Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-09-02
An Eloquent speech-The Language Of


Square, and was addressed by Vallan-
digham in a speech of an hour and
half. We need not publish it for them
formation of our readers, for whoever
has read any one of his speeches relative
to the war and the Administration has
read his complete works. At his con-
clusion, the crowd called for Hon. John
Wentworth, Familiarity knownas Long
john" who appeared upon the stand
amid loud cheering, and made the fol-
lowing speech. We hope every Demo-
crat in the country will read it and COM
pare it with the speech of any Peace
Democrat:
"Iam pleased with the opportunity which
| your call affords me to lay my own views OF
public policy and public affairs before you {; and
In SO doing trust shall not be deemed an in
| truder, for would not thrust myself before you
| nor press my views upon unwilling ears.
at has long been u part of my political ethics
that the true method of discussing public affairs
the people. In every public address for the past
| years OF my life have enforced the correctness
of this understanding.
Il therefore request the attention of all, for
am no party man. am chained to the parti-
Fan car of no class no interest, no organization;
| to my country and to my country alone do owe
fealty and render homage love that country.
| Ii nurtured me in my youth, 1t honored me in
| meridian of life love to respond to any call to
plead in her behalf. IApplause.l As we cast
everywhere prevail, and the dangers that now
environ the republic, the heart of the patriot
| sinks with doubt anu dread. War, with all it's
dread calamities following in its train, is con-
| vulsing the nation. The art of arms has
| ceeded the pursuits of peace, and nearly n mil
lion of men confront each other in battle array.
| Amid the horrors OF war naturally look and
long for peace. The fathers and mothers of Chi
cago, whose sons are Drawing the hazards of bat
tie and the perils of disease, long for peace
| The wives OF Illinois, whose husbands have per-
ished and are perishing in the terrible struggle
| send up their daily prayers for the cessation of
| the strife. My own wish and hope is for peace.
My regret when the maddened traitors of South
| Carolina fired upon the National ensign and
forced the Federal authority into conflict, was
1 not more keen and poignant than my joy will
| be deep and sweet when they lay down their
arms and cease the Warefare they then so wick
| edly, foOlishly and devilishly inaugurated
This is the peace for which we hope for which
we pray, for which we fight. This struggle Is like
| every conflict that has ever existed since time
| began, and If We would have u termination of
the struggle we must conquer. The road to vic
that we are driyen-a shameful surrender, u
certain, triumphant. lasting victory, and conse-
| quently peace.
~ have listened with great interest to the elo-
| quent and well-considered remarks OF that pecu-
| liarly Democratic champion who has just adj
dressed you from the stand. have heard him
| bewaii, in feeling. touching terms. the existence
and continuance of this 'accursed war In
| terms of Indignation he has invoked against
| the Federal Administration for the part ii has
had to act IN the bloody drama. But while he
was thus deprecating war and violence, listen
ed in vain for one single breath of cenSure, one
word OF reproof from his lips, of those who first
madly unchained the ugly demon, and let loose
| the storm of deadly hate. Why was not the
| walls of his wrath poured upon the head of the
| infamous Reauregard. and the insurgent gov
eramant at Montgomery, who baseiy trained
| their cannon upon Il citadel floating the nation
al flag, and shed the first blood in this fraternal
| fight? Not a Federal gun had been fired not an
! act OF hostility committed. when the rebeiiious
CHIEF acting Secretary of War for n rebel
, government, telegraphed the fatal order, "Open
lire upon Fort sumter Thus the strife began.
strife, this messenger of peace, in his speech to-
night runnng through nearly an hour and /,
| half, mad not word of denunciarion and re-
| proof for those who before God and man are
guilty OF lis commencement.
| why this omission why this studied silence
| on the part of Mr. Naliandigham? Why are his
invocations directed soely..to the General Gov
eminent, which when assalled only then at tack
ed: Does Mr.. Vallandi CHAM wish to be under
stood that the act of the traitors i'll opening the
strife is not worthy of cenSure, while the act of
the Goyernnent in opposing force TO force is en-
titled to an hours temperate denunciation:
| % | draw no uncharitable differences myself.
