Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-09-03
THE SPEECH.

Mr.. President and Gentlemen of tie
COMMUNICATIVE the very distinguished
honor which YOU have Just conferred up
on me, by my unanimous nomination rs
the Democratic candidate for Judge of
the Court of Common Pleas of this sub.
division of the Judicial District, ] tender
you nv most profound and grateful &C.
acknowledgements This Aat,e,ing tcsti.
monial OF your i'iend>hip and regard, is
not the less gratifying; nay, it is for That
reason, the most eminently grateful to
my feelings, because Of its being wholly
unsolicited ON my part | neither ex'
pecied or desired any position before the
people, which would take me from that
quiet and repose which is much more
congeuial to the present temper of my
mind and circumstances, than the turmoil
and excitement of political canvass. -
Indeed, these are times in which no man
need be anxious to mingle in the striies
and bitter feelings Of a political campaign;
times, too. which make eminently true
and iorciblo the maxim, that 1.-THE post OF
honor is the private station" And yet
there comes TO most men, in some period
of their lives, time when thew mutt
yield their own inclnations, and even
their interests. to the wishes aud feelings
of others You have decided. that this is
a peri d in which | should yield my own
inclinalions to y-urs. I acknowledge
the force of the obligation; and accept
the nomination promptly. unreservedly
thank Iully; with IA full appreciation OF
ali it's responsibilities, at a period and
under circumstances which require some
thing more than mere hy ysical courage o
be II Democrat. ] accept it in the spirit
with which it has been rendered; not ns
a reward for mele partisan services; not
in any factions spirit OF party oiganiza
tion>; but as an Endorsement of an honest
independence in standing up for tho right
amid the whrlwind of excitement and ia
naticism which rules the hour; and as a
re6uke to that spirit Of vindictive hatred
aud persecution which hss been showered
upon me by nearly the whole mass of the
RepuhlI can patty here. for no other reason
than that ! have modeStlv but firmly ex-
erciscd the common right of an American
citizen TO think and speak OF the acts and
doings of the SERVANTS ofMe people, How
long you and shall be permitted thus to
think and speak OF the official acts of
those now seated in the high places Of the
how soon the gag upon the
freedom OF speech aud the freedom oi the
press shall change from a partial to a
universal order OF things, produced by
secret midnight orders from the councils
of the na'ion-the history of the next
lew months must determine for the
American people, If this great right,
baptized in blood and guaranteed to us
by the dea'est provisions of the Constitu.
tion under which wo live. thus to think
and speak of the administration of the
Government, is to be wrested from the
people, at time aud in crisis when it
is most important and essential that it
should exist unimpaired and unrestricted,
why then we have but the mere sh0dow
OF liberty, mere earieoture Of consttu-
tional government; and so far as real,
genuine, practical freedom is concerned,
you might just as well live under the des-
potism Of Joseph OF Hapsburg, OF Aus
tria, ae that oi Abraham Lincoln of the
United States of America. Any manly
and independent structures. either upon
the blunders or the corruptions Of the
Administration. are at once distorted into
treason and disioyalty 10 tie Government
by set of craven syeophants and in
formers, who arc always ready, whetheI
in peace or " war, to