Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-07-09
3nolitital.
SPEECH OF
HON. S. S. COX, In Newark,
May 90, 1863, at he May Convention of the
Democracy Of Licki nq County, Ohio

DemOcTucyU lacking county, ono.
CITIZENS OF LICKING:-In the last Con-
gress you were my constituents. 1t is
proper that | should answer your call to
address you for you should know every
reason for every vote | gave as your Re-
preventative. AS look upon this as
semblage of old friends, who have sus-
tained my course since 1856, a thousand
mem ories Of other and better DAYS throng
my mind. Not only do l recall the kind
ly courtesies at your firesides and at your
meetings, but the unwavering trust ou
reposed in me, from the first effort which
| made against sectionalisrn here to the
present time. when the consequences of
that sectionalism are so sanguinary and
terrible. l represented your voice truly,
when | warned and worked from 1856 to
1860 against the passionate zealotry of
north and south, when | denounced in
and out Of Congress, the bad fallacy and
worse conduct of the sectionalsts; when
L voted to avert the impending war by
every measure of adjustment; and when
after the war came, by my votes for mo-
ney and men, aided the administration
in maintaining the federal authority over
the insurgent States. Sustained by you,
| supported every measure which vas con-
stitutional and eXpedient, to crush rebel
lion. At the same time, | have freely
canvassed and challenged the conduct of
the administration in the use of the
means committed to it by free people.
| 10 Jo, To i I oh 10
with decorum. | shall not be deferred
from this duty to You, by any fear from
any quarter; nor shall recent events and
daily threats provoke me to utter senti-
ments less patriotic or more immoderate
than l have been wont to utter. Come
threats. come imprisonment, come tor
ture or come death itsef-my lips shall
not be locked. / shall do this to day,
not in the spirit of bravado, not Tor any
sickly desire for martyrdom; but because
| respect the law, as the supreme author
ity and rule of my conduct. If / speak
in this spirit, | may bring the policy of
the administration into disrepute, but |
shall magnify the government thereby
There is more need OF a.supporting arm
from the people about their government,
when its officers are imbccile. Lest the
very function should cease by the inca
pacity of the functionaries, we should be-
ware how we undignify the office by our
contempt for its incumbent.
General Hascall in his order No. 3S,
has interdicted all such speaking as will
make the administration disreputable
and he has said that Gen. Burnside has
approved of that order. / do not believe
this to be true. am sure that General
Burnside could not have approved oi
that order and then have told Judge
Leavitt in his return to the habeas cor.
pus in Vallandigham's case-that "if the
people do not approve the policy of the
administration, they can change the con
stitutional authorities of the government
at the proper time and in the proper me
thod." What time and method? A
and by the elections provided by law
To this we all agree. No going to jai
for that. Nor is Gen. Burnside so alb
surd as to accord to us the privilege o
election, without the means to make uT
our minds as to the policy of men to b'
voted for; for he goes on to say: lie
them freely discuss the policy in pro-
per tone" Very good. agree to that.
No bonds for me yet. If therefore by q
proper tone" should bring the admin
istration into oisrepute, Gen. Burnside
will not send me to prison. Indeed | Dc
not think an improper tone can brint
any one into disrepute except him wh'
uses it. Therefore think Gen. Hascal
has presumed on his brief authority, ant
has been accordingly dismissed. Blu
Gen. Burnside would stop what he call
'license and Incorporate discussion. >
Had such discussion been prohibited
years ago, this war would not be on Il
now. AS to the propriety Of stoppiu;
that sort of discussion, By military arrest
even if they were legal. should dissen
from the General; but as to the bad TASTE
and policy of such discussion shoult
agree, No "offence" in saying that,
trust. The same thing has been said il
various ways since men wrote with tn
stylus. or CadmHs made the alphabet
Indeed he weakens his cause, who use
an Incorporate or licentious tone. Is h
therefore to be suppressed? Let Re
publican paper On. Y. Advertiser) an
swer in this very case of Mr.. Vallandig
ham;
"Mr. Vallandigham is civilian, and
we think, has legal right to express hi
opposition to The aOar Itself, as we'll as T.
the mode of conducting it. without beint
thereby liable to arrest. His statement
may be glaring ialsehoods; his logic falla
cies; his principles abhorrent, and his mo