Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-01-22
Oblo Statesman.
II Il Nj A R * = Hah
Mr.. VALLANOIGHAM,
In RespOnSe TO the Third Regular
Toast, ut the Columbus Demo-
cratic Festival, january
4HI 3, 1866. 'i
Corrected from Cincinnati Commercials Report

3. FreedOnl OF speech ana OI We ITeSS-
Without it, Liberty can not exist; with it,
tyranny can not endure. .'1 'f
The Hon. C.. j.. VALLANDIGHAM was re-
ceived with Il noisy welcome, and respond
ed as follows: 'H"" '..
"Hear me for my cause, and be silent
that you may hear" Five years ago, Mr..
President, the sentiment TO which | am in-
vted to 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 evanescent patriot
ism, the Fourth OF July. Crushed to earth
afterwards for time. to-day 1t is scarce
recovered even in the States 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 boasted 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 State-we
| always. even in the worst of times, had
| measure of that freedom here. No thanks
| to the tyrant: we took it. And neither ar
rest, nor the prison, exile nor the scaiiolq'
| could then. or can now, terriy us into ST.
| lence or submission. If numbers, courage,
|
| soldiers of our armies, enabled the late Ad.
ministration. in spite of its blunders and It's
| crimes. to conquer rebellion" we, the
| Democratic people Of Ohio, with higher,
rarer, nOhlcr courage-the manhood of
peoplp who will he free-conquered tyran-
| nv and saved liberty. [Cheers And now
how shall we use il? For, peace DemOc-
racy" though we may be, we are never
theless the Democracy militant still; num-
bering nearly twO-thirds of the five
and thirty States of the Union and yet
without control of single State Govern
| ment and almost without representation in
the Federal Government itself. How shall
we become the Democracy triumphant!
1t has been said by a newspaper represent
ing that radical, hut powerful faction Of
the Republican party-pOwertul because
progressive and aggressive and in earnest
which might fitly be known hencefOrth in
our political nomenclature, as the INFER
NAILS, that the purpose of this Festival is 20
setthe battle in array for the coming cam
paign, If so. to Otht RS leave the discus
sion of platforms and principles; and,
availiag myself OF the privilege OF the 10y
al clergy-that pure and holy priesthood
whose ministratiOns are to him whose king
dom is Of this world, and whose gospel
savors, not of the Evangely of Bethlehem.
|
the son of Hinnom-propose to digress a
little from my text, and to speak to sub
iect, not indeed the same, and yet not who'll
! ly foreign to the sentiment to which L re-
: spond. How shall we use our liberty of
the press and of speech so as to secure
: power: not for the paltry sDOils of office,
not for ignobe lust for dominion, not for
demoniac thirst for revenge, but to vindi-
cate and perpetuate truth and right and
liberty, and to serve and save our native
, land? Loud cheers. When in moment
of patriotic enthusiasm and confidence
sincere but most misplaced, the people in
the beginning of the late civil war, rallied
to the support of the Administration of
Abraham Lincoln, pledged them by his lips,
to the Union and the Flag, they surrender
ed ND the precious Jewel of their liberty to
his false keeping; and when little later,
/ in alarm, they would have had it back, a
reign of terror secured the land, aud mems
: hands trembled and their knees smote to-
gether. And then it was that whatsoever
remained of freedom of speech and of the
press, was held at the risk, day and night,
of death and destruction by the mob, or
arrest, imprisonment and suppression by
the strong arm OF military power
And even when used at all, it
was but too often with bated breath and
t honeyed phrase of whispered protestatiOn.
9 | refer not to Ohio speakers, nor to the Ohio
! press, and least of all to our country press;
! for here, thank God, even in the brow OF
t most imminent danger when the storm
howled loudest and the waves ragged tiercest,
: men spoke and acted and wrote and voted
/. with courage and spirit worthy of Tell,
of Hampden and of Henry. That day has
passed, but the evil influences in part yet
remain. With the liberty of our fathers
once again in our hands, let return to the
5 style of our fathers. Let us cast off fear
and even the semblance and the nice phrase
and measured accent of fear. 1t is the lib
ertv, indeed, of speech and of the press,
which / mean, not license. Let not one
false or foul word be written or spoken
yet let us use our liberty in way worthy
of us, of our fathers, of our children; and
not as if the tyrant's trown rested still upon
the land-so use t that our enemies shall
tremble and our friends take fresh courage
at every step. To-day the Democratic party
languiShes by reason of false politeness and
circumlocution. We must change all that
Let us learn from the fashion of our enemies
how to defend and advance truth as they
uphold and propagate the most pernicious
Of errors. In the great conflict of ages be-
tween truth and error, truth cannot win
the fight with the shield alone: she must
strike with the sword. Action, boldness
vehemence, audacity will always carry the
. day for error against timid and shrinking
deiense of truth; for the God of Battles has
no sympathy with towards. Thus for ages
sometimes, have Truth and Justice been
trodden down, till the hour and the man
came; the hOur-since these are times when
the voice and the arm of the boldest
bravest and greatest are lifted up In
vain-and the man whom God appointed
as his deputy ITO be the first among his
countrymen, and inspired with All an.
D conquerable longing to fulfil his mission.'
The time has come to us in the grand and
final struggle with the cohorts Of ffanaticisn
when, ii we would conquer, the Democracy
must assume the offensive. III we would
take Richmond, we must throw away ouI
baggage and march to the sea. Let us
. changed our tactics; let us 20 back to the old
Jacksonian strategy; let us speak it out iu
the yernacular; let us call things by their
right names; let us charge the enemy in
front, in faux, in rear, and, like the great
Frederick, ,fghtevery and fight all the
time. The pulpit the tract the society. the
j. lecture, theiair, the banquet, the magazine
the pictorial art, science, poetry, literature
and all the other appliances which instruct
amuse or move mankind, wemust no Longer
surrender up to our enemies. And abOv,
all, let them now learn that It is their turt
to receive blows, ours to give; and hence
: forth let US move forward TO the battle cry
9d "Ohafges Chester charge; OnS Stanleys on n