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Speech Of Hon. Horatio Seymour

Speech Of Hon. Horatio Seymour image
Parent Issue
Day
24
Month
October
Year
1862
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

On Monday evening tbe democracy of the city of New York, in a most magniticent arjd impoi-ing demonstration, tcsli Sed anew their devotion to the constitu tion, the Union, and the ancient principies of freedom for the penple. The large hall of the Cooper Tnstitute was packpd to its utmost, with an audience as intelligent, as often asseinblcs in ihat or any other place It was by far the fairest representaron of the penple that has ever gathered at a meeting to uphold the principlps of any party. Speeches were made by Hon. Horace F. Clark, Hon. Honitio Seymour, John "Van Bu ren, Richard O'Gorman and others We gïve the fol'owing extracts from the speech of Mr. Seymour: TENDENCIES OF THE RADICAL POMCY. We will now state vhat aspeet of the radical pohcy Re condemn. We chargp that it tends to disobedionce and insub ordination ; that it wipes out the lines which separate different departmenta of governmcnt and mark tlie Jiniits of State and national junsdiction, thus introdueing disorder and confusión in the adniinistration of public aft'nirs; that it lias produced a spirit of violeuce and lawlessness in our country ; that it seoks to gain power by destroying freedora of speech, the sancity of oup homes, the saeredness of our persons, and ouï rijjbta of coiipcience ; thut it makes open war upon our constitut-on, and that it is a revolutionary poliey ; that it does not girii'e to restore the Union, but to over tlirow the institutiotis of Si ates. I will tiow show briefly. but, I trust, clearly, the truths of these propositions. When you deposit your vote, tliie iall you will not decide upon my interests but upon your own. The principies you establish you must live under. Compared witk their vast iniportance, a paütical victory is nothing The auttiorities at Wishington will be influenped by thia electiou in their choiee of Generáis, and in the cbaracter of tlieir public rueasures. H teiuh to insuhordinallon and disohedunce. Every General who has atterapted to interft re with the oivil poliey of governnient, or who has atteinpted to eutrun its progress, or who has einburrassed t by meddüng with questinus which dkl not beliijfr to the army to decide, has been applauded and iipheld by j the radical prees and the radical organizations. In sonie instanees, antagoniam to the views of the afinnnistratioii congtitutea the only claim to the least distinction. If jou look to the responses made by the Goveniors of the States to the legal deniands of lie President for ' nuen to sustain our armies, you find that ! only the most radical suggest or demund conditions. If you look abroad araong our peoplij you will see that for many years fiisobedieuce to laws has been open ly taught in the pulpit and the presg A spirit of insubordination has periné 'ted our whoie social system, and is shown in national. State, and ïwmiicipal organizations. W hen this great rebellion broke out, whieh is itself but a vast exhibiúon of the same spuit, itfound acts for (anee to tbe laws of Congre&s upoa tbe i statute books of a larga nmuber of i otates ; and they were all placed tbcre by tbe same nfluences Wherever ihis spirit of radical ism has controlled, these acts of inMibirdinatiin liave broken cut like plüfi'ie spots. Time does nut per rait me to enlarge upon tlie pronfg of tliis, but every oue who will take up the sub ject, or w lio wil) look at lite tone of its prei-s will sea ibis spirit shown in the eflorts to prees upon the President a j icy iu teruis inenucing and disregpecilul. i liook at the recent couvention of 1 ernors Lacb man tböre lost his official powers when be left the limita of bis State, yet tbey aífected positions denied to them bv thtir respective State governuients, md perplexed an anjious peo pie by secret proeeedings, and ftttempted I to hifluence the President of the Uuited i Btates by a inovemeut at variauce with the genius of our iiiïtitutions. If they bad no objcetH beyond those avowed, it wue a folly whicli increaged the public alarte at tuis period of untional discutatude. We have anotlier apparent conflict be tween the judiciary and the army and the Kjtocutive. Jrlany who speak of disloyalty to govemnii'iit, forget that ibe judiciary is one of ita indapeiidcut branches, as niueh co as the executive or k'gislative department. It is one without whirh it caimo' be carried on. It is as treasoimble to assai! its jurisdictions as to attack any other pact of our national syïtem. I tay there is an npparent conflict, fc I ivill not believc that Mr, coln claims a right to suspend the great rit of personal' iiberty, or to do auy iet umier the war power unless lie tilinta ho can do eousistently witli the constiiu lion. I assen my belief and conGdence that he expects tiiat all thosu acts will, in due time, be brou-jht beforo the judiciary. If tliat decides hu bas been right dis will stand ; if it decides ho lias been mistaken, tbey t'all, with all the consequences whieh attach to a mistaken