Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1863-06-30
aa SPEECH OF p sf--
HO n. j. C. ROBINSON,
OfTIITnofs, I

| 'OheiOn III OpIiuSntld, June II, 1905. 4
have no idea of entertaining YOU A
! you have been for the last hour aid a half.
| by the eloquence of one of the most elo-
| quent orators Of the day; but appear be.
fore you to talk plainly to you / see in
this crowd what gives me great PLEASURE
10 this immense gathering see great
many OF your most prominent men. You
have not come, my fellow-citizons, for
hundreds OF miles without some purpose in
! view You have come here 70 testify Your
| devotion to the great principles laid down
! IN the constitution of the United States
This is what has brought you here row. 70
| Our government is from the people. Il
IS government that requires from its citi.
zens obedience to every law. 1t requires
you to abide by that law. whether You like
It or not. To do otherwise is open violation
against the government. But, my fellow
citizens. what is the remedy if bad laws are
passed? We seek that remedy at the bal.
lot-box. Now, my friends, after having
! passed over the duty of citizens, desire 70
| call your attention to the rights under the
constitution. What are theyH A-Iaw is
! passed which you dislike. You saw it is
unjust. What do you do? You 90 to the
bGllot-boX. Who agree with you You send
/
they repeal these laws. Suppose that a
law is unconstitutional, it is your duty TO
bring the question before the courts of Sopr
country, which are made 10 pursuance of
the constitution to pass upon these uues-
tons. When the courts have decided them
unconstitutional, then the citizen must
obey. If the courts decide them uncou.
stitutional, then they are null and void. -
These are Ous duties, and these are our
right.
Now, my fellow-citizens, we have been
misled by these cries for the Union. We
must preserve the Union at every hazard
What does it mean? We have got an hon
est constitution Cries of"That's SOIL and
our Union is not made of territory oplv-
Are we hghtiag for territory? Thenit is
simply war for conquest. But no. we
are fighting battles for the preservation of
the ever living principles Of the censtitu-
ton. would not give the paper ON which
that constitution is written, were the great
principles OF that constitution to be stricken
out The great beauty of the American
constitution is, that it preserves to each and
every one to think as he pleases, to speak
as hs pieasss, and print what he pleases.
| provided he does not violate the law. Ifhe
does, be is amenable to the law. We are
passing through great struggle to deter.
mine the question whether constitutional
liberty shall still live and be maintained
upon this continent. or go down iu dark
ness, IN ruin and despotism.
What is the question before the Ameri-
can people to-day. allupon you to obey
the laws. But, for the great rights Of con :.
stituhonai cItizenship-free speech, free
I press. the liberty to bear arms, to be tried
! by jury OF your countrymen-let US all
! perish as one man III defence of them
Immense applause f. s.
l am here to day, not by permission of
1 MI Lincoln. not by permission of Gov.
Yates not by permission Of anybody.
AN here in pursuance Of the constitution of
! the United States Cheers 1 am NOT
/ speaking by permission from any Provost
MarshAl L am here by Permission of the
constitution of the United States. A voice.
That's IT," If we had been told two
years ago that the right to meet, as We have
met to day, to dissuss the acts of the Presi-
dent, the acts of Generals in the field. of
Governors, of Legislatures that any par.
ty would have questioned that right, YOU
would not have believed it. l have no
faith in this abolition party. But never
supposed that any party in this country,
would nave the audacity to destroy this
great and God given principle Of free
speech. But we find it is done. Why?-
Military necessity is alleged. We find
that the great writ ofhabeGs cory1us. which
has been SO ably described, has been sus,
pended. We have got list of Provost
Marshals to tell us whatto do. Laughter. l
The writ OF hG6eaS corpus is a right which
springs from Magma ChaJta. 1t is a writ
to oring forward and to execute all these
great princiE les. 1t is a writ that, if YOU
are incarcerated in prison, hunts you IN.
lou may cit down and petition against any
proceeding which is against law. You
may petition that you may come before the
courts ard they shall go into the question
whether you shall go, or wLether you shall
oe retained or whether you shall give bail,
or whether you shall be remap5ed AGAIN
That right brings you before the indic;ai
arm oil the country, and it examines int
/ ycur case. and either conyicts Won reman6s
or permits you to give bail. That is the
great principle Of ha6eds corpus II ia :
writ which. stands between the crowned
Iyraut and peaple. -. =. ~ -. -
1t Is the peoples right. fh saws one.
but the President eau suspend IL How
did 1t originate? Ii originated to protect
the people against Kings. Suppose a KIM
wants to send a man to the Bastile rbe
writ OF hGbedS corpus. stands in his way
Then our republican government stems In
to say when it shall be suspended. II
be IN case of invasion or rebellion. Is
there any Invasion. is there any rebellion
ln the State of Illinois? Are not tht
courts open? Then where is the military
necessity Why, the courts are ready e
execute this writ. fla man is not carried
to the Bastile in com pIiance with the order
OF Mr.. Stanton, are not the Sheriffs and
the Jurlsts ready to do their dutyP Yes
sir. Then why suspend the writ of ka6ea,
coTpusF Jf you do suspend it, you car
take Judges OF the bench and incarceratc
them. You can take members of Congress.
and do the same. You can imprison them
at will: but you must get rid of that writ Of
hd6eds corpus. You can do so. I'VE E4-
Invasion 10 this STATED No. Has she
not done her whole dutyl Yes. Now
my fellow-cihzeus, no one has right TO %
into your house and search your papers
unless he has legal right, and unless tht
constitution says so. You must have {
speedy trial before jury of your country
men. You have right to bear arms; anC
, no one has right to take these rights from
you, because the constitution has giser
them to you. se5s sssi.ts ... =
. These great rights are guaranteed in tn,
constitution Of the Uni.ed States. Now
this administration has rendered Us the is
sue whether we will give up these rights
or maintain them. 1t has violated every
one OF these great principles. 1t has arres
ted men without process Of law, searched
houses, and refused trial by,jury. l. hsI
rendered to Us the plain issue of whether j
shall be permitted to do this or not. Thi
is the grand principle upon which th,
democratic party has always stood-tt
abide by the constitution and the laws
We have believed in having free ballot
tree speech, free press, and an untram
meled judiciary. Are We going to surren
der all these (cries of "Never, never. /"