Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-06-17
. EE OH
or THR
HON. G. l.. yALLiNDIGHiM,
At THg
Democratic Convention.
A HAMILTON. OHIO.
. p Z Eel
On ,Ae 18th Of Jan,. 1864.

ten wears extended 20 me the highest confidence,
and three times honored me as is representative
IN the Congress OF the United States ! was &C.
cu-ed of no crime against the Constitution or
laws. and guilty of none But whenever and
whereyer thus charged upon me by process OF law.
attn now here ready to answer before any civil
court Of competent jurisdiction 20 a jury OF my
couutrymen: and ia the meantime, 10 give bail
10 any which any Judge or court, state or
federal, may aihx, and YOU, the hundred and
eighty-six thousand Democrats Of Ohio, | offer
as my sureties Never Tor one hour have re-
NAMED 10 exile because ] recognized any obliga
ton Of obedience 10 the unconstitutional and ar
bitrary edict Neither did personal fear ever re
strain me- And 10 day ! return OF ms own act
and pleasure, because IL is INV constitutional and
legal right 70 return. Only By an exertiOn OF ar
bitrary power itself against the Constitution and
Law, ana contaminated by military force was
abducted from my home aud forced into Danish
ment The assertion or insinuAtiou OF the Pres
ident that was arrested ''becanse laboring with
some effect 10 prevent the raising OF troops aud
TO encourage assertions from the army. and was
responsible for many acts OF resistance TO the
draft and to the arrest OF desetters. causing
assassination. manning and murder" or that
at any time. in any way had disobeyed or failed
10 c0uLsel obedience 10 the lawful authority. or
even To the semblance OF law. - absolutely
false.
appeal for the proof TO every speech | ever
made upon those questions and 90 the very
record OF the Mock Military Commission by the
trial and sentence OF which WAS outraged. No.
the sole offence then laid 10 my charge words
of criticism of the public policy of the Admins
tralion. addressed to open and public political
meetings OF my fellow citizens OF Ohio. lawfully
and peaceably assembled, And to-day, nv only
crime" - that. in the way they call treason.
III in I he nf ms fath Kuf
for now more than one year. no public man has
been arrested, and no newspaper suppressed with
IN the limits of the States adherlng still To the
Union for the expression OF political opinion,
while hundreds in public assembly and through
the press, with license and violence in which
never INDUCED, criticised aud condemned the acts
and policies Of the Administration, and denoun-
ced the war. maintaining even the pr0priety and
necessity of the recognition OF Southern indepen-
dence. Endorsed by nearly two hundred thous-
and freemen OF the Democratic party Of my
tive State the late election. and still with the
sympathy aud support of millions more. DO not
mean any longer TO be the only man OF that party
who is TO be the victim OF arbitrary power III
Abraham Lincoln seeks nv life, let him so de-
clare: but he shall not again restrain me of INV
personal liberty. except upon "due process OF
law" The unconstitutional and monstrous Or
der Thirty eight" under which alone was
rested thirteen months ago, dehed and spit
upon at your State Convention in 1868. by the
gentleman who bore the standard as your candi-
date for Lieutenant Governor. and by every Dem
ocratc press and public speaker ever since IL
Is dead From the hrst il was against the Con-
stitution and laws. and without validity; and all
proceedings under II were and are utterly null
and void and of no effect
The indignant voice of condemnation long
since wen; forth from the vast majority OF the
people and presses OF America, and from all free
countries in Europe with entire unaninty. And
more recently, too, the platform OF an earnest,
numerous and most formidable convention of the
sincere Republicans, and still further the EN-
phatc letter of acceptance by the candidate OF
that convention, General John Fremont, the
first candidate, also, of the Republican party for
the Presidency eight years ago, upon the rallying
cry of free speech and free press give renewed
hope that at last the reign of arbitrary power j.
about 10 be brought TO an end IN the United
States 1t l. neither just nor hit. therefore, that
the wrongs inflicted under Order Thirty eight,
and the other edcts and acts of such power,
should any longer be enthusiastically not 10y
me alone. But every ordinary means OF redress
has first been exhausted; vet either by the direct
agency the Administration and its subordinates,
or through its influence or intimidation, or be-
cause of want of jurisdiction in the civil courts
10 meet a case which no American ever in former
times conceived to be possible here, all have
failed Counsel applied in my behalf to un
Just j Judge for the writ of habeas corpus. 1t was
denied; and now the privilege OF that writ is sus
pended 10y act of Congress and Executive order
in every State The Democratic convention of
Ohio, one year ago. by resolution formally
presented through a committee of your best and
abest men, in person, at Washington, demanded
of the President in behalf OF very large mi
nority of the people. revocation OF the edct of
Punishment. Pretending that the public safety
then required it. he refused saving, at the same
time. that lit would afford him pleasure TO com
ply as soon as he could by any means be made TO
believe the public safety would not suffer by it."
One year has elapsed vet this hollow pretense
is still tacitly asserted; and 10 day am here 10
prove il uniounded in fact appealed TO the
Supreme Court OF the United States; and because
Congress had never conferred Jurisdiction in be
half OF citizen tried by tribunal unknown. for
such purpose. TO the laws. and expressly forbid
den by the Constitution, II was powerless to re
dress the wrong. The time has, therefore, ar
rived, when il becomes me as citizen of Ohio
and of the United States to demand aud. by my
act. 10 vindicate the rights. liberties and
privileges which never forfeited, but OF which,
for 20 many months. / have been deprived
Wherefore, men OF Ohio, | am again in your
midst to-day owe duties to the State. and am
here To discharge them: | have rights
citizen. and am here 10 assert them: a wife and
Oh Id and home and would enjoy all the pleasures
which are implied in those cherished words But
| am here for peace, not turbulence: for quiet,
not commissions: for order and law not anarchy
Let no man of the Democratic party begin any
act OF violence or disorder but let none shrink
from any responsibility. however urgent II forced
upon him. Careful of the rights of others. let
him see to il that he fully and fearlessly exacts
his own Subject To rightful authority in all
things. let him submit 10 excess or usurpatlon IN
nothing 0bedient 10 the Constitution and law
let him demand and have the full measure of
protection which law aud constitution secure 10
him
MKN or Ono: You have already indicated
your right to hear il is now my duty to assert my
right To speak Wherefore. : to the sole offense
for which | was arrested, Imprisoned and ban
ished-free speech in criticism and condemnation
OF the administration: an administration ftly de-
scrbed in a recent public paper by one OF lis early
supporters, marked at home by disregard OF con
stitutional rights. by its violations of personal
liberty and the liberty OF the press, and. rs is
crowung shame. by it, abandonment of the
RICH, of asylum. a right especially dear 10 all free
nations abroad | repeat il here 10 day and will
again and vet again so long a. live or the Con-
sutution aud our present form OF government
shall survive The words then spoken and the
appeal At that time made. and nov enforced by
one wear more OF taxation and debt and OF blood
and disaster. entreating the people To charge the
public servants and their policy. not by force but
peaceably through the ballot | now aud here re