Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1861-01-17

SPEECH OF HON. JOHN HICKMAN.

of the Peoples Party operatives had public
dinner at Samson street Hall. About three hun
dred persons were in attendance. Most of them
were well known Ward politicians, and some of
them hold prominent Municipal Offices.
The first toast, "The memory of Washing
ton" was drank in silence, the whole audience
standing. There was no verbal response. The
second, "The Union and the Constitution" was
responded TO by Hon. John Hickman. The men
ton Of this genteman's name excited great
cheering, prolonged Through several minutes.
IIo said:
Mr.. President, and Gentlomer of the Peoples
Party of Philadelphia: thank you for the OPP
portunIty you have afforded me- for giving ex-
preston to my devotion to the Constitution and
the Union. | love :he Constitution because it
secures the Union and love the Union because
it gives to us security and prosperity. Without
them We should fall into anarchy; and worse.
W thout them brother would be arraycd against
brother, and blood would run down the streets OF
yonr beautiful city.
1t is not necessary for me TO deelaIe to you,
who are apprsed of transpirng events. that they
are both in danger, and that neither Of them will
be preserved by paper resolves. The time has
rather arrived for action than expression. No
man can maintain the integrity of this Union by
popular assemblies, declaring devotion to the
Constitution. The time has come when every
man has got to define his position in the great
struggle which his about to come OFF between
rival sections and rival interes.s No greater
truth was ever proclaimed in the hearing OF the
American people, than that there is an antago.
onism between Freedom and Slavery. Applause.
And let no man console himself with the reAec
ton that this antagonism is to be quieted by the
paliatives of compromise. \ voice. Or by
public meetings.l You can not form truces be.
tween them, which will last. IL is as impossible
as to dam up mighty rivers, and to say that from
such point dry land shall appear As long as
the free sentiment of the North shall invade the
territory of the South, so long the South will
have complaints; and YOU have now to make up
your minds whom you viii scrve-whcthcr you
will serve God or Bcial. [Applsusc.l
This ie not the first time in our history that
these difficulties have come upon US, and when
the safety cf the country has been imporillcd.
In 1890 We compromised, in ls32 We compro.
missed, ls5l we compromised for tic purpose OF
making peace between these and conflicting in.
tercsts, aud in every instance in which compr o
misses have been entered into, these CO mpromiscs
have been followed by increased difficulties and
dangers. And now il is proposed to us, with all
the experience of tho past that we shall again
cndeavor to make lasting truce between Free.
dom aud Slavery. have said at another time,
and In another place, that air .inef may divide
rival States, but they can never bound conflicting
sentiments. The lights of the press, tho waves
OF proficient craft, the mechanical tendencies of
highly productive art-those will always make
an impression upon the weak and impotcnt. NV
fclow-citizens put IL TO yon. sober. staid. sen.
sibc men, to give to me il YOU can, tho lines of
compromise which shall give to us rest. VIII
you restore the Missouri Compromise linc-TA A
voice, "No," enacted in ls20 at the demand
OF the South, and repealed in s5I at the same
demandl Will you re-enact IL again. A voice,
"Not by any means Not by any means. No,
| would rather suffer my right arm to be severed
from the shoulder cheers than place upon
myself any such mark of humiliation and dis
grace. Renewed cheers. Are YOU willing that
this game of battlcdore aud shuttccc elk shall
longer be played between the South and tn,
North II you are, am not, and the line is
drawn between us as distinctly as it is drawn be.
tween the North and the South. 4 voice, "IIc's
exactly right" and cheers. As for myself, say
il here, and say it distinctly, desiring not to be
misunderstood 10y any man--and YOU will find
will carry 1t out through my lfe--no more COM
promise [Cries of Good" aad yocfcrous and
long continued applause. love the Cansttu-
tion and the Union equal to that of any other
man cheers but | will not bny them from any
man who does not exclusively own them.-
''Good," and cheers. Ii the Constitution and
the laws will not secure the ealty of every right
minded citizen, IL it to be expected tha. nimsy
compromise, patched up by members of Congress,
is going to do what they not efectl Ny
motto is, "Millions for defense, not one cent for
tribute" Cheers.
1t is proper, my fellow citizens, that we should
look at the realities Of the times. South Carroll
ma declares that she has already seeded from the
Union; that the bonds have been severed which
bound us together. | contend that if South Car
oina is out of the Union. there is no State in it,
[cheers, for there is not vitality or power in the
bonds which we supposed held us. But give il
as my opinion. as my conviction, that she is rot
yet out OF the Union; and | also give il as my
conviction that, with the blessing of Almighty
God she never will be out of the Union. Ire
mendous applause and wild enthusiasm. IL you
feel as | do, know she will never be out OF tn,
Unon--f cheers; and repeat to ght what
have said on a forme- occasion, that the eighteen
millions of the North, the toiling millions who
monopolize all the art, industry, and intelligence
of the country, are not to DO overcome, par
alyzed, and moulded into shape by eight million,
without these auxiliaries.
Rut my friends, We have fallen upon e,i
times. | would not magnify our danger, moi
would in any way diminish the aspect which i
presents. We have already arrayed against tn,
Union sovereign State. We have the sympa
to South Carolina that in my judgment, they ar,
ready to join her at any advantageous moment
and am by no means certain that all the bordc
States will not be found in aiiiIiation. We have
in addition to this, traitor President lou'
cheers, Ia corrupt and rotten Cabnet-[ cheers.
and for aught know, we may have the regula
army against the Union. irasmuch as the Presi
dent is the commander-in chief of that army