The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-01-24
r II M a r. X S
MR.. VALLANDIGHAM,
In Response TO the Third Regular
Toast, at the Columbus Demo-
cratic Festival, Monday,
Jan. =, 1866. ..

| A .. Jan. y, 1856. ..f..
Corrected from Cincinnati Commercials Report
3. Freedom, Of Speech dRd Of the Press
without IL, Liberty can. not exist; with 1t,
tyWnuy can not endure. @ '..Hrn
The Hon. G.. l.. Vallandlgham was re-
! ccived with noisy welcome, and respond
cd as follows :; -u.i .f.t ..uI q.
laarHear me for my cause, aud be silent,
that you may hear Five years ago, Mr..
President, the sentiment to which am in
vited 20 respond, was not only the accepted
doctrine. but the established usage through
out the United States--the theme alike of
| the collegiate sophomore, and the popular
| orator celebrating with eflervescent prtriOt-|
| ism, the Fourth Of July. Crushed to earth
afterwards for q time, to-day il is scarce
recovered even in the Statas always true to
the Union, and is denied still TO the States
and people of more than one-third of the
| whole country. To DO, to suffer, TO die In
yindication OF freedom of speech and of
the press, has been the fortune of thousands
in this once bohsted 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 Statc--we
always, even in the worst OF times, had a
measure Of that freedom here. No thanks
to the tyran we took it, And neither ar
rest, nor tile prison, exile, nor the scafiollL
|
encc or submission. If numbers, courage,
daring and pertinacity in the Generals and
| soldiers Of our armies, enabled the late Ad-
| minlstration, in spite of its blunders and Its
crimes, to conquer ''rebellion." we, the
Democratic people of Ohio, with a higher,
rarer, nobler eourage-the manhood of
people who viii be nee conquered tyran-
lhow shall we use It? For, Peace Demoe-
| raey" though we may be, We are never
| theless The Democracy militant still, num-
bcrng nearly two-tlirds of the five and
thirty States Of the Union-;ind yet with
ont control of II single State Government
and almost Without representation IN the
| Federal Government Itself. How shall we
become the Def.ocracy triumphantS
I It has been said by newspaper repre-
senting that radical but powerful faction
lofthe Republican pnrty-pOwerful because
progressive and aggressive and IN earncst-
Which might litly be known henceforth in
our political nomenclature, as the lNFRR-
MAILS, that the purpose Of this Festivals 70
set the battle in array for the coming cam
paign. IL 80, 10 others leave the discus
sion of platforms and principles; and,
ayailing myselfof the privilege of the loyal
lclergy---bhat pure and holy priesthood
whose ministrations are TO him whose king
dom is of this world, aud whose gospel
savOrs. not of the Eyangey of Bethlehem,
but rather of the smoke of the valley OF
4 the son of Hinnom--prOpose to digress q
little from my text, and TO speak To sub
jeet, not,iDdcel the same, and yet not whol
ly foreign to the sentiment to which re-
llspond. How shall we use our liberty oi
the press and of speech so AS to secure
, lpower; not for the paltry spoils of office
. not for isnoble lust for dominion. not fol
ldemoniae thirst for revenge, but 70 Vinth'
, cate Iand perpetuate truth and right anC
al IN larNHa and q uNF 4
3 land /? fl .oud cheers.l When in a moment
of patriotic enthusiasm and confidence
sincere. but most misplaced, the people II
the beginning of the late civil war, rallied
to the support of the Administration 0
Abraham Lincoln, pledged then by his lips
to the Union and the Flag, they SURRENDERED
up the precious jewel Of their liberty To hl
false Keeping; and when a little later, II
alarm they would have had it back. n reigI
Of terror scourged che land, and men hand
n tremhled and their knees smote together
u And then it was that whatsoever remaineC
Of freedom oc speech and Of the press, wa
. held nc the risk, day and night of dealt
! and destruction by the mob, or arrest, i'm
q prisunment and suppression by the stroII,
: arm of military power. And even whel
). used at all, il was but too often with bate'
q breath aud honeycd phrase of Whispers
e pTotcstation.
e | refer not 10 Ohio speakers, nor 10 the Obi
IS press, and least of all 20 our country press
!, for here, thank God, even in the hour Q
"a most imminent danger, when the storm
's lhowIed loudest and the waves ragged ticrccsi
linen spoke and acted and wrote and vote
) with a courage and spirit worthy of Tel
c. of Iampdcn aud of Henry. That day ha
passed, but the evil influences In part ye
: remain With the liberty of our father
lonce aanin in our hands. let MS return % tn
style of our fathers. Let ms cast OIL fea
: and even the semblance and the nice phras
and measured accent Of fear, Ii Is the lib
l. erty, indeed, of speech and Of the pres
| which | mean, not license. Let not on
false or foul word be written or spoken
/. yet LET US use our liberty In "a way worth
' Of MS. Of our fathers, OF our children am
not as II the tyrant's frown rested still upo
the hnd--so usa II that our enemies shal
:. tremble and our friends take fresh cOurag
y at every step. To-day the Democratic part.
llanguishes by reason of false politeness am
Il, Icirnmlocution. We must chauge all that
" Let us learn from the fashion of cur enemie
how tn defand aud advance truth, as the!
uphold and propagate the most perniciou
!, of errors. In the great conflict uf ages be
e tween truth and error truth, can not Wi
tho fight with the shield alone; she mus
strike with the sword. Action, boldnes'
. vehcmence. audaoity will always carry IN
5 day for error. against timid and shrinkin
Il defense of truth: for the God of Battles ha
no sympathy with towards. Thus for age
y sometimes, have Truth and Justice bee
troddcn down, till the hour and the ma
y loaD,e; the hOuI-sinee there are Times Whe
I ~ = N..NsN