Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1863-01-24
GREAT SPEECH
OF
HON. G. L. VALLANDIGHAM
UPON
tt H IL wv a R
Delivered in the House OF Reprssenta-
ttves OF the United states on
the I4th January, 1893.

Sir, they who would exclude New England
in any reconstruction Of the Union, assume
hat all New Englanders are yankees" and
Puritans; and that the Puritan or pregmali-
cal element, or type Of civilization, has always
held undsputed sway. Well, sir, Yankees,
certainly they are in one sense and so TO. Old
England We are all Yankees North and South
and to the South Just now, or a little while
ago, we Of the Middle or Western States, also,
are of the Yankees, too But there is really IA
very large and most liberal and conservative
non Puritan element in the population Of New
England, which for many years struggled for
mastery and sometimes held it. 1t divided
Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut, and
once controlled Rhode Island wholly. 1t held
the sway during the Revolution, and at the pc.
riod when the Constitution was founded, and
for some years aiterward Mr.. Calhoun said.
and very Justly, in 1887, that to the wisdom
and enlarged patriotism of Sherman and Els
worth on the slavery question we are indebted
for this admirable Government and that, along
with Patterson, OF New Jersey, "their names
ou ght TO be engraved on brass, and live furey-
er .-"a ..' q
And Mr. Webster, in 1880, in one Of those
| grand historic word-paintings, in which he was
| so great a master, said of Massachusetts and
South Carolina: Hand in hand they stood
around the Administration of Washington
and felt his own great arm lean on them for
support" Indeed, SIR it was not till some
| thirty years ago that the narrow. presumptu-
ous, intermeddling and ianatical spirit of the
| cid Puritan element began to reappear in u
| form very much more aggressive and destruc.
tive than at first, and threatened to obtain alb
solute mastery in church, and school, and
State A little earlier it had struggled. hard,
but the conservatives proved too strong for it !;
and so long as the great statesmen and jurists
of the Wing and Democratic parties survived,
it made but small progress, though John
Quincy Adams gave to it the strength of his
great name But after their death it broke in
as a food, and swept away the last vestige OF
ancient, liberal and tolerating conservatism
Then every form and development OF !anat-
csm sprang up in rank and most luxuriant
growth, till Abotionism, the chief fungus of
all, overspread the whole of New England
first and then the Middle States and finally
every State in the Northwest.
Certainly. sir, the more liberal or nou-Pu-
ritan element was mainly, though not alto
gether, from the old Puritan stock, or largely
crossed with it. But even within the first teh
years after the landing of the Pilgrims, a more
enlarged and toersting civilization was intro
duced Roger Williams, not of the May
Flower, though Puritan himself, and thor
oughly imbued with all its peculiarities o. cant
and creed and form of worship seems yet to
have had naturally q more liberal spirit and
:. first perhaps Of all men, some three or more
years before "the Ark and the Dove touched
the shores of the ST. Marys, in Maryland,
taught the sublime docrne of federation of
opinion and practice in religion Threatened
FIRST with banishment to England so as TO RE
move as far as possible the infection of his
principle - and atterward actually banished
beyond the jurisdiction OF Massachusetts be-
cause, in the language of the sentence of the
General Court, "he broached and divulged
divers new and strange doctrines against the
authority of magistrates over the religious
opinions Of men, thereby disturbing the
peace Of the colony, he became the founder
Of Rhode Island, and, indeed, of large part
Of New England society And, whether, from
his teaching and example, andiu the persons of
his descendants and those Of his associates OF
from other causes and another stock, there
} has always been large infusion throughout
=, New England of what may be called the Ro.
, ger Williams element as distinguished from
! the extreme Puritan or May Floirsr and PAJ
1 mouth Rock type OF the New Englander
and its influence, til! late years, has alway;
been powerful.
, Sir, would not deny or pisparaGe the aus
tere virtues of the old Puritans OF England ol
America But do believe that in the very
nature Of things, no community could exis
long in peace, and no government endure lonl
alone or become great where that elemen
a ia it's earliest or more recent form lholds su
I preme control. And it is my solemn convic
II, ton that there can be no possible or durab,
rennion OF these States until it shall have beeI
'e again subordinated to other aud more Ehera
h and conservative elements, and, above MI
until its worst and most mschievous develop
ment, Abolitionism, has been utterly extihpil
Dr ished. Sir, the peace of the Union and of hi
ts continent demands it But, fortunately, thos
very elements exist abundantly in New Ems
land herself and to her / look with eonfdene
e. to secure 10 them the mastery within her lin
n it's In fact, Sit, the true voice of New Ent
- land has for some years past, been rarel
VI heard here or elsewhere in public affair,
n Men now control her politics and are in blp
nj res, State and Federal, who, twenty yeai
+ , {, uld not have been chosen selectmen
If Oh Massachusetts. But let her remember
os last her ancient renown let her return froI
vain-glOrous admiration OF the stone mon
We euts Of her heroes and patriots of q form
al age, TO generous emulation Of the noble an
manly virtues which they were designed
's commemorate. Let,us hear less from her
ge the Pilgrim Fathers and the May Flower, a.
I'd of Plymouth Rock and more Of Roger W
lisms and his compatriots, and his toleratio
at Let her Danish now and forever her dreame
1f and her sophists and .bsrfaaatics, and CT
"a back again into her State administration al
'' the national councils "her men Of might, III
to grand in soul some Of them .stll alive