Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-05-28

iOolbOhts Il Ou Suh iNut iOh JOul
notes.
Witness. The speaker commenced by
referring to the canopy under which he
was speaking, the stand having been dec
Grated with an American hag--the flag
under the Constitution
Judge Advocate. You need not give
his Introductory remarks. Con6ne your
self to what he said about the war.
Witness. After finishing his exordi-
um, he spoke of the designs of those in
power being to erect despotism. That
it was not their intention to effect res
toration of the Union That previous to
the battle of Fredericksburg an attempt
was made to stay this wicked, cruel and
unneces sary war. That the war could
have been ended in February last. That
day or two before the battle of Freder-
icksburg, q proposition had been made
for the re-admission of Southern Sena-
tors into the United States Congress, and
that the refusal was still in existence over
the Presidents own signature, which
would be made public as soon as the ban
Of secrecy imposed by the President was
removed. That the union could have
been saved if the plan proposed by the
speaker had been adopted. That the I'M
ion could have been saved upon the basis
of reconstruction; but that it would have
been ii the exile or death of those who
advocated continuation Of the war; He
then referred to Forney, who was we'll
known correspondent of the Philadelphia
Press, an | said he had no right to speak
, for those who were not connected with
the Administration. That some of our
public men, rather than bring back some
of the seeded States, would submit to a
permanent separation of the Union. He
stated that France, a nation that had al
ways shown herself to be friend of our
Government, had proposed to act as in
t tcrmcdiator; but that her proposition,
5 which, if accepted. might have brought
; about an honorable peace was insolently
+ rejected.
Mr.. Valandigham here corrected the
witness. The word he used was instant
ly," not "insolently"
. Witness. l understood the word he
used to have been "insoently." That
, the people had been deceived, that 20,
600 lives had been lost at the battle of
fredericksburg that might have been
, saved. In speaking of the objects of the
war he said it was a war for the liberia
? tion of the blacks and the enslavement Of
t the whites. We had been told it would
= be terminated in three months-then il
nine months; and again in a year. Thai
! the war was still in progress, and tha
t there was no prospect of its being ended
d That Richmond was theirs; that Charles
! ton and Yicksburg were theirs; that the
y Mississippi was not opened, and would
c not be so long as there was cotton on it!
+ banks to be stolen, or so long as there
!, were any officers to enrich. That South
N :, ern paper had denounced him and Cox,
f and the peace Democrats, as having done
8 more to prevent the establishment Of the
= Southern Confederacy than 10000 sol.
+ diers could do. That they proposed tc
l. operate through the masses OF the people
Il in both sections who were in favor of the
, Union. That it was the purpose or de
+ sign of the Administration to suppress o.
e prevent such meetings as the one he was
c addressing. That military marshals werc
i, about to be appointed in every distric
Z who would act 70, the purpose Of restrict
II ing the liberties of the people, but tha
he was q freeman That he did not ask
u David Tod or Abraham Lincoln. or Am
!, u brose e. Burnside for his right to speak
,, as he had done, and was doing. That his
st authority for SO doing was higher than
l. General Order No. 3S-it was Gener a
Order No. 1-the Constitution. Tha
General Order No. 3S was base usurpa
e ton Of military power-that he had thu
most supreme contempt for such power
|, He despised it and spit upon it. lie
d trampled it under his feet. That only q
If few days before man had been dragged
O from his homo in Butler county by al
e outrageous usurpation of power and triet
d for an offence not known to our laws, by
n q self-constitutcd court-martia. - trieC
n without jury, which is guaranteed tt
Il every one; that he had been fined and i'm
prisoned. That two men had been brough
10 over from Kentucky and tried, contrar
j. to the express laws for the trial of trea
20 son, and were now under the sentence Q
death That an order had just been is
= sued in Indiana, denying to persons tn
,r right to canvass or discuss military poll
st cy, and that if it was submitted to
would be followed up by similar orde
}, in Ohio that he was resolved never tC
,r submit to an order of a military dictator
|, prohibiting the free discussion of eithe
civil or military authority.
|. The sooner that the people informe
the minions of this usurped power tina
p they would not submit to such restrict
ii ions upon their liberties, and that the
would not cringe and cover before sue
- authority, the better. Let them not b
ge deluded by the image of liberty when tn
e. spirit is gone. He proclaimed the rigf
to criticise the acts of our military SCI
at wants in power that there never was
ld tyrant in any age who oppressed the pee
N. pie further than he thought they woul
10 submit to endure that in the days {
Democratic authority, Tom Corwin hat
re in the face of Congress hoped thGt or
at brave volunteers in Mexico "might b
welcomed with bloody hands to hospits
bic graves.p but that he had not been il
at terfered with. 1t was never before thougl
necessary to appoint captain of cavalr
as Provost Marshal as was now the cal
at in indianapolis, or military dietators'
IL -,