The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-05-05

rs stood By the law Of 1885, stand now with tho.
" who proclaim slavery blessing? And ifyou SUI
m coed in engfafung on the Constitution the law
re 1888, yon will have done much. II you take thl
ID step, alone, il is invaluable as indicative Of III
10 will the people Of Kentucky, that some time
othef, slavery is 20 cease. II is pointing 10 goa
is u Is putting the State fhe-elaancipation tacI
10 Is that nothing gained? No State with 2OO, 100
slaves ever did as much. Delaware, with b.
n 2.OU). has failed TO do ii. Narrow the qutstio
ST down TO this proposition and you neutrslise Ia
e SHAREHOLDERS. The other proposition provides tht
p mere shall be clause in the Constitution whic
VIII some day or other bring this question up be
e iore The people. The violent anti-emancipaiion
Is ISIS have been recently processing great love 70
n me people-they have been urging them to TAX
e all power elect every body-trust nobody. w
o now propose their own plan. We 20 to the PEG
Il PIE and we subInt this great question 10 the m
we DO not propose to endsnger or embarrass an!
= OF Tie questions connected with the canvass 70
e the Convention. All we ask is that the peopl,
I may al some future day, have chance TO say
0 tne polls, how much longer they will continue
y slavery, with ell IFS bighting Influences, upor
Their children and their country. We 20 with nc
unnecessary haste. We put il of for a few year:
tnat me people may turn over in their minds as
4 question they must settle--they will consider il
! calmly and dispasslonately. and they will in the
end decide II IN favor of emancipation.
Z. NJ Clay, OF Madison, remark ed that he had
mol tresPassed on the time Of the Convention.
Know, said he, that not only here, but elsewhere.
am characterized as impulsiye, hot-headed reck-
less, and passionate. knew and felt, that there
I was even here, a soreness, an unwillingness to
hear me, though had made so many sacrifices for
the cause, and had fought for II, in my own hum
ole way, so many battles. | say, | was conscious
OF mat feeling here, and therefore felt dIsnclned
10 say anything AT all. differed from the maiority
OF the committee on the resolutions reported, but
IN difference 10 the judgment Of the committee,
iorbore 10 say anything against the report, but
openly, here in my place, gave in my adhesion II
| was very large committee-one from each coun-
| " represented. They sat in council four or Eve
nouns. There was, m committee, full, frank !,
aud candid interchange oil opinion. The report Of
the committee s the result Of that free cons,iIta-
ton IL has been reported, and is now in the hands
| OF the Convention. We fanatics are willing 10
take your compromise. We think ittoo moderate
| and have been reproached by some because
have yielded. bat / have satisfied myself that
do right In yielding.
But u il not astonishing, when we are thrown
into confusion because Of the moderation of our
eouncii that we are, At this late hour, presented
wl'h another proposition. cutting very far under
me rapport Of me committee And We who have,
II is feared, compromised TO much already, are
asked 10 come yet lower downl Really, Mr.
President, II did not know my friend Judge Mich
oss, TO be at heart a true friend of this cause-if
wee left 20 Judge him alone by his proposition,
fear should be constrained 10 set him down as
an emissary from Robert Wickliffe, Sem, OF John
Z. Calhoun. am the more surprised al the pTop-
osiiIOn, because Of the knowledge | have Of his
intelligence and devotion 10 this cause. | can
not, however, sit down without offering a very
few Commissioning few reasons why we should
not entirely postpone the fsht The report OF the
committee leaves us at liberty TO 60 10 work now
to-day we may begin the fight, and not cease 10
battle until The held is ours. What IL il be true
that the politicians and money power be against |
MS. Will our silence bring them to us! No sir.
