The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1866-01-31
REMARKS
%. OF
c. L. VALLANDIGHAM,
I'm Response 10 The Third Rcgu-
lar Toast, at HE Column
BUS Democratic Fes-
tiEaI, January .. .
=, 1 = q 6.

/ .. ., Il y % V
8, Freedom Of Speech and ofhe Press
Without it, Liberty can not exist; with
tyranny can not endure. N
The Hon. {. j. Nallandigham was receiy
cd with noisy welcome, and responded a
follows:
Hear me for my cause, and be silen
that you may hear. Five years ago, Mr
| President, the sentiment to which am in
vited to respond. was not only the accepte,
doctrine, but the established usage through
out the United States-the theme alike O
the collegiate sophomore, and the popula
orator c, hhrating with evanescent latriot
ism, the Fourth of July. Crushed to earth
afterwards for time, to-day it is scarce le
covered even in the States always true 10th,
Union, and is denied still to the State
and people of more than one-third of tn,
whole country To do, to suffer, to die il
vindication of freedom of speech and Of tn,
press, has been the fortune of thousands il
this once boaste1 land of liberty. But
| thanks to the firm purpose and courageous
| hearts OF the Democracy Of OhiO-the men
| the women, the children Of the Statt-wt
| always, even in the worst of times, had 3
measure of that freedom here. No thank:
to the tyrant; we took it. And neither ar.
resi-, nor the prison, exile nor the scaffoltl
could then, or can now, terrify us into 81
lcnce or submission. If numbers, courage.
daring and pertinacity in the Generals and
soldiers OF our armies, enabled the late Ad-
miniStration, in spite of its blunders and its
crimes, to conquer rebellion" we, the
Democratic people of Ohio, with higher,
h,, H. 1
people who will be irce-conque tyranny
and saved liberty. Cheers And now
how shall we use it? For, Peace Demo-
cracy though we may be, we are neycrthe-
less the Democracy militant still; numbering
nearly two-thirds of the FIVE and thirty
States CT the unlon:-anG yet without con-
troll OF a single State Government and al
most without representation in the Federal
Government Itself. How shall we become
the Democracy triumphant? 1t has been
SAID by newspaper representing that rad
ical, but powerful faction of the Republican
party-p0werful because progressive and ag-
gresSive and in earnest-which might ftly
be known henceiorth in our political nomen-
clature, as the lNFERNALs, that the purpose
OF this Festival is to set the battle in array
for the coming canpaign If 50, to others
! leave the discussion ofrlatfornls and prn-
cIples; and, avalllng myself Of the privilege
Of the loyal clergy-that pure and holy
priesthood whose ninlstrations are to him
whose Kingdom IS Of this world, and whose
gospel savors, rot Of the Evangely of Beth.
lehenl, but rather Of the smoke Of the val
ley Of the son OF llinnom-propoSe to d.
gress little from my text, and to- speak to
a subject, not indeed the same, and yet not
wholly tolclgn to the sentiment to which |
respond. low shall We use our liberty of
the press and Of speech 50 as to secure pow
er; not for the paltry spoils of Office, not
for ignoble lust Tor donl,uion. not for demo-
MAC thirst for revenge, but TO vindicate and
truth and right and liberty, and
to serve and save our native land? Loud
cheers. hen in moment of patriotic
enthusiasm and confidence sincere but most
the people in the beginning Of the
late civIl war, rallied 10 the support Of the
Administration Of Abraham Lincoln, pledg-
ed them by his lips, to the tnion and tile
Flag, they SURRENDERED up tie precious jew
el ot their Liberty to his false Keeping; uhd
when little later, in alarm, they would
have had ii back, reign of terror secured
the land, and mems hands tremblcd and
their knees smote togc ther. And then it
was hat whatsoever remained of free dom of
speech aud Of the press, was held ut the
llsk, day and night Of death and destrtlc-
ton 10y the mob, or arrest, imprisonment
and suppressSon by the strong arm Of mill
tary power. And even when used at all, it
was but too often with bated breath and
honeytd phrase of whispered prostcAation.
refer not 10 Ohio speakers, nor to the Ohio |
press, and least of all to our country press:
Tor here, thank God, even in the brow Of
most imminent danger, when the storm |
nowled loudest and the waves ragged fetcest,
men spoke and al ted and wrote and voted |
Nth courage and spirit worthy OF Tell, of |
llanpden and Of Henry. That day has
passed, but the evil influences in part vet |
'emain. With the lbery of our fathers
'nce again in our hands, let us return to the
style Of our fathers. Let us cast off fear
md even the semblance and the nice phrase |
md measured accent of fear. 1t is the lib
'rty, indeed, of speech and of the press,
which l mean, not license. Let not one
alSe or foul word be written or Spoken
,et let us use our liberty in way worthy of
Is, ofour fathers, of our children; and not
is If the tyrant's frown rested still upon the
and-so use 1t that our enemies shall trem
ne and our friend take fresh courage at
very. step, To-day the Democratic party
aneulshes by reason Of false politeness and
ireunlocution. We must change all that.
4ct us learn from the fashion of our enemies
low to defend and advance truth as they
uphold and propagate the most pernicious
It errors. In the great conflict of ages be-
ween truth and error, truth cannot win
ne tight with the shield alone; she must
trike with the sword. Action, boldnoss,
'chemence, audacity will always carry the
lay for error against q timid and shrinking
etense OF truth; for the God of Battles has
70 sympathy with towards. Thus for ages,
have Truth and Justice been
rodden down, till the hour and the man
anne; the hour-since these are times when
he voice and the arm of the boldest, bray
st and greatest arc lifted up in vain--and
he man whom God appointed as bis depu-
TO be the first among his countrymen,
nd inspired with an nDconquerble longing
. fulfill his mission" The time has come
D us in the grand and final struggle with the
Dhorts of tanaticism, when, il VIC would
onquer, the Democracy must assume the
fensivc. five would take Richmond, we
lust throw away our baggage and march to |
he sea. Let us change our tactics; let us
0 back to the old JackSonan strategy; let
$ speak it out in the vernacular; let us call
lings by their right names let us charge
lie enemy in front, in flank, in rear, and,
ke the great Frederick, fight every where :
I'd fight all the time. The pulpit, the !
act, the society, the lecture, the fair, the
lnquet, the magazine, the pictorial art, ,
fence, poetry. literature, and all the other
,pliances which instruct, amuse or move
ankind, We must no longer surrenderup to
If enemies, AMI above all, let them now
arm that it is their turn to receive blows,
'rs to give, and henceforth let us move for.
lrd to the battle cry, ''+ a"F
'harge, Chester, charge; on Stanley, onln
Then shall we again triumph as in the
ne when Ohio spoke in the Senate, and