The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1864-04-29
Winter Davis Great Specch On the l.x-
pui.ion of Long.

This speech we cannot give entire,
but venture to say, that many parts
of il will be considered literary gems
in our language; and that they de
serve n place Ivy the side Of Pitts
great and Webstcr's greater speech
es.
Every Union man would do well to
read and study it.
We give some extracts; and first,
his reply to claim of right to ex-
press honest opinions
"1S there no end to paticncc9 Is
| .,--.- ~''"t, .siiV' '|'n4 Iitia4In
intent, which wisdom requires we
should guard against beforehand p
What do you suppose would be the
fate Of man sitting in the capitol
at Richmond, who should arise there,
and propose to recognize the suprem
acy of the United StatcsP Do you
suppose that the freedom of debate,
which gentlemen have enjoyed on this
floor, would have been tolerated, even
| if desired by anybody? Is IL not
certain that he would have been ex-
PEELED, if he lived long enough for
the vote of expulsion TO be taken p
Suppose that in the French Assem-
bly,, when the life of France was ut
stake, as the life of this nation is now
at stake, and heroic men were strug.
Cling to maintain it, some one had
arisen, and proposed to call back the
| Bourhons, and place the rcins of gov.
ernmcnt in Cbeir hands--how long
would he have remained member Of
that bodyp Suppose that the day be-
fore the battle Of Cullodcn, or the
day after the battle of Prest IL pans,
some Jacohitc had arisen in the 10 sc
Of Commons, of England, and decl T.
ed himself Of the opinion, that the
Pretendcr could not be expelled. wi h.
out the cxtirmmation OF the Jaco e
ites, and that therefore they shou d
place him on the throne Of England.
Do yon think the traditional liberty
of speech in England, woul | ha, c
saved him from summary expulsion
Do you think there is any law in En-
land, that could have stood between
him, and, not expulsion, but, death ?
Would not the act have been consid-
cred crime, demanding his expul.
sion? Wonld not the vote of that
body have been instantaneous, and
his execution been swiftcr than that
vntnp
Are we to he told hcrc! That men
are TO rise in this Hall, whore tic
guns OF the impending battle will
echo III our ears, when we only sit
here, because we have one hundred
and fifty thousand bayoncts between
us and the enemy: when Washington
is yet n great camp. the center of thir.
" miles Of Qualifications, stretching
around Us for our protection are
we to lie told that here, within thi,
citadel OF the nation, an enemy may
beckon with his hand, to an armed
foe, assuring him Of friends within
the peoples Hall. mt the very cen
ter Of power, and we cannot eXpcI
him
Nothing said in the House this ses.
sion, has more fully enchaiAel and
thrilled the audience, than the pas
sage in which Mr., Davis told wher
such propositions as Mr.. Longs 'ooul'
be admissible:
"If it be said that the time may
come, when the question of recogni
zing tbs Southern ConEcderacy viii
have to be answered. i admit it anC
it is answering the strongest and eX
tremest case, that gentlemen on til,
other side can present.
II admit that when a Democra
shall darken the White House; whcl
a Democratic majority here, shal
: proclaim, that freedom of speech sc
cures impunity TO treason, and pro
nounce recognition better than eXter
mination of traitors; when McClel
/, Ian and FitZ John Porter, shall hav
again brought the rebel armies with
in sight Of Washington City, and til
9 successor Of James Buchanan sha
withdraw our armies from the uncon
stitutional invasion of Virginia, {
the north Of the Potomac; when eN
ultant rebels shall sweep over the fol
tilications, and their bomb. shells sha
!, crash against the dome of the Cap
:, tol; when thousands throughout Penn
svlvania shall seek refuge on tn
shores of Lake Erie, from the rcb'
invasion cheered and welcomed b
- the opponents of eXtcrminatior
when Vallandigham shall be Govern
or of Ohio, Bright, Go, ,ernor {
Indiana, Woodward, Governor ,
Pennsylvania, Seymour, Governor
Connecticut, and Wall, Governor {
New Jersey; and when the gentl,
man from New York City, shall sit
Seymour's seat; and, thus possessG
Of power over the great center OF I'll
country, they shall do, what they II
tempted in vain before, in the midi
of rebel trinmph--to array the AZ
thoritcs of the States against thos
of the United States--to oppose I'll
militia to the Federal arny--to ia
81 woke the hobeas corpus, TO dischare
confined traitors--to deny the Go
: ernment the benefit of the laws
war, lest it eyterminate its enemies
when the Democrats, as in the fall