Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-07-30
rs DEVOTION TO THE UNION
Misrepresentation Corrected
READ, FREEMEN, READl
Democratic Meeting 1855.

The political enemies of Mr.. VALLAN-
DrcHAM have, with persistency manifest
ing deliberate design to wrongfully
poison the public mind against him,
abused and villifcd him in the most
scandalous manner. They have willfully,
and for party purposes, misrcprcsented
his opinions. AS the best rcfutation of
Republican calumnies we have gathered
tho following extracts from his speeches
during the last ten years. We ask for
them careful perusal.
On the Goth of October, 1855, Dem
ocratic meeting was held in the City Hall,
and addressed by Mr.. Vallandigham at
length. The resolutions of the Com.
promise meeting" of 1850 were rcaflirm-
ed. Nh Vallandigham's speech on the
occasion is regarded as the most valua~
BILE and important of his life. OF it we
only say that what was then prophecy is
now history. The following are extracts
TIE SPIRIT OF ABoLITIoNIsM.
All this, gentlemen, the spirit of abo-
,ition has accomplished in twenty years
of continued and exhausting labors of
every sort. But in all that time, not one
convert has it made in the South not
one slave emancipatcd, except by larceny
and in fraud of the solemn compacts of
the Constitution. Meantime public opin.
ion has wholly, radically changed in the
South. The South has ceased to de-
nouncc, ceased to condemn slavery,
ceased even to palliate, and begun now
almost as one man, to defend it as a
great moral, social, and political blessing
The bitter aud proscriptive warfare Of
twenty years has brought forth its natu-
raj and legitimate fruit in the South
Exasperation, hate and revenge are every
day ripening into fullest maturity and
strength, and throughout her entire ex-
tent she awaits now but the action of the
North to unite in solemn league and COW
enant to resist aggression even unto
blood. know well indeed, Mr.. Presi-
dent, that in the evil day which has be.
fallen us, all this and he who uttcrs it
shall be denounced as "pro-slavery;" and
already, from ribald throats, there comes
up the slavering, drivelng, idiot epithet
cf " dough face" Again, be it So
These, aboltionists, are your only weap.
ons of warfare, and hurl them back de-
family into your teeth. | speak thus
boldly, because | speak in and to and
for the North. 1t is time that the truth
should be known and heard in this age of
trimming and subterfuge. l speak this
day not as northern man, nor a south
ern man, Jut God be thanked, still as a
United States man, wiM United States
principles; and though the worst happen
which can happen-though all be lost, if
that shall be our fate, and l walk through
the valley of the shadow of political
death, will live by them and die by
them. If to love my country; to cherish
the Union; to revere the Constitution; if
to abhor the madness and hate the treason
which would lift up sacrilegious hand
against either; if to read that in the past
to behold it in the present, to foresee it
in the future of this land, which is of
moro value to us and the world for ages
to come, than the multiplied millions who
have inhabited Africa from the creation
to this day If this is to be pro slaveyy,
then in every nerve, fiber, vein, bone,
tendon, joint and ligament, from the top.
most hair of the head to the last extrem :
ity of the foot, l am all over and alto.
gether a pro Slapery man. The true and
only question now before you is, whether
you will have Union, with all its number.
less blessings in the past, present and fu-
ture, or disunion and civil war, with all
the multiplied crimes, mseries and afro
cities, which human imagination never
conceived and human pen neve, can por.
tray. / speak it boldly; avow it pub
licly-it is time to speak thus-for polit-
ical cowardice is the bane of this as oi
all other republics. To be true is our
great mission and to succeed in it, you
must take open, manly, one-sided ground
upon the abolition question. In no 9TH
or way can you now conquer. Let Us
have. then, no hollow compromise; nc
idle and mistimed homilies upon the sin
and evil of slavery, in crisis like this
no double -tongued, Janus faced, DelphiC
responses at your state conventions. No.
fling your banners to the breeze and bold
ly meet the issue. Patriotism above
mock philanthropy; the Constitution be,
fore any mscalled higher law of morals
or religion, and the Union of moro value
I, than many negroes. II thus, sir, aee arr
true to the country; true TO tie Union ana
the Constitution: true to our principles
true to oar cause and to Tie great miSSio,
phich lies before as, eCe shall turn back ye
the .ferv torrent which is bearing as lead
long dorm the abyss Of disunion and infa
my, deeper than plammet ever sounded
But, if in this day of our trial, we arr
found false to all of these; false to ou1
ancestors; false to ourselves; false to thos,
who shall come after us; traitors to ou
country and to the hopes of free gov
ernment throughout the globe, Bancroft
will yet write the last sad chapter in to-
history of the American republic.
OF his speech, the Dayton Joarna
(Republican) said:
The principal demonstrations of Mr.
Vallandigham was against fanaticism anc
sectionalism; and here much that he sale
was just to the point. He was anxious
, to meet and repel every attempt to make
the existence of slavery in the south, OF