Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1848-06-29


homemade blue slockings-.hat is the Phi
ladelphia Prinler-one Benjamin Franklin.
The three advance to the table. The
parchment is laid there. Shall it be signed
or not
Then ensues high and stormy debate
then the faint-hear.ed cringe in corners
while Thomas Jefferson speaks out his few
bold words, and John Adams pours out his
whole soul.
Then The deep-toned voice of Richard
Henry Lee is heard, swelling IN syllables Of
thunder-like music.
But still there is doubt-and that pale
faced man, shrinking in one corner, squeaks
out something about axes, scafolds, and
-GIBBET!
"GIBBET echoes fierce, bold voice,
that starlles men from their seats,-and look
yonder! tall slender man rises, dressed
although it is summer time-in dark
robe. Look how his white hand undulates
as it is stretched slowly out, how that dark
eye burns, while his words ring through the
hall. 1--WE do not know his name, let US
therefore call his appea)
THE SPEECH OF THE UNKNOWN.
"Gibbe,? They may stretch our necks
on all the gibbels in the land-,hey may
turn every rock into scaffold-every tree
into gallows, every home into grave. and
yet the words on that Parchment can never
die!
''They may pour our blood on thousand
scafolds, and yet from every drop that dyes
the axe, or drips on the sawdust OF the
block, new martyr TO Freedom will spring
into birth!
"The British King may blot out the Stars
from His sky, but he cannot blot out His
words written on the Parchment there -
The works of God may perish-His Word,
never!
"These words will go forth to the world
when our bones are dust. To the slave in
the mines they will STRAIGHTFORWARD the
mechanic in his workshop-FRE EdoM-to
the coward-kings these words will speak, but
not in tones of fa,,ery? No, no! They
will speak like the flaming sylables on Bel
shazzar's wall-THE DAYS OF YOUR PRIDE
AND GLORY ARE NUMBERED! The DAYS
OF JUDGMENT AND REVOLUTION DRAW
NEAR!
eyes, that Parchment will speak to the
Kings in language sad and terrible as the
trump of the Archangel You have tram
pied on mankind long enough. At last the
voice Of human woe has pierced the ear of
God, and called his Judgment down! You
hoe IoI to Of Ino
you have trampled on to power over the
necks of mlllions-you have turned the
poor mans sweat and blood into robes for
your delicate forms, into crowns for your
anoin,ed brows. Now Kings-now pur-
pied Hangmen of the world-for you come
the days of axes and gibbe,s and scafolds-
for you the wrath of man-for you the
Iightnings Of God!-
"Look How the light Of your palaces
on fire flashes up into the midnight sky!
IN ow Purpled Hangmen of the world
turn and beg for mercy!
"Where will you find it,
"Not from God, for you have blasphemed
His laws!
"Not from the People, for you stand bap-
tized in their blood!
"He.e you turn, and 10! gibbet!
oThere-and scatfold looks you in the
face.
"All around you-dea,h-an nowhere
pity!
"Now executioners of the human race.
kneel down, yes, kneel down upon the saw
dust of the scatfold-lay your perfumed
heads upon the bIock-bless the axe as ii
faIls-she axe that you sharpened for the
poor mans neck!
Such is the message of that Declaration
of Man, TO the Kings of the world! And
shall we faller noac9 And shall we star,
back appalled, when our feet press the very
Threshold of Freedom Do see quailing
faces around me, when our wi ives have been
bu,chered- the hearlhstones of our
land are red with the blood Of little children:
"What are these shrinking hearts and fall
tering voices here, when the very Dead Of
our ba,lIefelds arise, and call upon us tc
sign that Parchment, or be accursed forever:
"SIGN! if the next moment the gihbet's
rope is round your neck! SIGN if the
next moment this hall rings with the echo
of the falling axe! SIGN! By all your
hopes in life or death, as husbands-as ia
,hers-as men-sign your names to the
Parchment or be accused forever!
"Sign-and not only for yourselves, but
for all ages. For that Parchment will be the
Textbook of Freedorn-the Bible OF the
Rights of Man forever!
s.Sign-for that declaration will go forth
to American hearts forever, and speak to
those hearts like the voice ofGod! And It's
work will not be done, until throughout
this wide Continent not single men OF
ground owns the sway Of British kng:
"Nay, do not start and whisper win sur
prise! |, is truth, your own hearts wit
ness it, God prnclaims it.-Thls Continent
is the property Of free people, and their
properly alone. God, say, procla'ms ii
Look at this strange history OF band Of