Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-06-02
Gbe Obio 5tatesmram
[From the Newark Advocated
sPEECH OF
HON. 8. s. cox,

LION. y. .. cox,
In Ne,oark, May 80. 1863, at Mc annual Ma,
Convention Of The Democracy of Licking COun
ty, Ohio
CITIZENS OF LICKING: In the last Couerea
you were my constituents. II ls proper that
should answer your call TO address you; for yor
should know every reason for every vote
gave as your Representative. As look upon
this assemblage OF old friends, who have ana
tained my public course snce 1855, a tbousand
memories Of other and better days tbronp INV
n'nd. Not only do recall the kindly oonrte-
Lies OF your firesides and at your meetings buI
the unwavering trust you reposed in me, from
the first effort which / made against sectional
Ism here to the present time, when the conse
quences OF that sectionalism are 80 sanRuinary
and Terrible i represented your voice truly
when warned and worked from 1856 TO 1866
against the passionate zealotry of North and
South; when denounced In and out of Congress
the bad faliacy and worse conduct of the seces.
sionists; when voted TO avert tho impending
war by evory measure OF adjus ment; aud when,
after war came, by my votes for money and men,
aided the Administration In maintaining tho
Federal authority over the insurgeut Stntos.- -
Sustained by you, l supported every measure
which was constitutional and expedeat, to crush
rebellion. At the same time, | have freely
c'nVassed and challenged the conduct of the
Administration In the use of tho means COM
nit TO 1t by devoted people. lam to day
free to do IL. | shall do It, with decorum.
ahall not be deferred from this duty TO YOU bv
any fear from any quarter; nor -shall recent
events and daily threats provoke me to utter
sentiments, less patriotic or moro immoderate
than have been won't 10 utter. Come threats,
come imprisonment, como torture or come
death ifself-my lips shall not be locked. I
shall do this to-day, not In the spirit of bravo.
do, not for any sickly desire for martyrdom; /;
because l respect the law ss the supreme au
thority and rule Of my conduct If speak in
this spirit may bring the policy OF tho Ad
minietration into disrepute, but shall magnify
the Government thereby. There ia more need
Of supporting arm flom the people about their
Government, when its officers are imbecile.-
Leat the very function should cease by the In
capacity of the functionaries, we should beware
how We undignify the Office by our contempt for
its incumbent.
General Hascall in his order No. 9, has
interdieted all anch speaking as will make she
Administration disreputable; and he has said
that Gen, Bnrnside has approved of that order.
do not believe this to be true am sure that
Gen. Burnside could not have approved of that
order and then have told Judge Leaviit in his
return to the habeds corpus in Vallendlghsm' q
case, thai "if the people do not approve the
policy OF the Administration, they can change
the constitutional authorities of the Govern
ment, at the proper time and In the proper
meLbo1." Wbat time and method7 At and BY
the elections provided by law To this we all
sgree. No going to Jail for that. Nor is Gen.
Bnrnside 90 absurd ss to accord to us the priVi-
lege oil election, without the means so make up
our minds as TO the policy of men to be voted
for; foe he goes on TO say: "Let them freely
dscns9 the policy in proper tone" Very
good agree to that. No bonds for me yet.
II Therefore by proper tone" should bring
the administration into disropute, Gen. Burn
eide will not send me to prison. Indeed l do
not think an improper tone can ever bring any
one into disrepute except him who uses it.
Therefore | think General Haecall has pre-
sumed on his brief authority, and has been ac
cordngly dismissed. But General Burnside
would stop what he calls 'license and intem-
perate discussion" Had such discussion been
prohibited years ago, this war void not be on us
now. AS to the propriety OF stopping that sort
OF discussion, By military arrests even II they
were legal, should dissent from the General;
but as to the bad taste and policy of such dis.
oussioa should agree. No "offense" in cay
ing that, trust. The same thing has been
said in various ways since men wrote with the
stylus, or Csdmus made the alphabet Indeed
he weakens bic cause, who uses an Incorporate
or licentious tone. Ia he therefore to be sup
pressed2 Let Republican paper IN. Y.
Adue,tiser) answer in this very case of Mr..
VIllandigham:
Mr.. valIandigham a a civilian, and We think, has
legal right to express his opposition 10 tho udr ITSELF
we'll as to the mode OF conducting It, without being
thereby liable to arrest. his statements may be glaring
iaehoods his logic laciesi his sprinciples abhorrent
and his motives base all these do not furnish sufficient
why he should be prohibited from utterlng his
views on great public question.
Why even the New York Tribune has said
that "our Federal and State constitutions do not
recognize perverhe opinions, nor unpatriotic
speeches as grounds Of infiiction." We must,
to he faithful citizens, take the dross with the
gold, in the current discussions of the day. Bet.
ter let the little apeck of license remain upon
the eye, than put out the orhs of public intelli-
gence, and live in aightless and despotc gloom
The people of this land can not change their
nature nor their education. Much as thoy may
doprecate bad sentiments, they prefer to see
them fash like powder innocuousIy above
ground, than pent up to explode with fearful ruin
and combustion. How can the lsggard authori-
blts Uo uiBou w uuty anu tyfhuulCBl OInclSIH
be lashed into discretion especially in time of
war, when power tends to play such iantastio
tricks and aggrandize Its Importance and func-
tlon-except by bold discussion. In the cabinet,
in the public assemblage, in the court, in tho
legislature, among all parties everywhere
Reason should be allowed free combat with
Error. II Error strikes foul-tho public will
knoH how to award the prize.
IL 10 in the spirit have indicsted--Of decof-
ous and discreet moderation-that propose to
disouss the question, uppermost in y0nr mind,
connected with the arrest of Mr.. Vallandigham
IL ia unnecessary for me to denounce his arrest
as illegal. Fcome not to stimulate passion
ask You to practice the courage of endurance,
to the end that we may more speedily have a
remedy In 1864, il not sooner, the people will
vindicate themselves: No amount Of Temporal
ry restraint will prevent their action. AS q
matter Of philosophy, aud not as defiance,
state, what you know, that Democratic thought
is irepreesibly outsp0ken; aud that for every
Democrat restrained, hundred will leap to his
place and court the honors of persecution
The question involved In Mr.. Vallandigham's
arrest does not concern him alone. II IL is a
breach OF Law 1t Involves the fate OF each aud
oil. Ills arreat is breach of the Constitution
State and Federal-Which provides for the
security of the people, in their persons,
houses, papers aud effeotn"-which forbids that
any one should be held to answer for any crime
axoant hv indict m on uhich nrofecia lifa lih-