be given either for the cand!datei in
| favor Of extending slavery, or for that moral
phenoI e1on who "don't cIrs tcAtther sldrers
| IL p04d d0n0 GF u0ted rT."
| Let US psedg. OURSELVES here tonight. on th;s
| Monument Of free lsbos, Cnicago, 10 give ever
ELECTORAL vote Of the Northwest to Lincoln atd
uamlin.
G. emen Wide Awakes Of LibertyviIie
havs the honor. now. mr 1rie nda, Of presenting
| tn you this prize banner, the gift Of your bro
theirs in the holy cause Of Iibertv-the Widt
folds sketch tt the brilliant tcene We SEE
around us to night. 1ts mot-o is, Liberty ane
Uaion": those thrilling words OF Webster
spckeu at great crisis Of cur history; 6t,y
then, and fit to be spoken now.
Al old Hickory aud Rxbassr stood together in
the days OF notification, acd crushed out trea'
son by the moral influence of truth aud patriot
ism, IN will Lincoln, in the Pretideatial chair
and Sesoasd, in tbs Senate, like J1ek1on ar.
Htbss<y, c,uth cut the treason Of these late
davs, by the came means.
We will stand by the Union, and We vii
stand By liberty, aud, BY tbs blessing Of tad
both shall be preserved. Take, then, :his oan
ner, and when in other days you shalt lac
back upon the contest Of 1861, when lbeEt!!
shall hare t1iumphed and our country shal
have bsen preserved. this banner vii! be
proud memento Of the noble part you bore i
The contest; 1t will reu1ind you Of the gre7
gathering in Chicago on The 81 Of October. 1s;:
On the eve u tue election OF Abraham Lincot
to the Presidency.
In delivering to you this banner, I need bart
II say tbs. its reception imposes alish respor
sibilitT. We hope you will show that it b.
been wor:hily bestowed, by your torn an
county giving the largest majority, IN p1opa'
ton your population. Tor l. ncosu and lioert,
of any town or oounty in the Union. We d.
liver It 10 you Wits this hope. and will v:ntu!
| to auggest, that III case Of failure, you shoul
generously bestow it upoa that to~n or c,unt
which shall outdo you in this glorious strife.
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