Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1863-06-09
THE DEMOCRATIC MEETING
AT INDIANAPOLIS.
The Speech OF MIR. voorhees, ON FAX
ing the chair as President

]
For the distinguished honor which w,
nave just conferred upon me in calling m
TO accept this elevated position, | return 4
You my sincere and heartfelt thanks. A
such time and under such circumstance,
as those which surround this hour TO b,
called upon to preside over such On assem-
olage as the one before me, is an honor "a
De remembered to the latest hour of life
ana TO be treasured up as one of the hiyh,
Get, proudest distinctions ever conferred b,
my fellow citizens. From greatful hear
often deeply touched by the kindues of m,
countrymen, | thank you.
We meet to day 10 accordance with m,
time-ht nored custom Of political partie
since the foundation of this government
There is nothing new in this ASSEMBLY,. w,
meet as cur fathers met before US : we NEE,
for the high and holy purpose of takinp
part in the discussion of those mater.
which relate to the welfare of government
formed and created, and governed bv the
people. We do not recognize the fact that
anything has occurred, or can occur divorce
the people Of Indiana from an interest in
pubic affairs We do not admit that the
democratic PARTY is in any manner ostrsc;,
ed from participation in matters of gov.
eminent. s''
EoldIng the constitution of nv countrv
IN my hand, declare that this is lawful
assembly. lawful in purpose and lawful in
act In tins great document I read that i,
Is an lnaiienatle right of the psoTle peace-
abiy to assemble aud AK for q redress of
! grievance. No saeGer grievance ever be.
iell the children OF men than those which
aLiict the people of the United States AT
tEis time. Confusion aud disorder Garkens
ire SKY the very earth is laden with the
S'tfu" OF ouT people; the voice of woe and
ianen'Htion goes up from every portion of
our distracted country; the angel oc death
mas spread Its wings on the blast. and there
mas oeen 10 sacred blood sprinklsd anon
tue ooor posts of our homes 10 STAY tho
hand OF the destroyer. 1t is in such time
my countryGen, that we meet according 70
the plain pTecepts Of the cnbstitutio, 70
ask the administration TO redress those
/ grievances which bears so heavily upon US.
ana return speedily to the policy iDauru>
ratec by the fathers of our government
mat policy which maia Us happy. united
/ and traternal peoule.
such being our objects, who shall tell Ms
/ we shall not meet? Where IS the nower
that snail interfere with or prevent us from
! peaceaoiy expressing our plain constitute
onal rights? ], for one, Plant mys,lf upon
| the constitution Of my country: lit Is the
! rock on which ! built the church Of nv M
iltical faith. and tie gates of hell shall NOT
( prevail against it.
:. HaVing thus peaceably assembled. accor-
| ding to the plain precepts of the constitn-
ton, we are met, however, at the yerv
/ threshold by an issue which we eanno,
avoid, an issue which it is out of our poWer
/ to ignore for single moment. We are
met with plain, paIpable, and audaeious
denial Of the liberty or speech. And wben
mus met what shall We do? What shall
we say! turn again TO the constitution
to the rock on which the Temrle of Liner.
ty Is bulIt-and ask what does that const;
tuition sayf What 1t says, you, fellow citi-
zens, and l, are willing to do. II is the
rule ct our conduct and we know no ether
1t Is sale guide in al cases: it leads ma
over no uncertain grounds; L. has been
tried. The constitution is all we want !.
we Will have 1t as 1t is, without any adds
tons or attractions. When l am met
with DENIAL OF the rights of free speecb. I
VIII come to the constitution and ask what
ltsi Us. 1t says that Congress, which is the
only legitimate power known to the oov-
eminent shall pass no law abridging the
lTeecom OIL speech or of the press. Thus
SAITH the book. Let that be true, though
all the world be liar. If tho Congress of
lhe United States cannot, under the con-
sttutlon, pass any law interfering with the
eeuVn OF speech, can anybody else do il /?
No NO, IhiS Is the house OF my refuge
miner We VIII come for safety we will lay
hcid OF the horns OF the altar, and 10 the
name OF American liberty, aud with n firm
reliance upon just God, bid defiance 10
our prosecutors
ask that this book NAV sneak again in
our favor. 1t saws that the constitp,ion oaJ
laws in pursuance thereof, are the supreme
laws OF the land. There is. there can he
no higher law than the supreme law. Yon
cannot go above it. You cannot escane
this conclusion. One of the rerilous evils
that now unhappily beset us as a nation
consists simply in this fact, that wears ago
party arose in the country proclaiming to
the werld higher law than the coustitu
ton. tell you that, in my iudymeDt. he
who procaims that doatrine. aud in the
next breath swears to sastainsthe coustitu.
ton, Is perured 10 the sight of God and
man. The constitution is the supreme
law. ltprovides for the maintenance of
| these great rights of freedom free speech
"A Tree press-aud who shall take them
away from US?
Yet, my fellOw-citizens. in the face of
THIS tact. We have been told, here in Indi-
aaa, not merely that public discussion was.
10 general term. prohibited; but we have
even been told what particular Measures NJ
public policy We shall not discuss. am
not going to descend into particnlars NM
tins point, but | will tell YOU this. that the
democratic party will discuss the tax bill
and the internal revenue policy for Won
have the money to nay it y it will discuss
the conhscaton act and the Presidents
emancipation policy. These men, aud the
peace aud security Of the government for
generations to como. To discuss them Is
our undeniable right. plant my feet %
ON the constitution, and so,emly declare in
behalf CT myself and the great democratic
party, that we will never surrender to any
power on earth the right t1 discuss all these
measures, which bear 50 fearfully upou ouT
dearest Interests. We will discuss the
PRESIDENTS compensated characterization mol
icy, We will discuss the right Of this cow
eminent to put its hand into the poeket az
the laboring white man for the purpose Of
freeing the negro. We will di enss the
conscript act. We will discuss the policv
OF every law that is now or may hereafter
be placed upon TIE statute book. Thosa
oil them that are in cur Judgment, wrong,
we VIII ask to be repealed. We will test
their constitutionaiity in the courts. In
short, we viii do all that our fathers haze
done 10 assert onr manhood and freadan,
TO demonstrate 10 the world that we are not
the degenerate sons of glorious sires If
we are to give up these privileges at tho
piddlngs OF despOt, LEI us hide the face Of
the GODDESS OF Liberty in funeral veil;
9ecelSe the world no longer with the SEM
Dlanee OF freedom, hut accept at once the
slaves