Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-07-13
Nurtb-Caruliua 5tunanr1
From the Cincinnati COMMERCIAL
Vallanttgham's Speech.

Valiandtgham's speech.
Hen Of Oho:-Today am again in your m'ost, ana
upon the soil Of my native State To day am once more
within the district which for ten years extended TO me
the highest confidence and three times hOnOred me Us ls
representative in the Congress Of the United States
was accused If crime against the Constitution or laws
CHARGED upn due process Of law, am nav here ready
to answer before any civil court Of competent Jurlsdc
ton jury Of my c'nntrymen and meantime, 10 give
bail in any which any judge or court State or fea
eral may aix aud you the hundred and eighty thou
sand Democrats OF Ohio, offer as my sure'tles Never
for one hour have remained exile because rec gnzsa
arbitrary edct. Neither did personal fear ever RESTRAIN
me- And to-day4 return of my own act and Pleasure
because my constitutional and legal right to return.
Only by an exertion of arbitrary power itself
uon and law and consummated by military force
was abducted from my home aud forced 10 Dansnmeu
The assertion nsnuation of the President that was
arrested "because laborng with some enect
the raising troops and tO encourage desertons the
army and responsible for numerous acts OF resistance
to the draft the arrest Of deserters causing asas
slnaton manning and murder: or that at any time, in
apy wa, have disubeyed or failed to counsel obedience
to lawful authority to the smblance OF law, Is
absolutely false appeal for The proof in every speech
ever made upon these questiOs and to the very record
Of the Mock Military Gommisson By the trial and sen
tence of which l was outraged NO; the sole offence
then laid charge words OF criticism OF the pub
lie policy of the administration addressed to an open and
public political meeting of my sowctizens Of Ohio,
lawfully and peaceubly assembled Aud to-day, my only
s'crime is that in the way which they call treason wor-
the CONSTITUTION OF my IatneTS DuL INV
than year public man has been arrested and no
newspaper suppressed within the State, adherng still to
the Unon for the expression OF political opnion while
hundreds in public assembly and through the press have
with license and violence in which [ never INDUCED
criticised and Condemned the acts and policy OF the Ad
mins ration and denounced the WAR; maintaining even
the propey and necessity Of the recognition OF Southern
Independence
Indorssd by nearly two hundred thousand freemen Of
the party of my State at the late elec
ton and still with the sympathy and support Of millions
| Din not mpa
that party who is to be the victim OF arbitrary power
Ii Abraham Lincoln seeks my life let him decare but
upou due process Of law" The unconsttutional aud
INDUSTRIOUS 0rder Thirty Eight" under which alone,
arrested thirteen months ago, was deed and spit
upon by your State Convention Of 1868, by the gallant
gentleman who bure the standard your candidate fr
Lieutenant Governor, aud by every Democratic press and
public speaker ever 1t is dead From the first it
was against the Constitution aud laws aud without valid
ty aud all proceedings aud utterly are null aud
VOID and Of effect The indignant voice of cOndem
ton long went forth from the majority Of tho
people aud press Of America and from oil free countries
IN Europe with entire unanimity. And more recently,
too the platform" Of an earnest numerous and most
formidable convention Of the sincere Republicans and still
further the emphatic letter Of the acceptance by the
date of that Convention John q. Fremont-the first
dae also, Of the Republican party for the Presidency
eight years ago. upon the rayng cry of free speech and
free pressglve that, at last the reign Of
arbitrary power about 70 be brought to an end III the
United States.
IL is neither just nor & therefore, that the rongs
cted under "Order Thirty Eight" and other edcts and
Of such power should any longer be enduredcer-
family not BY alone But every ordinary of
dress has first been exhausted yet either by the direct
agency of the Administration aud its subordnates or be-
of want OF jurisdiction in the civil courts to meet
which American in former times conceived to
be possible here failed Counsel applied in my
behalf to unjust for writ Of hGbeas corpus 1t
was denied 5he privilege of the writ suspend
ed by of C03gre and Executive ORDER in every State
The Democranc CoHsenton of Ohio year ago, by a
resolution formally presented through committee of
your best aud absstnen, person at Washington, de-
nlsuded of the President in beha of very large mnr
y Of the people revocation OF the edc of banishnent
Pretending that The pubic safety then required it, he
fused ing, at the Ime that it would afford him
pleasure to comply he could by any be
made To beiieve that the public safety would not suffer
by it.
One year has elapsed yet this hollow pretence is still
tacy asserted and to-day am here to prove uneund
ed in fact Appealed to the Supreme Court of the Uni
ted States and because Congress had conferred
risdicton in behalf of citizen tried by tribunal
known tor such purposes to the laws, and expressly for
hidden by the Constitution, it poweress to redress
the wrong The time has therefore arrived when it be-
comes as citizen If Ohio and of the United States,
to demand and by my act to vindicate the rights
liberties and privileges which forfeited but of
which for many months have been deprived Where
foEe, men OF Ohio, am again in your midst to-day.
owe duties to the State and here to discharge them
have rights as citizen, and am here to assert them;
wife and child and home and would enjoy all the pleas
ures which are implied in those cherished words. But
am here tdf peace and not turbuance for quiet not for
convulsi6n for order and law, anarchy Let
of the Democratic party begin any of violence dis
order; bat let none shrink from any responsibility, how
urgent if forced upon him. Careful of the rights Of
others let him see to it that he fully and fsarlessy exacts
his Subject to righul authority in all things lei
him submit to excess or usurpation in nothing Obeen
TO Constitution and law let him demand and have the lu
measure Of the protection which law and Constitution
to him.
Men of Ohioi you have already INDICATED your RICH
to hear it is duty to assert my right to speak
Wherefore to the sole offence for which arrested
imprisoned and banished-free speech in criticism
condemnation Of the adminstraion-an administrator,
fifty described in recent public paper by of
supporters, as marked at home by lis disregard of
snonal rights, by its violations Of personal liberty ant
the liberty of the ptess; aud its browning shame b.
is abandonment Of the right Of asylum right especially
and will again. and again. long live or the Con
suton aud our pr, sent form of government shall sur
The words then spoken and the appeal at that tim
made and now enforced BY year of taxation
debt and Of blood and ster entreatng the people
change the public servants and their policy aud not b
force but psaceably hroagh the ballot now and her
reterate in their utmost extent and with all their sgn
cancy, l repeat them aud all, in no spirit of cha
enge or bravado but as earnest SOBER solemn Truth
warning to the peape