construetion of law. Our constitution contemplates sucli differences of views, and it próvidas for thein. Tbey have bappened before ; they will happen again Bm suspension of the writ, of habeaê corpus must thus be tegted. So with regard to bis proclamation of emancipation. As to it's Iiick of wisdom and effi# ciency, I coniially indurse the views ex pressed by him in bis interview with the clergyaieu from tUiicago As tp lts legaliiy, ro man has ever doubted that tlits slaves of men in rebellion can be rightfully taken froiu them, with auy other kind of property, by viriue of law; but I do not believe the nglits or the property of loyal men, either at the North or South, can be rlestroyed by a proclamatiQii jn peace or war, jan we Siiy that the conduct of a disloyal major itv can forfeit the property of a loyal minority, when we hold that a raajoruy of loyal einzens cannot destroy the riglits of a single eitizen if he has been guihy of no otfence ? Thib was decided by ourcourtg. when they set aside coercive temperanee. Cau we safely admit the principie that the primes of one ulass can foifeit the property, t!ie rights of conseien.ce or the liberties of innocent men? Th i a point must come before the judiciary There all will meet upon a level, and President aud people alike must tow to its judgnients. KAD1CAL TUBOlilES TEN TO VIOLSN0E AND D1S0RDKR. Those who have lost their respect for constitution. and have thrown anide hose maxiius of government to which we are coutent to cling, in entering upon untried experimenta aud dangerous theo ries, have not only iniroduced disorders and insuliordin:tior)s uto civil and miliary dcpartinents, tmt they have alan inrodueed into political discussions a spirit of lawli'ssness. With the impatience of he'rists, and the irritalulity of those who are disappointed when their sehemes lo not succced, they indulge not oi:ly in iec-rce abuse, but they openly advocate violenoe And thia, too, in tbe loyal North, and against those wlio have shuwn obeoience to laws and a respect for au Execntive elected egainst their wishes, unequaled in tlie bistory of any uat on. Wo are beconiing accu.stoined to violenoe of speech and action They make no impi-ession upon us, but they are sinking deep into tho congenial tniuda of bad and desperate men, where they foster and nourish those passiona that many hereafter burst upon your home and your families. I mijrLt multiplv in alances of tliis tbiret for personal injury upon others, which is shown in the anxiety cxpressed for arrest and imprisonment. 'í'licy have all gone out to excite bitterness and to add to the sum ot public hate. This magügnity cf feeliug and purprse has bcconie so conspicuous that, wliether vnu sh it or no, the citizens of New Vork iput, by their votes, re buke or uphold it. Iu a good degree you are to deoide if you are to live hereafter updT the laws of the State or the lavvsof violence. You do not know wliat direotiun public violence may take. Do not, I invoke you, my republican frieuds, eounteuance its spirit. Let me bere sti-te distinctly to thoae wlio revile us - who threaten witb inipris. onmci.t for freedotn of speeeh - that du ring the long period the democratie purty held power it made no sueh arrests. It will soon regain its asceiidency. No effort 011 your part, however irantic, will provent this. When it is rcsiored to power no man's person will be seized without process of law. No man's right to the " writ of liberty " will be demed or abridged. Evepy man's homo will be beid to be sacred. When you ask the protection from legal tribunals you deny to us, you shall have it. 1 ou shall follow your voeation "f abuse and calumuy as scurely us now. When you invoked the govermnent to vinlato our rights, I ani proucj to sny we alw-iys feit strong enniigh in conscious reetitude to meet the Kcrutiny of our opponent, and to repcl tBsaults with argumeuts and reason. OUR POSITIOU. Ilaving pointed out the evils which a f isionary and wíld radicaliÊin has brouglit upon our goverriment, our ariny. ind our people, and having shown the terrible calamities with which we ara threatened, if conservative men ihall upliold thase thcories by their action at this eloction, it is our duty to state clearly our position, and ehow the influence of our sucoess. Earnest, thouglitful men have a right to know wha' we mean to do, and how our coniliiiït will affect the action o! I government and the condnct of ihe war Upon these point they have a right t ; full and clear darlarations Let ua front the truths of our national position. We must accept facts as they stand - Overl'oking all the past, we flnd the armed strenatb of the governrnent and of the rebellior. engaged in deadly conflict. The sword is now the arbiter, fiot only are the rankü of tbc armiss arrayt-d for the defence of our flag filled by our fricuda and relatives, hut we kuow tliat upen the results of battles h;ing the degtinieg of our country, lts greatne-s, its prosperity, its glory, are poised upon the turn of the oouflict. I have shown, in temperiito language, how this bas bijen periled by the confusión and evils brought up'.n us by wild and specuiative theories, dnd