Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1863-03-28

the humblest cottage or cabin Of any free
American, that will not have those letters and
resolutions of theirs pasted against the wall,
to rise up in judgment against them forever
(Cheers.) They may get promotion from the
man 10 tho White House--(a voice: "The
What Is IT, but they viii learn that
6nal promotion cometh not through that chan.
mel, but Mt the hands of the people. They
have their mission TO perform--a very seri-
Gus aud a very tedious one, Il was TO have
been accomplished in twenty days. sixty days,
ninety days, but It ia not done vet Let them
go forward and try that FIRST We have our
mission here our business is to 6ght AbolI-
ton rebels in our midst cloud applause.)
We have not interfered with them in the dis
charge Of their duty, and they shall not inter
| fere with US, They are under military law,
the command Of the President Of the United
States, of their superiors we are not -
4 (Cheers.) We are the masters Of these Off
cials, They are liable to be tried at drum
head courts-martal, according to military law,
aud punished under that law We are, and
we mean to be, tried only by the judicial tri-
bunas in our midst ("Good' aud applause
/ Let them look, then, to the discipline of their
regiments, braigades aud divisions let them
/ look to making themselves efficient military
officers, but while they are at distance, with
out the means of communicating with the
people or knowing anything about political
iquestous, let them confine themselves to their
legitimate duties, and allow us, unmolested,
to attend to ours But there is not one Of
those who have participated in these meetings,
who did not declare repeatedly at home and
in the army, that the moment this was pro-
claimed to be a war for the abolition of slave
ry, he would resign his commission yet now,
baa.nua uv,uld th.s 60 k,l,
ton, because we would maintain the position
that we have held from the beginning, they
now forsooth, dare to taunt us with treason
and 10 impeach our fidelity to our country
II there be any man, aud repeat what
said upon another occasion--if there be any
man in the Democratic or Republican party
who still thinks that war can restore the Union
as it was and maintain the Constitution as il
is, have no quarrel with him tonight |
assume hs position for the sake of the argu-
ment-t is not mine, and never was, but let
it be so for a moment. You say that war
prosecuted for this purpose must thus result.
Have you the power to change the purpose
Can you make Abraham Lincoln withdraw his
proclsmation2 Can you repeal the legisIa-
ton of the Congress that is now defunct2 II
4 you cannot, the war must 20 on upon the
, basis upon which il is now prosecuted-and
you believe that it will so end What position
do you occupy before your countrymen in still
, advocating the so.calIed vigorous prosecution
of the war For what2 BY your own declara-
tion -disunion, separation, destruction, despot-
ism Dare any man stand before an assembly
of freemen and advocate the objects, or the
. results at least, of such WARP And yet, what
inconsistency for any man claiming intelli-
gence TO declare that although he has not the
power to change the policy Of the Admins
trAtion, it is the duty of every man to support
TINT Administration in its policy. deny it;
e (cheers,) and for one, at least | will not do it
e II had believed originally, as | did not be
ieve, that 1t was possible to restore this Union
c by force, IT | had occupied the position o
y hundreds and thousands Of Democrats, as vel
t as the great mass of the Republican party,
1t would proclaim to night that, inasmuch al
)i this is the policy, and we have not the powel
n to change it, that then our duty would be- anC
e is, to advocate vigorous prosecution o
b. Peace for the Union. loud cheers) viii
e not consent TO put the entire purse Of tbs
ID country aud the sword OF the country int
le the hands of the Executive, giving depotic anC
lie dictatorial power to carry out an object whicl
le ! avow before my countrymen is to be TO
le the destruction Of their liberties an,
e, the uyerihrow of the Union of thes
- OF such declarations, or of the mel
O. who make them, ! know the charge is brough
,h against myself, personally, and against many
., OF us, ca voice--"Never mind. } / hav
e, not spent moment in replying to them-th
ID people will take care Of all that (Applause
le The charge has been made against us--al
N who are opposed to the policy Of this Admin
il istration and opposed to this war-tha
Or we are for peace on any terms 1t is false
a. | am not, but am for an immediate and hon
g. orable peace | am for peace for the sake o
le the Union of these States. More than tha
Il Il am for peace, and would be even il th
Of Union could not be restored as | believe i
10 can be- because without peace and permitting
ne this Administration for two years to exercise
IN its tremendous powers, the war still existing
s, you would not have one remnant of civil lib
es erty left among yourselves. ("Thats so,
n and great applause) The exercise Of th
ck tremendous powers, the apology for which i
IS the existence Of this war il utterly ineom
Sc pRtible with the stability of the Constitution
k and Of constitutional liberty (Cheers
be am not for peace on any terms | would no
he be with any country on the globe Honor i
be the life of the nation, and it is never TO be ga
Dn ori6ced have as high and proud a sense o
ho honor and have right to have it, as an
ne man in the South, and love my country toe
IN we'll and cherish its honor too profoundly, fo
lg one single moment TO consent to dshOnora
if Bile peace A voice-'1he whole country"
an Yes, the whole country every State; and !
ss- unlike some Of my own party and unlik
,e- thousands ofthe Abolition party, believe still
We before God, that this Union can be recon
ey structed aud will be- (Great applause Tha
tu ION | m, oil q al.