Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-05-18

toll and cruel fortunes of our slave consuming States,
there to out life of wretchedness and misery
IF the gentleman who had just addressed the House
could approve and sanction such cruelty and torture,
and barbarols murder, he MIR. g. could not do it.
lie would not do it. 1t was unbecoming a Christian
nation. 1t was disgrace to the age in which we live
What spectacle do present to the civilized world
Yesterday the members of this House gathered to-
gether with the citizens of this District to rejoice,
and shout, aud sing, in honor Of France for freeing
herself from her bonds Of oppression, and driving her
King from her Shores thereby relieving herself from
oppression, and giving liberty to her slaves While
we were thus before the world, expressing our sym
pathy with France, we were here in this District
maintaining slave market more shocking to the
feelings of humanity than any to be found within the
jurisdiction of the Grand Sultan,
He would now return to the gentleman whose re-
marks had announced his intention to expel him Mr.
g. from this House; and he would say to that gentle
man that it was rather too late to attempt to seal his
lips and the lips of northern members to prevent the
discussion of constitutional questions in this House
He gave notice to that gentleman, and to all others,
that as he had the right to do it, he should say what
he thought He intended to call things by their right
names, and, and so far as able, would make himself
understood by this House; and, when this Hall again
ceased to be place of free discussion, his consttu
ents would be represented by other gentleman,
or they would cease to be represented here. The
slave power had once regned triumphant here. Not
so at this time we had reganed the freedom of de-
bate, and it would never again be surrendered. Gen
tlemen in making such threats, appeared to forget
tn It they not their plantations exercising
their petty tyranny slaves, who, in their degrade
ton, crouched and trembed at their masters bidding.
Or did those gentlemen suppose that they could bring
the practices of their plantations into these Halls?-
Those gentlemen should know that this was not the
place for that kind of demeanor. This no place
for the display of supercious dictation. 1t belonged
not to the dignity of legislation. The American
Congress was place for the manifestation Of those
traits which characterize the overseer of the South
1t would not be tolerated amongst men who knew
their rights and possessed the spirit to maintain chem,
Such language ought never to be used amongst men
who felt the dignity Of their office. Was he to stand
there and not to speak what he thought Why, such
an idea unworthy of dellberative body In this
land of freedom, and was more becoming of the tyr
annies of Europe or of Turkey. He would tell those
gentlemen when he ceased to have the right TO speak
freely in this House, he would take his departure from
it. His constituents sent him here to represent them,
to express their wishes, and he should do it freely
without restraint or not at ALL Notwithstanding the
spasmodic eoquence Of the gentleman who wished to
have him expelled for exercising the right to express
! his thoughts. Yes, the gentleman from Tennessee
Mr.. Haskell) wished to have him expelled for words
spoken on this floor. Did not that gentleman know
that such an attempt had once before been mado?-
| And had he not seen the consequence? Was he now
to be told that he must ask southern gentlemen for
permission to speak, and were they to be the Judges
Of what he should say, and when he should say it,
Never, so long his fellow-men were held in bond
age in this District would he submit to any restraint
on the freedom of debate Nor so long he contin-
ued to hold seat here would he relax ioa of truth
to please the slave power He would not disguise the
truth even of its utterance should be the of
striking off the shackes of every slave in the Union
He had no fears of its affecting slave property here.
He would not hesitate from this forum to tell the
truth to all who heard him, even if the slaves
listening to him. If be had the power he would give
to every slave perfect knowledge of all his God
given rights He would open their minds to under
stand the oppression that weighed down their ntelects
and shut out knowledge and truth from their compre
henSion. He would give them a knowledge of the
outrage upon humanity which holds them as chattes
and subjects them to sale like brues in the market
He would inform them that they came into the world
from the hands of the same Creator as those who lord
it over hem that they brethren created by the
same hand, endowed with the same rights and candi-
dates for the same immortality.
Mr.. Gayle asked the gentleman from Ohio if the
utterance of these sentiments not in the hearing
of the slaves.
Mr.. Gddings said the gentleman from Alabama
could answer that question as well as himself But
this he would say to that gentleman that if the utter
ancc of such truths would release them from bond
age God knows it should be done. Let gentlemen
teach their bondmcn to trembe but let them not come
here to threaten freemcn. Gentlemen might hold
their grasp on their ellow-mon and deprive them of
the rights conferred by the God who created them,
and make their lacerated flesh culver with the lash,
but they need not here and tell him that he should
only speak by their permission.
Mr.. Gayle inquired if the gentlemen alluded to him
when he spoke of the flesh being made to quver by
the lash. He never used the lash on his slaves, who
would not, however, accompany him here, because
they were afraid that the aboltioniSs would skin
them.
Mr. Giddings replied that the gentlemon's state
ment showed to what degree Of degradation slavery
can reduce the immortal mind. The gentleman from
Alabama, it appeared, had succeeded to that extent,
and he came here to boast of it. He had carried his
oppression so far to blot from the intellect of his
feow-man his natural and instructive love of free
dom. He has taught his slaves to hug their chains,
to shudder at the thought of being free; and now
stands up here before the American people, and boasts
of the success of his experiment. His whole state
ment was in keeping with the institution of slavery
1t degraded the immortal mind and reduced man to
the level of the brutes. He asked that gentleman if
he taught his slaves to read the Word of God? or
was it not an offence under their laws to teach slaves
to read that sacred book? Was not such an offence
punishable by incarceration in the penitentiary?-
They had only to go few rods across that river (the
anu ICy HOuu eApOSC lllellneNSS w ulc
penalties of such law if they should attempt to
teach slaves to read the Scriptures Yes, to instruct
slaves in the way of salvation, by enabling them to
read the Word of God was deemed crime in this
Christian land this land of bibles, and ministers, and
Sabbaths, and Of slaves,
But to return to the proposition of the gentleman
from Tennessee, Mr.. Haskel) who had expressed
himself strongly in regard to his exercise of the
freedom of speech The gentleman thought that he
Mr.. G) should hang as high Haman for thus dar-
ing to speak his sentiments That he supposed to be
slaveholding punishment for speaking the truth But
he could spend no more time upon the gentleman's
proposition.
Another gentleman from North Carolina, Mr.. We
nable had spoken to the same effect on this subject
That gentleman seemed to intimate that he (Mr. G.)
had treated the institution of slavery with great want
of respect in saying, that if slave defended himself
on Ohio soil, even to killing his master, they would
not hang him to please all the shareholders in Christ
endom. That gentleman, if he was not misnformed,
belonged to, and was member of, church founded
by that good man, John Wesley. He believed the
gentleman from North Carolina was Methodist and
yet the respected founder of that church had denoun
ced slavery as 'the sum of all yillanies"
Mr.. Venable said the gentleman was mistaken; he