by an abandonmunt of tried path ways. Bewildernd, irritated and peri verse, the agitators are stül puïtiing on 1 the same fatal policy They are willing to saerifice all the blood aud the treasure of tho penple, but they are not willing to i-aurifica une passion or one prejudice On the other hand, whilo our views have becu rejeuted, we have ealmly and firaly adhered to the tiadition of our fath'-rs, tbat HUthorities niu-t be uplield in the rightful exercisu of power, whe'her we liked their polioy or ot. Henoe oijr support ha been unwavoring, unconditional and true. Thu election of our whole ticket wnuld not revolutic.nize political power, buf it would qualify tliat monopuly of all departmants of 1 inent wlich we have eeen tends to oor ruption and despotism when uncheckod Our succees. for other reasona, would j brinfr th's war to a suecessful conclusión, j It would carry us back to thu point frora j ! whtoh e started, and for which the wlinie country rallied as one mau- the retoration of the Union, the support of tho emiatitiition. The war would have a detinite object, upon wbich all men wml'4 he uuited in faling. Tue heart of the cour.try. the hopos of the army the conh'denco of the capit; lit, would be strengtherieil - f,r they would ktiow that this'end could be At tha time they feel that they u-e strugglmg to carry out the indefinito, shifting and vio lent purposes of theorists and fanatics, whose purposes to day aïe nQt the pur poses thev avowed at tho onset. Many of them declare they do not wish to ru store the Union unless they cn revolutionize the nocinl sstem of the -ou h. - This has becoine the first, not the subor dimite object It engrosses their thouuhts and feelings ít han made d'scusfions in Congress, intrigues in thü army. confu sion in the public m'nd. When this social rf voliitioii became the great object with thia cl:iss of minds, all other things were sücrificed to it. From that time we have been divided and distracted; loyal men in the Sou h have been driven off ir discouraged. We have all feit that we were entering upon a gloomy, unOfTtain future. A popujar expresion in favor of the objeets avowed ín the President's inaugural addres, and solemnly pledged in the CongressioDal reso lutionaof 1861, would at once put us upon that ground which would stop Congreasional controveisics, would restore the energy of the Union mon of the South, would strongthen the nation's credit by maling a definite issuo upon which we can succeed, instead of thosc whose succegs would. disxrgani?e one-half of our land, even if success could be at tained by the means thus prapoged. - What would be Mío pogition ''t 'db con servative party if it oarriestlm electinn? It b;is been true, loyal and obudient in the minority; it will be true, loyal, Hnd obedient if it gains some sbare of politit;al power. It will hold n ch,eek those who are oonstantly pressiug their peculiar theories upon the governraent and army, without regard to the sacrifiees they cause or the enubarrassnient they créate. We not onlv concede but we deraand that the President nf tb,e United States, the representative of our laws, our dig nity and our power, shall at all times be treated with deferenee and spoken of in respectful terms. Our success. therefore, instcad of weakening the adminis'ration io its ufforts to subdue the rebellion, tnust inevitably strngthen it, and will aid in shaking diF those radical influences bv whioh it lias hhretafore been ann yed and enibarrasaed. Again, fellowcitizens, upon thia ocoaaian, as uprin eery occasion wHen we have ussemb.ed eince the ou' bïeak of thiH rebellion, we solemnly dedícate ourselves and all we hold (Jar to a restoration of our Union as it was. To this ene the ranks of uur armies sliall be kept full, and the treasury of our nation ro plenished. Thia support shall not bc held back by na to cogroo governir(ent to adopt a peculiar line of pul oy. Again with equal solemity, we pledge omselver to upliold our constitulion aa it is. ogainat ovary ïufluence and threat, It is not that we are men ly desirous the South ahould return to their duties and enjoy its protection, but because it g our oonsiitution. It does not belong peculiarly to them, and it is not to be conSscated by their auts. lts guáranteos are our proteetion - it guarda the fruits of our toil - il shelters the sacredness of our hoijies- it aves our persons from violauce and ' wrong - aid above all and beyond all, it allows no power to step in betwaen us ! and our Maker in the exercisa of lom of conseíence. lts guuirantees ar-' he sum of all the gveat principies of ibertj, of equality, and justiee, wrought out by ihe toil and suffering of the pat riots of our own and other lands It is a sacred trust received from uur fathers, and whioh must be handed down to the 'uture unimpaired aud ummitilated. - By God's help that trust sha I be kept at evtry sacrifiee and every suffering. Mr. 8e)inour was listoned to with cloga ttenti(in by the immense crowd whioh he addressed, and wa freouently interrupted by cheers. At the close of bis speech he was most euthusiastically applaudcd.

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus