Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-03-01

| SPEECH OF
Ell o N. d A N IE L s. pHL
In he Ohio House Of Representatives., Jan.
uary l9h, 1853.
Concluded.
The people, too, ut the late elections, have
condemned the Administration in the mos
emphatic manner. By their expression they
mean not secession, as the baseneHe of some
has suggested; not preference OF one kind OF
disintegratlon and disunion to another; not n
sympathy with the bold treason of secession,
sustained by tho pomp of war; nor the inuinuat.
ing treschery which makes the same var, BY
dividing and abolshing States, and thereby
disintegrate and dissolve the Union They
quarrel not about which door the thief might
possibly enter the temple Of their liberty, but
TO prevent him from entering at all. They
claim the right, and will maintain it, that it, is
entirely consistent with the Constitution, and
even essential to it's stability, to regard the
| Administration as distinct and sspsrable from
| the Government itself, and canvass the pro
| ceedings of the one, without the thought of
disloyalty to the other. They also expressed
the solemn conviction that the blood which
would be necessary to enforce Abolition procla-
nations, could be spared, and means adopted
to save the Constitution, provided for In the in
strument, and cause the old flag to wave in
friendly triumph over every foot Of Anericso o
soil.
While these thoughts we're growing in the
minds of the people, the Administration wss
| attempting TO enforce its arbitrary policy by
means of the bGstile. II ia true, our people
we're unaccustomed to hear cf blank warrants,
Provost Marshsls, bsstiles and leti7ts de catcbet
except as they recalled the dark and bloody
| scenes of the French Revolution; and even
| from that, they were taught that when the
battle fell, the world ahouted with enthusiasm.
| 1t was OF once the implement and emblem of
| tyrsnnical power.
They had drawn Lesson from the key of the
dilapidated fortress and prison, that was sent
! by the French Directory to George Washing
ton to tell the people Il America, In the pereon
OF the nohleet champion Of their Liberties, that
another link was broken of the chain which
despotsm had forged to enslavs mankind.
We. for two or three generations, have look
ed upon that Tonderous key and wondered that
men could have permitted the system which it
represents to grow into on inatituton holding Il
recognized place in the government of q polite
and intelligent people; wondered If We or our
posteIity could ever become 60 slaVish aud de-
generate 90 to allow in our own country, sim.
liar establishment. Ne have protested to
ourselves that % such thing could or should be
permitted, and that on the first eymptums of
| its approach, euch would be the spirit of lib.
erty loving people, that they would rise at once
and po5trate in the dust not only the prisOD, but
| those by whom it was ordained. The American
baatiles-for We have many-ditfer from the
French only that they are less comfortable
Tie confinement 10 the came; in the arrest there
is even less formnlity; there ID no trial; the
prisoner receives no intimat!on OF the nature
of the Offense with which he 10 charged; the
seizure of the individual is accompanied with
the examination OF hs private papers, under a
pretense Of seeking testi nony; and his discharge
npparehtly % causeless as his arrest, is made
without word of explanation. The prisoner
knows that he has been punished, but he knowe
not for what, nor at whose instance, nor what
tribunal passed sentence upon him
He stepped from light into darkness aud from
darkness into light; from freedom to copfine.
ment, and confinement to freedom; and the
silence of the grave broods over the causer
for, and The agencies through which he suf
fered.
We have travelled back, al a single leap, q
great ways behind the French people Of the
revolutionary PERIOD and have immersed QUE
selvea in the political darkness of the Middle
Ages. We have done more. / do not know
that single French author ever wrote in praise
of the baetile. No Ffenchman, go far as have
read the history Of that people, ever prcslitut-
ed his pen in calling upon his monarch to go on
and multiply the number of his arbitrary ar.
rests. Il has been reserved Tor more than half
the intelligent and independent preHs of this
free and enlightened country; press that has
been held up to the admiration of the world as
the defender of the right, the friend of liberty,
the champion Of freedom, the fountain of new
ideas, and the grand educator of the people,
not only to defend the institution upon the
ground Of principle, but to applaud each official
exercise of irresponsible power.
But for all this, do not suppose that the
people are yet in condition to be easlsved
do not suppose that they will be in such con
dilion. L do not believe that they, or any par
of them, will long submit to rule which is no
of themselves, and does not reflect their will
and opinions. They have been taken by sur
prise. The very fact that they were unaccus
toned to tyranny rendered them incautious re
|epectng its approaches. Surrounded by cir
cumstances to them extraordinary and unpre
cedented, they readily listened to the plea tbs
extraordinary measures were necessary, ant
did not at once see the fallaoy Of the pretens
that to preserve the liberties Of the whole i
was allowable to take away the liberties of th'
individual They listened to the tyrant's ex
cuse Of necessity, in the belief that 1t woul
maintain the glory OF their Government, no
| to excuse the infamous rascalltes of its a1
miniHtrators
l. 10 we'll that the people have awakene
+ sloWly and gradually to sense OF the iDiur
that has been inflicted upon them. But it is
mistake to suppose that all these wrongs vii
not be resented and avenged; just as certai
as effect follows cause, will the retribution OF
cur. The bsstile will come down, not perhaE
through being razed to the ground by an il
censed and outraged populace, but by stsndin
as despieed and dsmantled monuments OF
tyranny sharpened by sense of weakness, tt
blind and rotton to discriminate between frient
and enemies, and too headstrong and corruptI