The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-10-17

] SlRdh 10 tNVnl, W hNL say Shall ne varied
Ia language. Ia order OF ARRANGEMENT, and
upon the topics of thetlay; hut not In prin-
ciplc. nor in substance anything different
irom " Int you have listened 10 Ia times
! past. oCcuny precisely the position |
ever have done; not merely during the war,
! but before the war; long years ago. adj
here to the principles still which learned
In youth, and which were strengthened rs
grew into manhood; principles which
have proclaimed tor fourteen years past tO
| the gallant Democracy Of old Butler, and
applied to the successive questions of poll
icy as they arose in the progress OF time.
am here. then, asa Democrat, 10 address
! Democrats, In support indeed of the policy
| OF thr President as n great living issue Ol
the hour aud because that policy is thor
Oughly consistent with Democratic princi-
ciples, aud because | could not address to
! you a Democratic speech unless 1 advocated
| the Union aud the Constitution.
am not here Tonight rs Democrat 10
culogize the policy or principles, or person.
al attributes Of Mr.. lincoln. | leave that
entirely to those who supported him dur
| ing his administration. whether they voted
| for him la 1860. or hrcamC subsequently,
Iris friends. II is not for me; It Ia not for
Democrats who opposed him, to argue that
the present Executive is but pursuing the
| linr OF policy prescribed by Abraham Lin
coln Neither am here to assail men
who were bis supporters, and whom | am
accustomed to hear continually denounced.
IT, is the fashion to nssail Beccher, and
| Lloyd Garrison, and Wendell Phillips, and
Sumner, and Wade, aud Stevens. and n score
or two of others like them, for their ianati-
cisln, radicalism and violence :uld for their
disregard and contempt for all the ancient
and settled principles and institutions Of
! the Government aud tliecountry. And yet
| they were the men whose pioneering steps
Iincoln, more slowly in his own time, bnt
most surely in the end. followed till the
! close Of his career. ! will not deuomec
| these men and spare Lincoln.
lt is the fashion. rWas till thC other day,
to lssail William II. Seward. Because twas
Ihc who spenta lifetime in creating aud
| gathering together the clcnents of tauati-
| cal and sectional discurd and strife which
| burst ut lat, with such dcsolatng fury all
over the land; he, who. first OF all men,
| proclaimed the doctrine of the Higher
| Law" aud of the "lrrcprcssibie Conflict" :"
| he, NliO. sthuolcd in the dcNilish politics
Iof the Ne dici. the MachiaVclsaud the Rich
elirus of Italy agd France. In the iiftccnth
/ aud sixteenth centuries, Developed. com
| plctc in all its parts, in the very first weeks
Of the late civil war, y system OF despotism
and terror never exceeded In cOnccp-
| tion. detail or execution, In ancient.
oriental or medieval tyranny; he ut
whose Instance the privilege of the writ OF
hdbcdS corpus was, by executive order first
suspended, and the supreme Court aud
the Chicf-Justicc set ut defiance; he Mho
first closed and barred the casemates of
Forts Warren and Lafayette upon "prison-
crs of State" and then by special order de-
cared to them that he would "not rccog-
nize amy one as an attorney ior political
prisoners" and would regard the employ
ment OF counsel by them rs Ian additional
IL
| finally, who boasted to Lord Lyons, the
British Minister. that he could touch bell
at his right hand and arrest any man In
Ohio at his will and touch IL again and ar
rest another Il thousand miles distant in
Massachusetts, and then with charming
ailcctation of simplicity, which Scianus OF
/ GOdoy might have enVied, asked his Lord
ship, ''Can Her Majesty do as much ?" And
yet for each and every one of these things
or in spite of them, WIS he applauded
honored, cherished rs his chief counselor
and friend, by Abraham Lincoln, 20 the
day of his death. | will not condemn the
servant and approve the master. L will
not denounce Seward and spare Lincoln.
It j. the fashion TO assail Edwin NJ. Stan
ton for his rudcncss. his brutality, hi,
cruelty, his reckless disregard of humal
liberty, human suffering aud human life
tor his heartlcSs refusal to exchange pris-
onrrs during the war, whence the horror,
OF AndcrsOnvillc: and for thousand othel
crimes and cnurmities by which his nam,
aud memory are hlackened and dellled day
by day. And yet for every one of thes,
acts, and for these, his characteristics, or IL
spite uftheIn, he, too, was retained in Ollie,
--honOrcd and cherished as counselor ant
friend by Abraham Lincoln, to the hour o
his death. | will not dcnouncc Stanton
and spare Lincoln.
II is the fashion to assail Joseph Holt fol
his merciless and COld-bloOdcd persecution
, of political prisoners through the agency
J Of that most odious and eNecrabe of nj
the innovations and inventions of the war
the infamous bureau of Military Justice
---odiOus In name and cNccrabie IN practie,
over which he was chief and for III
head-long and murderous subornation o
perjury to procure conviction. And vet
> for all these things. or In spite of them, he
{ too, was retained in Office, supported aiIJ
applnudCd by Abraham Lincoln while III
{ lived. ! win not denouncc Holt aud spar
Lincoln,
II l. the fashion to assail BENJAMIN Il
llnllcr ih language which need not re
peat, for crimes and olcnseS against rellg
p ion, against morals, against liberty an,
+ the Constitution and the laws, against hon
csty, against deccncy-in short, oilCnse
? ana crimes of every degree from pett,
, pcrlidy TO mighty wrongs" And yet, a
women 10 his larceny of millions, hC wa
praised, pettcd, hOnorcd and promoted 10y
Abraham Lincoln up to almost the las
moment, and then removed from high com
mand for the only wise, humane and praise
3 worthy act Of his whole lite. / viii no
dcnounce Butler aud spare Lincoln,
II is the fashion TO assail the monstei
70 Mcneil, for his ruthless massacre In cole
blood Of ten Innocent citizens Of Missouri
under circumstances of more than cauni
) bal barbarity. Aud yet, for this very act
r. or IN spite OF it, ho was promoted and in
! trusted with high military command by
! Abraham Lincoln To the end 6f his life.
s viii not dcnounce Mcneil aud spare Lin
/, coin.
II is the fashion TO assail the Milroys, th
o ,,chcnck-, the Naliaues, the liurnsides, th
& lloyeys the Burbridgcs, and al host OF pet
7 ty satraps, despOts and military murderers
. And vet all these were the appointces aul
f servants, the minions Of Abraham Lincoln
q retained in command, honorcd aud promot
Y ed by him to the day of his death. / vii
/ not denounee them and spare Lincoln.
/ Finally, Il IS the fashion to assail Turehr
{ whose deed of horror no language can de
f scribe, because at Athens, Alabama, h
i gave over for the space oi two hour
h a whole seminary Of the first young ladie
e of the South, to the brutal lusts of his sol
. diery, whom he Invited to the act of out
NJ rare. FOrthis deed Ot unspcakablc atrocit