The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1868-08-20
Daniels. Dickinson on HOratiO
Seymour.


Seymour.
The following is an extract from
the speech of Daniel S. Dickinson
delivered at the great ratification
meeting held at the Cooper Institute,
in the city of New York, October 8,
1862. As Mr.. Dickinson was life
long Democrat, and in position to
be perfectly posted on Mr.. Seymour'a
record, the picture he draws may be
especially refreshing just now to
those conservative soldiers" who,
at their late Convention in New York,
committed themselves SO unreserved-
! ly to the support of the Democratic
nominee for the Presidency;
When the most atrocious conspira-
cy which ever desecrated the earth
found developmentin an assault upon
our national flag at Sumter, and, in
efforts to massacre a halfstarved gar
ison placed there in a time of pro
found peace, according to uniform
usage, for no other offence than as
serting the supremacy of our cOun-
try's Constitution, and giving to the
breeze, as emblematical thereof, the
glorious stars and stripes of their
fathers-when the brave volunteers
who were hurrying to the defence of
our nations Capital, to save it from
mob rule, and rebellion and confaga-
ton, were bleeding by traitorous
hands-when strong men trembled;
when women wept, and children in
stinctively clung closer to the mater
nal bosom-when all communication
between the loyal States and the
Capitol was cut off by rebellious
forces-when the President-elect of
the United States had then recently
reached the seat of Government,
where duty called him, by a circuit
GUS and an unusual route, and in
disguise, to escape the dagger Of the
assassin, and when our land was fill
ed with excitement, and consterna-
ton and alarm-when 'shrieked the
timid and stood still the brave and
the cOnfding masses looked about to
see who were the men for the crisis,
among the citizens of the Empire
State, who had borne q part in public
affairs, and were naturally looked up
to as examples in such a crisis, he
(Horatio SEYMOUR hied himself away
upon the double-quiek in the opposite
direction, laughter, and for nearly
half a year hid himself among the
lakes and rivers and romantic wood
lands and inland towns Of Wisconsin;
and his tongue was as silent on the
subject of denouncing the rebellion
as those of the murdered volunteers,
whose ghosts walked unrevenged
among u.s." SensatiOn.7 There we
may suppose he basked and balanced,
and watched and waited, and turned
and twisted, laughter, until autumn,
when a small knot Of defunct, defeat
ed, desperate and despicable poIiti.
clans, who had for years hung upon
the subsistence department Of the
Democratic party in this State, came
to his relief by entering the field.
[Laughter.1 They borrowed without.
leave the honored name of Democra-
cy, under which to perpetrate their
covert treason, as the hypocrite
-''stOIe the livery ofths court of Heaven
To serve the devil inn
Their disgraceful and disloyal re-
cord stands out as the doings of men
too stoid in political depravity to be-
gifted with ordinary instincts, and
too regardless of the popular will to
be mindful of shame; and the defeat
they experienced at the hands of the
people, should serve as a warning to
trimmers and traitors and parricides
and ingrates, through all future time.
This movement drew the secluded
one from his hiding place, and he
came forth, with all the courage ofI
him who, in a conflict with his wife,
being driven under the bed, while re-
naming thus enscOnced, declared |
that, whether she consented or not, |
he would look out through a knot |
hole in the clap boards, so long as he
had the spirit of a man! TGreat and |
laughter and applause. He
enters the political canvass, and on
the 28th of October, 1861, a few days
before the election, made speech, the |
burden of which was an apology for
the rebellion, and a condemnation of
the administration for having meted |
out the rigor Of martial law to those
in arms against the Government. |
Though abounding with fimsy dis
guises and sophistical generalities, it
contained one point worthy of not
only notice, but Of the severest repre-
hension, and here it is:
eff 1t Is true that slavery must be a5oJ-
isHed to SaUe this Union, then the people
Of the South should be aUo10ed toI
themselves from that G0UeT71-
ment a05icb cannot gi0e them the pro-
lection guaranteed By Its terms"
What Place this glorious Union
this heritage of human hope-this |
asylum for the worlds weary pilgrim
this refuge for the oppressed of the |
earth, in the scale of being beneath
the black and bloated and bloody, the |
corrupt and corrupting-the stultif- |
ed and stultifying institution of slave
ry! MOI Sooner than see this Union
severed, let not only the institution
perish whenever and wherever it can
be found, but let the habitations that
have known it perish with it, and be
known no more forever. TTremen-
dous and long continued applause, |
"That's SO" "That's the talk" Three
cheers. And yet this returning
fugitive from patriotism proclaimed |
as his creed, in effect if not in terms,
that if either slavery or the Union
must be destroyed, it must be the !
Unionl And the name of this man
is HoratiO Seymour. ISensation.