Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-07-23
Speech Of Owen LOveioy,
OF ILLINOIS,
OF ILLINOIS,
At the Great North- Western Liberty Convention.

Mr.. LOUeioy began by asking, What shall
talk about? Shall speak of Liberty? Were
they all Liberty men (cries of eyes yes P) VI
Was every woman Liberty man? He could
tell who were so by looking in the eye, There
was kind of mesmerism in this matter. All
had heard Mr.. Bibb All had sympathsed with
him when he told about the wife from whom he
had been cruelty torn-the child from whom he
had been parted, and forever. Did ye hear it
You heard from another brother description of
the scenes that are continually taking place in
the Ten Miles Square-the incongruous tumble
of sounds Of the mouthings about liberty in the
Capitol, and the cries of the man-auctioneer
without. Perhaps our own member was talking
about the extension Of the area of freedom"
at the same time the auctioncer cried, A man
for sale !" Why is this? Where did that
weak and puny being get the power to keep in
subsection. these stout, athletic men' Could he
do it alone? Where did he get the power thus
to insult God mock humanity, and bid off men
like brutes? From us 10000, 600 of us say,
" Well stand by you to the death. IT, you can't
master them, we'll help you" He would con
fine his attention to this point because all should
feel responsibility in this matter All the slaves
in the District of Columbia were held in our
name. Six thousand immortal beings wear
those CALLING chains because we rivetcd them
You never saw them, you say! | know it. But
you voted for it-for men who sanction and sus-
tain it. Twas that vote. The moment the
cession of the Ten Miles Square was made to
the United States the slaves i'll it were free
free not only by the law Of God, but they were
legally free. They we're free beyond doubt
But Congress and the people say, "We'll reduce
these 5000 men, women and children again to
Slavery" and it was done, and the former wick
ed laws again extended over them. We ought
all to feel our responsibility in this natter
The ministers have had pretty good talking
to. care not. "Let the CALLED jade vince,
my withers are unwrung" | can't vote for
slavery. Can you? (Cries of No, no. vi
Louder. ("NOnO He did not wish to hook
at the question on the selfish ground-on theI
money ground, He said, want your hearts,
your sympathes. You have heard of the free
colored man at Washington whose wife was a
a family of children, without any expense to the
master of the wife. he even paying him the rent
of the little tenement in which they lived He
goes home at night and finds the house desolae,
Where is his wife, where his little ones Sold
and gone. Voted away-yored away by the
people of these United States The poor man
found his house desolate, but he will act the
man, he will not give up He has friends, and
through their contributions he succeeds in pur-
chasing back the wife. But the little ones
where are they? Perhaps feel more than
ought; but remember little one who makes
brighens with Joy and welcome when return
home, and know how my heart would bleed if
| should find the house desolate, and the little
one sold and gone. Bring il home, friends
AS it settles down into your hearts, think what
would be your feelings under like circumstances,
and then ask yourselves the question, Shall be
mean enough to vote away another mans child
REM Will you do it7 Ministers of Christ,
will you 60 and preach and pray for that man
You have to do with this question: lakes
hold of eternity, takes hold Of our religious du-
ties, and cannot be neglected. These things
could not be done if the perpetrators of them
were not backed up by US. Who built that jail,
close under the walls of the Capitol? What off
icer shuts that poor desperate woman within
its walls! The nation does it ALL The nation
turns the key upon her, and punges the knife
into the hearts Of the little ones whom she loves
SO dearly Do you see her? In the gloom of
that slave prison-crushed and weighed down
Ivy the hopeless miseries of her lot and those of
her chdren-she chooses, in moment Of des-
peration, to end them at once Do you ask
who is guilty? Thou art the man We are
affected by the recital of such things, and some
times in thinking of them, we feel spontaneously
moved. But they are not of rare occurrence ;
they are constantly taking place, even while we
are talking here Let us do what we can to
overthrow this accused system.
l love to talk about liberty, to open my mouth
for the dumb, and plead the cause of the poor
and the crushed in our land What a proud
day will that be when the banner of freedom
shall wave in triumph from our national Capitol,
when all shall be freemen indeed, and the glad
shouts Of redeemed millions shall 90 up to hea-
ven Do not your hearts thrill at the thought
But how shall the work be carried on! You
have got to work, and pray, and deny yourself
Are you ready to do il Will you do il (Crcs
of eyes, yes!") Louder. ("YESrD Ifyou would
do what YOU could, how soon would the work
be accomplished, and our flags wave in triumph!
We will succeed, we must succeed. Our cause
must go onward and onward to victory But
there arc great many obstacles in the way
Before the great work can be done, the religion
of the churches must be regenerated. The
ministers mnst be converted. lie had no faith IN
the appeal to selfshness which had been recon-
mended-iu the talk about the great interests of
the nation. A great variety OF motives were APP
pealed to bnt nothing, so far as his experience