arraign not the purity or honesty Of his mo-
tives, but submit that these things are worthy
of remembrance. If you, my friend, are quiet
| ~ marching along the street, and were brutality
assaulted and fight back becomes a man
would You not say to the man who denounces
you for str king back. but had no words of CEN
sure for Your aSSailRnt-wouid you not say to
him ask, that he was your euemy and would
have tossed UP his hat at your defeat Nor
would the inference ,.e unjust. My peace
| friends, if the Republicans should assuii your
gathering here tonight and fire on your assem-
hlage. would you be responsible for the fight
! that would ersue and how would you obtain
peace: BY vacating the square or enforcing
But Mr. Nailandigham tells as 70 accent
peace, to stop lighting, and negotiate for a re
| construction. Sir, we want no Reconstruction
The Old coustruction-the Union rs it was and
the Constitution as it is--the construction of
| Washington, Jefferson and MadlSon-is all We
| desire. Under that government we lived and
|; prospered and were happy. Under it the West
grew up, expanded, peopled with millions of
| of tie Northwest and glory of the continent ::
and when a man talks to me about reconstruc-
ton, or PIRATES of Il new Union, mark him as
an enemy Of my country and the roDber of my
children. The old Union, with its glorious mem
cries, its unfulfilled hopes, its history blazing
upon evry page with words and deeds of death
| less glory, all bind me to the old Union and
| cause me to ubhor the name of reconstruction.
| | would say IT, the gentleman from Ohio and
! those VINO think with him, In Gods name say
no more about reconstruction But sinking ev-
cry other consideration. forgetting all other mo-
| tiYes, moved by other impulse, let yOnr zeal
your efforts and yG.lr energies all he directed to
| The maintenance of the old Constitution. That
| is haiiowed By the memory Of Washington, the
glorious history Of our revolutionary struggle,
and ,earer by lar is it to us and our children,
! than any neW-fangled combination that can be
! matched up by any convention. 1t is rarely that
any good comes out of convention, and the
proposed convention of the States, both rebel
aiid loyal, is the most unprolnIsine OF the en-
tire brood. II we want peace, then, let US con-
quer. II the South wants peace let them lay
down their arms ana cease war. Then Will be
T TSs to af VIII r jas' sy r Haa
blood they have shed in their unholy sr,ig-
! gle for slavery. Then will try To forget the
thousands they have slain, the homes OF the be.
reaVed, the hopes they have crushed. and the
! hearts they have broken. But while an arm
Yields - sabre, while the Constitution is fieted
n ilp tittf n NtnlI :
authority whose solemn oath WIS that the Con-
stitutinn should he preserved and the laws
maint3ined.
| But Vallandig:lam toid you that !hs Govern
! inent could never be held together by cGeTciYe
force, that power brought to apply upon the u,l-
ruiy could never reduce them to obedience -
was there ever a greater hereSy uttered by the
mouth of man? No coercion! Why, gentle
men, the coercive power OF the government is
| the only safety and salvation Of society. No
government, no community can exist mo-
lnent without it.. 1t was the weakness of the
! articles of the old confederation that they con-
! ferretl no oosfaive power, and the statesmen of
| that day saw the pressing necessity of the new
constitution. Take to-day from municipal and
governmental organization the power of coer-
ciOn. and society goes at once into anarchy and
chaos. The weak would become the modern
come right. | have been told that there are
those who would disturb the quiet of the gath
| ering in this city. We the authorities of the
city, coerce them into respect for law. Surely
you should not denOunce coercion. That glori-
| Gus old war-horse of Democracy Gen Jackson.
| from whose lips inhaled the pure inspiration
| of Democracy and at whose feet received the
first lessons of political and governmental duty
was glori0usly free from this modern hereSy.-
| His celebrated proclamation against the nulli-
fiers, in which coercion cleaned and glistened
| In every line. will give him a name and an inn
mortality in history, when the malighers and
denunciUtors of his policy shall have been for
gotten. therefore stand for General Jackson
| and against Nallandghan. viii you stand for
Nallandigham and against General JacksOns
But Will not press the matter further. The
attention you have given me fills me with graf
| itude, and leads me to hope that the canvass
will not be marked by such bigotry and intoler-
ance as usually attend political campagns.-
Let us, therefore, meet and discuss this matter
| in spirit of fraternal love- and good will flow
| from the interchange OF opinion, and together
| we will reap the rich harvest Of wealth and glo-
| ry that awaits our country. AS the children of
q common destiny the pathway of our progress
should be marked by no shameful chickering's
| no Earrings no discord. Differ we may-dffer