Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1848-07-08


the frgiditv of the ice-creams for boiling
punch, / followed most Justify that was
scalded, but recovering my feet and obser-
wing the whole assembly laughing at my
misfortune, made desperate push for the
door.
A waiter was coming up stairs with
wines and lemonades. Over him tumbled,
and we both fell together to the bottom.
remembered nothing more. When woke
in the morning it was with a terrific head
ache, and I was told that servant IN i've
rv had brought me home the proceeding
evening.
"Such shameful doings, Mr.. Snider," said
my landladv, sonly think Of getting tpsy
at your age"
Thus innocence suffers sometimes equally
with guilt. have never drank punch, or
gone TO a party since.
JOHN VAN BuREN $ LAST SPEECH.
The New York Herald, contains Il full re-
port Of the speech of John Van Buren,. delv
cred al Genese. n. Y. It is full Of wit, of
sarcasm and of bitter irony.
We make room for the following, which
contains useful and Interesting information
on nm important subject:
Feliow Cui,cns:-A Convention of the
democrats OF this county, having invited me
to addres you here to-day, it gives me great
pleasure 10 comply with their request.
preailenta, election is about approaching,
aud tn electors of thiS State will shortly be
called upon 10 discharge the responsible trust
so far as devolyes upon them, OF elevaing 10
the chief magistracv of twenty millions of
free people, one of the citizens of this repub-
lie. The great question which now agitates
the public mind in connection with this duty
is whether slavery shall be extended 10 ter
riiores Of the United States that are now free.
Thomas jefferson, in drawing the Declara-
ton of Independence in &c, ard in ennmer-
atng the expressions practisetl upon the colo
nies by the King of Great Britain, charges
him with having waged cruel war against
human nature itself, violating its most sacred
rights of life and liberty, in the persons of a
distant people who never offended him. ''This
pr;tlical warfare, Che Sad,) the opprobrium
of inlidpl powers, is the waretare OF the Chris
tian King of Great Britain. Determined TO
keep a market where men should be brought
and sold he has prosiituded his negative for
supprcssing any Legislative attempt TO re-
! srtain this eXecrabe traffic. The language
thus employed in regard TO the slave trade,
was not stronger then WAS used ut that day
/ by the same distinguished man as well rs by
| George Washingiuton, Patrick Henry, James
! Madison, James Monroe. George Mason, and
the other slavcholding patriots OF the revolu-
! ton, in speaking of domestic slavery itself ;
with the single exception that the foreign
slave trade was an evil which our foreiuthers
| had it in their power promptly TO suppress,
and were therefore responsible for the con-
. tnuance of il. whilst domestic slavery WAS a
condition forced upon us by the mother coun'
Try, for which we We're not responsible, and
which required time, humanity and philan.
thropy to amelorate and rXtinguish.
Those who declared and established oul
independence, like thos patriots who recent
" overturned the French monarchy, knew
and felt that The basis of true freedom wa.
the quality of man and TO bring about thi:
happy result consistently with the condition
of the country, they adopted the following
policy. In regard to the States where slavery
existed, it was left to the wisdom and hu
manity of the State government TO escape
from the evil. The unsettled territory uortl
and west of the Ohio, out of which twas con
tempatcd that future States would be formeC
belonged TO Virginia. This territory wa
ceded TO the United States Immediately a
the close of the revolution. Jefferson wa
one of the grantors in the deed OF cession
the following year he introduced an ordi
nance (cheers) by which II was declared
that after 1900, slavery, or involuntary servi
tude, except as punishment of crime, shoul'
never exist in such territory, or in the State
to be formed ont of it. Three years after
wards an ordinance was passed by whic
slavery was Immediately and for ever pro
hibited in said territory.
This ordinance passed the Congress OF tn
confederation unanimously. and WAS sent t
Virginia TO be ratified by the Legislature G
that State it was so ratified almost unan
, mously. The trainers of the constitution,
the same Time and place, authorized Congres
, after 1908, TO prohibit the foreign slave trade
This delay of twenty years in work OF HI
4 manty and inslice was concession wrun
\ from the patriots of Virginia and of the Mort
$ by the obstinancy of South Carolina and Geo
o ga which States, by their delegates in ih
v convention, refused TO come into the unio
unless the concession was made. The fir
Congress under the new constitution, in IFS
d to remove all doubt of the validity of the 0
dinance of 1857, ratified it by a legislati'
act. Edward Coles, most estimable ar
e intelligent citizen of Philadelphia msnib
OF one OF the strongest and most nhuentl