Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-05-25
THE SYRACUSE MEETING

The meeting at Syracuse on SATURDAY. eveDir
was n large OutpouTing Of the masses of n
Central City. Market Hall was thronged. Thej
Mayor of the city, Hon. D. BOokstaver, presided
and the names OF the other officers embrace tn J
most influential citizens.
Speeches were made by the Mavor .Judoa
Comstock, B. h. Gardner, Rev. DR.. White. o
Montezuma, and Others. and resolutions OF 4
similar import to those of the Albany meetin/
were adopted.
We have room for only a few extracts frod
Judge ComsiCck's speech:
EXTRACTS FROM THE SPEECH or JUDGE coxsrocK /
: LATE or THE COURT OF APPEAIs
FELLOW CITIZENS: You have assembled to 2
press your sentiments upon a recent event q
threatening import to the rights and liberties q
the people of this country. | scarcely need d
say that you have a right thus to assemble an
declare your opinions. This night is the corne
stone of American institutions. Ii is older tn
all our Constitutions. Our ancestors wrested
several hundred years ago from a deSpotic thro
and secured it by magma charta. IL is the HeaJ
descended franchise OF every citizen Of this Ia
ICheers 1t Is moreover guaranteed in
spirit and by the very letter of the CONSTITUTE
of the United States, and the Constitution of
State; and ] thank God that New York has
Executive who has pledged himself to ma
tain. AT every hazard, the dignity Of the st,
and the Liberties of the people. loud a
continued cheering
Its impossible To think without indignatid
and difficult to speak with calmneSs. of the rece
bold and daring outrage uDoh constitution
rights and guarantees. which more than anv 9th
has startled and aroused the psblic atteniid
The circumstances are these-that a dist
guished citizen of a sister State, the Hon c..
Vallandieham, not only not guilty.. but not evS
accused of any Ofiense against the laws OF Conn
sttution ofhis country. has been arrested without
legal process. in the midst of a peaceful con Au-
nifty, where he resided. in his own house, at the
hour of midnight, torn from his family. huTr az
away to a distant city, placed on trial before an
irresponsible military commission, and condemned
20 an infamous punishment by a military che
who had no more authority over his person thai
YOU or ! have. In vain did the victim Of thl
outrage utter his manly protest against a process
ing so tYrannical. In vain did he appeal 70 q
sacred guarantees of the Constitution. 10 the grd
fundamental law of the land, which disavo~j
alike his alleged OfFense, and the authority of
tribunal before which he was brought. AdT
head court martial convened without the sha0
or pretense Of legal power. proceeded to his su
mary conviction for no other crime than ire
~uttering his opinion in a public meeting. concd
ing the policy of the Government. His RICH
canvass, criticise and condemn public men
measures. was as plain as yours or mine. and u
and | know that our right to breathe the ain J|
heaven is no palmer. TCheers.]
Ishould be false to the obligations and duties
of the honorable profession to which ] belong
a profession which was and ever ought to be the
guardian and conservator OF liberty and law-if
| did not denOuuce this Iawless proceeding; snd
! do denounce it. calmly and dispassionateIy out,
with all The emphasis and energy suitable TO tbeI
occasion.
The danger must be met at the threshholdl
There cannot be. with safety, one moment Of ac-I
Quiescence on the part of the people. Their1
instantaneous protest onght to be uttered With
calmness and dignity, but with uDalterable firm
ness.
The inquiries which arise out OF this occasionJ
are Of grave and serio-s import. They cannof1
fail to arrest the attention of every man WI iz1
not fit for servilude. TCheers Was Mr.. -
landigham guilty of any crime known to the Law.
Of this country? Not only was he innocent, butt
he was not even accused Of crime. / have cad
the proceedings against him, so far as they have
been allowed to see the light. he was only;
charged, before his military Judges, with the ut
terance of words in a public assembly, lawfully
convened in the State of Ohio, NJ this assembly,
is now lawfully held in the State OF New York;
in the sueech delivered by him he saw fit 70 d
%nounce, in strung language. certain leading me
sures of the National Administers ton. j Cd
denim them also with all the sincerity of calm 2
deliberate conviction Had he a right thus
20 sneak to his fellow citizens. and have / a rio
thus to speak to this assembly,
saw this right admits Of no argument or &C
troversy. We must not argue in favor of rigb
so plain, We must. and we will have them v
out an argument. And If ! may lawful 4 p
dress a public assembly, there is no authorns
this land which can prescribe 10 me the words a
phrases which I NAV use. TCheers I pref
always to speak with the moderation that becou
me, but when / find occasion to declare the c
~victions of nv own mind concerning a pub
policy which has subverted the Constitution an
brought the nation 10 the verge of ruin, j sha
select my own language. [Chsers No miIitj
~ chief or suhaliern shall teach me what opiniod
NAV utter. or how ! NAV utter them. And III
right of opinion and debate, a right clear as {
sun at noonday-so clear that the demonstrate
and proof are useless, If not impossible. is tb
very right for the exercise of which Mr.. vallanI
| dighsm was torn from his home at midnight. hurI
ried before a court martial. tried and sentenced
TO a felon's punishment.
I have said that Vallandigham was not eve
charged by his accusers with any offense or GRIND
recognized by the laws of this country. Suppose
this were otherwise. Suppose that some ground
or pretense existed for n criminal accusatiod
against him. We demand then to know the ar-'
thority of that tribunal before which he was trie(
and condemned. I appeal to the letter of t5
Constitution:
"No person shall be held to answer for a car
tai or otherwise infa nous crime unless on presses
ment or indictment OF a Grand jury, except.
cases arising in the land and naval forces. or
the militia when in actual service in time of vs.
or public danger: nor shall amy person be deprive
Of life, liberty or property, without due process
law"
And again:
ain all criminal prosecutions, the accused sh3
eniov the right TO a speedy and public trial by
impartial Jury of the State and District wherei
the crime shall have been committed, which Di
trict shall have been previously ascertained D
law"
T Now the victim Of this monstrous wrong va
T never in the military or naval service Of the Un1
ted States. He was simply a citizen remote fro7
the scene Of conflict betx cen the contending arm.
les. If be was guilty Of any offense. IL was al
offense against the civil laws Of the country. an
he could be rightfully tried only by the civil a
bunals. His right 70 trial by an impartial Jury 4
his State and District, and before the Judges .
pointed to administer the laws, Is too clear TO 3
nit Of question or douh.: and there Is no one y
/ does question or doubt il. Now. this night Is ;
so high and sacred a nature, that without IL liberf}
is but a shadow and a name, (Cheers. u per-
; sons whose sentiments on public questions may b
obnoxious to others. can be accused in a Marie
unknown TO the laws Of the land. kidnapped b,
soldiers in the night time and hurried before mil
itsry commissioners for condemnation and sen
tence, then all that IL left Of our institutions 4
T: not worth preserving. There il no further down
ward step 70 be taken. We have already sunk I.