Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-01-23
sPEEcH OF l""
HON. O.. L. VALLANDIGHAM,
THE WAR ,
Lately Delivered In the House of Rep.
resentatives Of the United States.
loontinued.l


Butto resume the session Of Congress ex
pired. The President elect was inaugurated
and now, If only the policy Of non-coercior
could be maintained, and war thus averted
time would do its work In the North and tht
South, and final, peaceable adjustment and 70
union be secured. Some time 10 March it Wat
announced that the President had resolved tc
continue the policy Of his predecessor, aud even
70 step further, and evacuate Sumter and the
other Federal forts and afsenals In the seeded
States. His own party acquiesced; the whole
country rejoiced. The policy Of non-coercion
had triumphed, and for once, sir, 10 my life,
found myself In an immense majority. No mar
then pretended that Union founded In consent
could be cemented by force. Nay, more, ths
President and the Secretary Of State went fur
ther. Said Mr.. Seward, in an official diplo-
matio letter to Mr.. Adams:
For these reasons he he PresdenD would not be dis
posed to reject cardinal dogma Of theirs 1.-THE ssces
reduce the seeding States to obedience BY conquest
although he were disposed to question that proposition.
nat IN fact me PRESIDENT willingly accepts II as true;
gate thoroughly dsadeoted and insureconary members
| Of the State. ID
Pardon me, sir, but beg to know whether
this conviction Of the President and his Secre-
tary is not the philosophy of the persistent and
most vigorous efforts made by this Administra.
tion, and frat Of all through this same Secre-
tary, the moment war broke out, and ever since
| till the late elections, to convert the United
States into an imperial or despotic Govern.
mentY But Mr.. Seward adds, and agree With
him:
This Federal Republican system Of ours 10, Of ali
forms Of Government, the very which 10 most I'M
fitted for such labor.
This, cir, was on the 10Th of April, aud ye,
that very day the feet was under sail for
Charleston. /, The policy Of peace had been
abandoned. Collision followed the militia
were order ed out; civil war began.
Now, sir, on the 18th of April, believed
that coercion would bring on war, and war dis.
union. More than that, believed, what you
all In your hearts believe to-day, that the South
could never be conquered-never And not
that only, but was Laatisfed-and you of the
Abolition party have now proved It to the world
that the secret but the real purpose of the
war VAS to aboleh slavery 10 the Statea. 10
any event, did not doubt that Whatever might
be the momentary impulses OF those in power,
and whatever pledges they might make in the
midst of their fury for the Constitution, the
Union and the flag, yet the natural and inex.
orable logic Of revolutions would, sooner or
later, drive them to that policy and with 1t to
its final but inevitable result, the change of our
present democratical form of Government into
an imperial despotism
These were my convictions on the l4.h oil
April. Had changed them on the 18th, when
| l road the Presdents proclamation, and become
convinced that ] had been wrong oil my life,
and that all history was. 9 fable, and all human
nature false in lie developement from the be-
ginning of time, would have changed my
public conduct also. But my convictions did
not change thought that II war was dis
union on the l4ih Of April, It was equally dis
union on the 18th, and at ell times. Believing
this, could not 90 an honest man, o Union
man and patriot, lend an active support to the
war; aud | did not. i had rather my right
arm were plucked from its socket and cast in
to eternal burnings, than, with my convictions,
to have thus defiled my soul with the guilt Of
| moral perjury. Sir, / was not taught In that
school which proclaims that call is fair in poll.
tics." i loathe, abhor and detest the execrable
maxim. u stamp upon 1t. No State can en-.
dure O single generation whose public men
practice it. Whoever teaches 1t 10 q corrupter
of youth. What we most want In these times,
| and at all times, is honest and independent
public men. That man who Ia dishonest In
politics is not honest, at heart, In anything
and sometimes moral c0Wardice 10 dishonesty.
Do right; and trust to God, and truth, and the
people. Perish Office, perish honors, perish life
itself, but do the thing that is right, and do II
like man. 1 did it. Certainly, sir, | could
not doubt what he must suffer who dar defy the
opinions and the passions, not to say the mad.
nees, Of twenty million people,, Had not read
historyf Did ! not know human nature2 Bal
appealed to Time, and right nobly hath the
| Avenger answered me.
Idid not support the war; and to-day bless
God that not the smell of 80 much se one drop
Of its blood is upon my garments. Sir, censure
no brave man who rushed periodically into this
war; neither will quarrel with any one, here
or elsewhere, who gave to IL an honest support
4 Had their convictions been mine, I, too, would
doubtless have done as they did. With my
convictions could not. But / was Represen,
tative. War existed-by whose act no matter
mot NINE The President, the Senate, thu
House and the country, all said that ther,
should be war--war for the Union; union
consent and good will. Our Southern brethrer
were 10 be whipped back into love and fellow
ship at the point of the bayonet. Oh, mon
srors delusion! / can comprehend war tc
compel people to sccepta q master; to change
o form OF Government; to give up territory; Il
abolish domestic Institution; in short, a wal
Of conquest and subjdgstion; but q war fol
Union! Was the Union thus made7 Was Il
ever thus preserved7 Sir, history will record
that, after nearly six thousand years of folly
and wickednees In every form aud administratio
Iof Government -theocrstic, democratic, monar
chic, oligarchic, despotic aud mixed-it was re
Il served to American statesmanship, 10 the nine
teenth century of the Christian era, TO try tn,
lgrand experiment on scale the most costly an,
gigantic In its propottons, Of creating love b.
force, aud developing fraternai affection b,
wari and history will record, too, on the sam
psge, the utter, disasttous and most bloody fail
ufe Of the experiment. =
q But to return: the country was st var; and
belongedto that echoolcf poliics which teache
that when we are at war, the Government
do not mean the Executive alone, but the Gov
ernment-is entitled to demand and have, with
lout resistance, such number Of men, and sue
amount Of money and supplies generally as ma
be necessary for the war, until an appeal ca
Ibe had to the people, Before thai tribunal alont
) IN the frat instance, must the question of th
+ continuance Of the war be tried. This was Nj
Calhoun's opinion, and be laid IL down YER
broadly and strongly in speech on the Los
Bill, in ie4l. Speaking Of supplies, be said:
hold that there q Distinction In this respect b
tween state cf peAse and In the latter, the rg1
~ithholding supplies eught eysr 20 " held suboi
war. 4 80 fpIthenand Tegapi thewthhodipg supplis
With view of forcing The country ipto dilhonorah
peace Is not only to 81 what ithss been called NOR
reascn hut very little short of actual treason Itself.
II sUpon tbis principle, Oft, be actSd afterwardl
ifhS TAaxicafl gar Shaking Of that war 4