The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1863-04-16


We make an extract from a recent ad-
dress of Judge Curtis. delivered in New
York. Judge Curtis is one Of the most
eminent jurists in the country, and an un-
doubted patriot. We would publish the
whole address but Tor lack of room:
"No!hing but the sense of du'y which
every man owes to society, according to
the measure of his ability to serve it, would
have induced ME to address yos in time
like this. It is time Of strange excite
ments and strange acts. No man who doss
not Join in a wild, undiscrirnuattng sup
port of the measures and dogmas of a
domnant''part can hope to escape de:rac-
tion and obloqay. The utmost exerlions
sre made to suppress ordinary freedom of
speech: every effort is made to misunder-
stand the purposes of those who are in po
itical opposition to the party in power
The vocabulary of political slans.is ex-
hsusted to find terms OF reproach and in
fanny wi which to stigmatze men whose
motives have in their favor all the ordina
~ presumptions OF purity, and whose ar
gumcnts and opinions are at least entitled
to respectful hearing. This process,
which Las been going on for may months.
with violence unsxampled even among a
people whose political discussions are new
cr marked by temperance, has eliminated
from time to time in outrages upon the
rights of persons and property, and may
do SO again. 1t is no time when one would
choose to utter opinions without being i'm
PEELED by strong sense of da,y.
But if we are not prepared to suffer for
our convictions, they must be very feeble
convictions. If We do no, love our coun
try and its institutions we'll enough to en-
c,untsr all the hazards that may attend an
honest effort to save them, our love must
be cold indeed. Such. am sure, is not
your case, or my own. Applause. Mean
ing to utter here nothing bu, words Of
truth and soberness-the truth as hold
i, in the soberness that becomes me-I
accept :all the. responsibility to public
opiuion which may justly fall thereon.
propose to speak TO you tt night upon
a subject which seems TO me to be strange
ly misaprrehended by many good men,
aud strangely perverted By many who are
net good. mean the subjec. of "Loya
ty." The word itself, at least in the sense
in which it is used in those countries from
which We have lately borrowed it, can
scarcely be said to have an appropriate place
in our political and social system. But it
is word at present in great use among
us, and We must takei It as we find il, and
ara bound TO inquire what arc the moral
duties which its just and true Specification
embraces. This inquiry, and the certain
consequences of accepting and following
out the doctrines which are now forced
upon US, will form the topics OF my dis
course.
The true conditions OF American loyalty
are not to be found in the passionate ex-
actions of partizan leaders. or in the fran
tic declarations of the pulpit. the rostrum,
or the press. Cheers. People who do
not like my political opinions may hurl-
Mt me the epithet "disloyal," but when
they have thrown this missile they have
not taken single step toward defining. to
me or others, what the true conditions Of
loyalty are. Ii is important that this step
should be taken; for whether we are to go
on or to cease in this course OF idle and
unmcanipg abuse, it concerns us all to
know what measure of public duty may
rightfuly be exacted of us. To know the
beighth and depth of those great virtues
which are comprehended in the term "pat-
rotism'--to feel at once that they are
settled In our affections and enthroned in
our reason-is to "get wisdom and to get
understanding" in the largest earthly con.
Germs. [Applause.
The true conditions of American loyalty
arc to be found in the law of the land; in
the institutions rnder which We live: 10