The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-10-13
THE DAILY EMPIRE.
n. II. ROBINSON,
PUBIsHER AND PROPRIETOR.
SPEECH OF .
Hon. G. L. vallandigham
AZ Isossvilic, Butler County, Ohio,
u October 4, 1860. Iit
a'oportea for the Gin Cincinnati i, Commercial by

| .H"." "..
Rcporied for the Cincinnati Commercial by
! F"I MACK ~
FELLOW CITIZENS or BUTLER-I am oblig-
e'l TO request, although accustomed to adj
dressing eNcitablc audiences, that there
shall be o-night as much quiet rs Is possible.
| Having spoken to-day to a very large
| Democratic meeting for some two hours
and Il half aud being, as you are well
aware, not IN my usual condition of health
come here ill-prepared to speak as
would desire ON such an occasion. But /
will endeaVOr TO gather so much strength
rs VIII ennble nae to perform the duty
undertaken according to the best Of nly
ability.
| In the first place, TO the end that may
not be questioned, as repeatedly have been
on the subject, desire to say that although
began to speak IN public many years ago.
1t has never been my custom to discuss, at
any considerable length, at least, the claims
OF candidates, either friends or opponents.
AM to deal with principles, policies, and
| great public questions, rather than person.
alities, whether they be denuncIatory or
euloglstic. You who have known me for
| fourteen years, and heard mo often, will
remember that even In Presidential cam
paigns such has been my custom. / am
not, therefore, here tonight to consider the
| respective personal claims and qualiflca-
| lions of the candidates upon the State
| Ticket, Democratic or Republican, or the
district ticket, or the county ticket. |
assume that, as | will do myself every
Democrat will vote the entire Democratic
ticket Imscratched should be surprised
that Il question could be raised In Butler
County as to the duty OF Democrats upon
that subject. TINS explanation / make
because do not propose, as have said. TO
enter into the direct question of the claims
Fort the rival candidates, but rather tn dis
ctsa the great Issues of the day, and IL
succeed In establishing that the Democratic
party isright, that its policy tends most 10 the
real interests OF the country, to the speedy
restoration of the Union, and the mainte-
nance OF the Constitution, l assume that all
who concur with me will, Of course, vote
for the Democratic candidates, and need
not name any one of them. .rr
trust that there are In this assemblage
some extreme Radical Republicans. do
not qu1rrl with them because they call
themselves, or are called, Radicals la 40
lar indeed. as their Radicalsn tends TO lay
the aN at the root OF the fundamental
principles OF our form Of government, or to
sllbvcrt that form ITSELF or to delay the
restoration of the Union, or TO change sub
stantially the Constitution which our
fathers made. am their sworn foe. In so
Tar as by that word IL meant carncstness of
purpose, discrimination to carry out legiti-
mate ends by all Legitimate and honorable
mems, ] have no controversy with them.
la that srnsc OF the word am, as | have
ever been, a Radical Democrat No, Il is
not with Radicalism itself that have anV
quarrel. The rue rule, as lcomprehcndit It,
Is to be thoroughly conservatiN e-and IL
there was any other word In the English
language 20 express the idea, would use
lit-upon all questions of Fundamental mi
ciple aud organic law ; but radical or pro-
Eressivc-l care not which you choose--in
all matters of policy and IN the manner of
carrying ont the purposes and objects of a
party. For example, so far as the Constitu-
tion of the United States is concerned, or
the fundamental policy established by our
fathers, ! am thoroughly yconscrvatlye-aye,
| am, II yon please, an "old fogy." would
neither cross q nor dot an to make ID
differ from that which they have set down
In the instrument. ] would retain IL pre-
cisely as II is. Thus, though abollshinR
slavery 10y State constitutions in all the
Southern States, just us II was abolished or
prohibited la all the Northern and North
western States, Would not even retain the
amendment 10 the Constitution of the
Initcd States, recently claimed to be adopt-
cd by tllc National Union men, with MIR.
Seward assuming to be at their head, bur
which can not be part of the organic law
If the theory of the Radicals IL true, that
those States, by tile adoption of which il
was carried, are out of the Union. would
not heve II IN the Constitution, because
regard IL as a violation of n fIndanaeIl-
tai principle OF that instrument, namely.
That every state shall retain the right 10
control It's domestic Institutions and tile
regulation OF its Internal police That Is
my reason for obiectng to the amendment
mot because it purpoits to do what pre-
Vlously had, IN fact, been done--abolsh the
institution of slavery. That Institution Is
al n, a
to the White race. Let IL so remain. Ii
could not be revived, even II II were the
purpose of any considerable number OF
men in the South or elsewhere, to resusel-
tate Il. II Is among the things belonging
to the dead past but its abolition has lett
behind II question of far greater import
ancc than that Of African servitude-the
question of the hour-the momentous qnes-
ton involving tile perpetuity OF the Gov
crnmeut-thc question of the condition of
the African now freed. iI then, there are
Radical Republicans here, and they conn
Ia the spirit of honest Inquiry after truth,
and will listen with impartial minds, they
shall 20 hence with far less OF prejudice,
both against the Democratic cause and him
who now advocates it.
hope. too, there are here some who call
themselves National Union men-,JOhnsOn
Republicans ! mean the earnest, sincere
supporters of the policy OF the President,
not those who render lip service, who, In
the preseucc Of Democrats and other ap-
proved friends Of Andrew Johnson pro-
claim that they are with him, and yet mean
to yote for candidates for Congress who
are resolved, under the pretense OF i'm
ptachment 10 remove him nom Office; la
any event, at least, % defeat the settled
purpose OF his policy. II Is not that class
of men whom ! would address to-night,
neither that other class, who, ready TO ao-
cept Office from any party, claim now 10
be the supporters Of the President aud vet
do not hesitate Ia Nssail Democrats rs they
did in years past, and especially the gen
tleman who addresses you. That sort OF
Johnsonisnl, or National unionisu, l. Of the
Kind Ofpiety described IN the ApOcaly pse by
the Evangelist, who, writing 70 the angel
of the church of Tile Laodiceans, declared
~ viii spne thee ont Of my mouth" But
there are supporters OF the President, of
another sort--camest, sincere and honest
men, who, having been Union men through
the war, believing that war would restore
the union, are still Union men and are re-
solved that by the ballot Il shall now be
restored, IL Is tO this class OF men 1 would
address myself and know that they and |
stand upon precisely the same platform,
We differ not one iota. | am for the
President because l believe that he Is
right not because | am his PARTISAN am