Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-10-20
Meeting at Cleveland.

The star actor and lion Of the play was
Giddings himself. The secondary lights
testers, prompters and intertoga,ors-were
Senator Backus, F.. J.. P~rentiss, u. j. Gar
rett and :. Prentiss. The morning paper,
the "True Democrat announced that Mr..
Glddings had arrived, and would hold forth
in the Court House In the evening. The
evening paper, the Herald" gave notice
that the Taylor meeting which was to be
held that evening, would be postponed
Thus were signals exchanged between those
contending organs. and everything betoken-
ed a desperate fray. No one was disappoint-
ed.
The Court House was crowded. The
Taylor men were there, armed TO the teeth
with interrogatories sharper than s~tiletoes,
and intended TO be more fatal. Giddings
was on hand with every preparation that an
invaded individual could make. He was
armed at all points, and like the porcupine,
whenever attacked, left his mark upon his
adversary. He commenced the humble,
anxious inquifer after truth said he loved
everybody ; was open to feproof, correction
and conviction. If he in his Innocence,
stated any thing wrong, he hoped to be cor
rected, and desired his auditors to ask him
any questions they pleased. He would make
statements and then call upon his audience
to know if he was not right. If none an
swered, of course, silence was presumed 10
give consent, and in this way he went on
for a while.
Giddings in this manner, was proceeding,
carrying everything before him; deholishing
Taylorism, rearing monuments to its memo
~, &c., when one OF the member of the
Taylor Club pitched at him like a yeaIling
bull al a brush fence. This was what the
old fox wanted. The young and fierce as
sailant was F. ]. Plentiss, Esq, a scion of
the Green Mountains, (our native State,)
and as ardent as the eternal SHOWS Of those
bleak hills could make him. Giddings had
asked if any Taylor man present could tell
what Gen. Taylor's views were in reference
TO the Wilmot Proviso. Prentiss answered
that he could. He had lately had a private
talk with one Leslie Coombs, "a Kentucky
slaveholder) and this Coombs (of liberty
pole memory had lately had a private talk
with Gen. Taylor, in which private talk,
General Taylor had avowed his opposition TO
the extension of slavery, and was in favor of
the Wilmot Proviso. That was the proof
Giddings smiled a triumphant grin. He
had his victim entirely in his power.
Leslie Coombs," said he, " and who is
Leslie Coombs! What right has he to
Gen. Taylor's private sentiments on this
subject more than the humblest citizen of
the Republic! Does not this momentous
question concern us alll Have we not all a
right to know the sentiments of. a Presiden-
tlal candidate on a question which absorbs
all others Why did not Gen. Taylor pub
! lish these opinions to the worldl He has
: been repeatedly asked to do so, and he peril
> naciously refuses. The great mass of voters
: are to be led to the polls blindfolded, and
compelled to vote in the dark upon a ques-
, ton which not only affects them and their
! children, but their children's children =
= Now" said Mr.. Giddings, "what kind of
. proof is this, upon which Gen. Taylor is
convicted of entertaining even private opin-
: ions in favor of the Wilmot Proviso l.
Why said he, sit is evidence that would
: be ruled out of court before a country magis-
= trate in a case of sheep stealing" Here
l the cheers of the Van Buren, men were tre-
" mendous.
After a considerable parleying with Mr..
! Prentiss, Mr.. G. proceeded, and stated that
he with several other members of Congress,
: had addressed letters to Gen. Taylor on the
subject of the Proviso, to which no answers
} were ever received. Some one asked if they
had paid the postage. "No," says Giddings'
ave ranked them A shout But
said he, when Gen. Taylor was addressed
by a Southern editor, 10 know if he meant
= in his Signal letter to be understood as a
!. Provisoist, he promptly replied that he did
:. NOT wish 10 be so understood. To prove
!" that Taylor was opposed in toto to the Pro
viso, Giddings cited The case Of the legisla
tive committee of Mississippi, and the repor
of one of its members to Mr.. Thompson,
member of Congress. Here Senator Backui
~ arose, shook the dew from his name, ant
+ asked Mr.. Giddings Whal proof he had tina
any such correspondence was ever had
J" Giddings quickly replied, that he had see'
The original letter IF Boone, the eOmmine
is man, TO Mr.. Thompson, a copy of which h
il there had, and would read. Dunder ant
= blixen, what a shout here rose from the Val
~ Buren, men. Backus skunk into his chair
II, and looked but the pigmy Of his former self
ie After a long roar of laughter by the who'll
"a crowd, they wound up by three loud cheers
1t was feared that this would be the last ap
OF pesrance of the Taylor men. But not So
I'D Their chief "never surrenders," and oil
of Jack would have been proud OF his younl
II. "bloodhounds," could he have seen them il
!" this unequal fght, like volunteers at Buen