Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-06-20
meturn OF mr. vaLIandlgham.

Mr. Vallandigham has returned to Ohio.
In doing this he has done right; the only
bad feature Of il being its tardiness He
should never have respected the ukase Of his
expatration. He should, az the first oppor-
tunity, have thrown himself upon his rights as
an American citizen, and have presented
squsrely the issue between the despotic acts
OF n mere individual and the constitutional
rights Of a citizen of this Republic
Who banished Vallsndigham2 Was il o
properly constituted court Of law, before
which he was brought by established process
Ses, and his guilt properly substantiated, and
as a conclusion Of which he waa found guilty
by jury of his peers and thereafter punished
by "hGnishment' as provided by law2 Not
at all, Who banished him Mister Lincoln,
and who is Mister LincolR who thus, ia
person, or through his agents takes upon him.
self the part of Sheriff Judge and Jury ? He
is nobody in these capaciues--a mere lndl-
vidual--a mere John Smith, bearing no mort
extended relations to society than any other
John Smith Should his acts as an individual
be respected then2 No and therefore Mr.
Valaudigham, who was banlshed by Mister
Lincoln, the individual, the mere man, does
right when he refuses to obey any order issued
by Mister Lincoln
The question for Mr. Va AadighAm Is not
one of resistance TO law, but v. d ..-.e...e
law and resistance to tyranny, He was noi
bauished By law; no court had taken coqn
zance Of his case he was not tried or sen.
tenoed by legally constituted tribunal He
was simply kidnapped and sent out of the
country by posse acting under no valid
authority
! If body Of rufhans acting under the lead.
ership Of some Bill Jones, Tom Smith, OF Abe
| Lincoln, should come TO Chicago and seize
some citizen, hurry him of to some secluded
| place, and there, in e courtlwith Judge Lynch
presiding, should sentence that citizen to be
hung, or be sent to Canada, and should pro,
ceed TO carry that sentence into OBJECT, they
would do precisely what was done some mouths
since by posse Of men to Mr.. Valaudigham
Would that citizen be thought guilty OF dis
obedience to Law if he should refuse TO stay
in Canada, whittier he was banshed by these
rulians No; nor is Mr.. Valandigham one
whit more guilty of disobedience to law when
ne refuses TO stay where he was sent by body
Of irresponsible men,
II Mister Lincoln chooses to attempt to ar
rest Mr. Yallandingham and again send him
out of the country, an issue will be raised in
which every citizen Of the Republic is deeply
/ 'teIeatoa' ~ 's "hSthet tue CohSIlluuOha
rights of the citizen can be sbrogated BY the
will of mere individual it is, in short
whether the constitution or the simple will o
a despot is supreme It can be settled now al
well as ever; it is better to settle it now, fol
il the country submits longer to attempts t,
suppress the freedom of the press and the cit
izen, we viii yield ourselves to a tyranny which
in little while will reduce this people to
condition more infamous and degrading thar
that of Helotism in ancient Sparta
If Mister Lincoln is wise, he will not al
tempt further usurpations The people havr
borne much already and the time is close a
hand when further endurance win cease Il
be either virtue or or possibility - Ohicag
Times