They were against us in '9s. They have been |
against us Tor fifty years-they have grown strong
from our supineness, and powerful because of our
nacliOn. The last Legislature put its eaden heel
upon us while Wa slept. Thank God, the touch |
OF that heel has broken our slumber. have look
ed To the coming Of this day with the deepest the
ProtOundest solicitude. Ii is but yesterday that
was denounced as a disturber Of the peace-yes-
terdly we were threatened with the haller-to-day
we speak in the capital Of the State and we NAV
speak and be heard in every part Of the State
The tongue is again free TO speak the language of
the heart This is mighty progress in the cause.
II is but the feeble foreshadowing of the great re-
suits IN store for us. Talk 10 me about party slli
ancss. Have not the parties forgotten their ALE
glance 10 the right in all things, to fasten upon
the country this curse of slavery. It's but the
other day Thai the bans were celebrated in
Fayette, between Wing and Democrat, that
slavery might be 2erpetuatedl Shall we, sir, be
bound down by old party ties while our adverse
ries are forgetting fOrsaking everything for sa-
very. The party in favor Of freedom rs growing
everywhere. Il has broken through party re-
straints at the North. II will do so here.
Some say, "it is imPiudent 10 agitaIe." Shall
We vote ourselves agitstonl Others may so call
us, but are we prepared 10 say that we are agiia-
tors! For myself, am for agitating this question.
II We are 10 rid ourselves; must agitate IL
When convention of crowned heads assemble in
the old world TO establish for their people pure
republican governments, then may we expect
SHAREHOLDERS 10 meet TO emancipate their slaves,
and not before. AS republics are only established
by lgiiating tbs question Of freedom, so Is eman-
ciPation 20 be accomplished only through the agi-
tat or of the subject. We must convince the peo-
ple-the real people-of its importance. before il
can be done. How are We TO get al the non-slaye-
holders but BY sgitatonl The newspapers, as a
general thing, do not reach the non-slaveholders
We must seek them out-at the cross roads and
places of public resort in their neighboThoods
The newspapers are already open. Even that old
bunker press, the Journal, has been compelled to
open its columns 10 the fnends Of emancipation.
hut, we wasn't some thing more than the press. we
want men on The stump. We want TO get 10 the
ear of Ia people. The resolutions Of the commit |
tee display Inaguanlmous moderation. Let us
pass tbem-and then do battle for them. Let eve
ny good friend OF the cause buckle on his amor
and "never say diel"
K. J. Breckenridge, Of Fayette, had supposed
there was no very material diferen between the
resolutions OF the committee and those reported
by Judge Nicholas. There are minor differences
il Is true, and prefer the committee resolutions.
Those reported by Judge n. do not distinctly re-
commend a full organization, for running cand-
dates. This deem important ] do not think the
engrafting of the law OF 1885, is to be insisted on
as emancipation movement; for can veTy well
see, | think, how that law may become powerful
agent for the perpetuation OF slavery. Ii will Sc
cure TO the State better sayes--home born slaves
aud will give TO the Kentucky slave owner q mo-
nopoly OF the home market What is TO happen in
the next generation, may be OF no importance TO
tia non-slaveholder, except as every patriot will
be interested, but want the benefit OF The direct
argument presented by this question:-f another
slave comes here on or some other white labofer
aust 60 elsewherd 10 make room for him, else you
mist find productive labor for him. II Fifty thou
| sand negroes come into the State, they must dis
place 50,OOO white laborers, OF productive labor
must be found for them, not being consumers. We
have no hope carrying this question by the slave
holders. The Law Of 1893 gives us the means Of
| reaching the only class from whom aid may be ex-
pected. The resolutions OF Judge N. seem 10 look
| 10 this laS IS means OF emancipation. Again, I
say, ragard il of no value in that view. suppose
il is on all hands conceded that vested rights shall
| he respected, as il is on all hands determined not
10 respect contingent rights II 10 not Intended TO
touch the slaves now in being, or in being at the
| Lime OF the adoption ola plan of emancipation,
without compensation TO the owner. And I sup
pose it eqnaliy well settled, that we shall insist on
The power 10 emancipate the after born, without
| compensation.
Soma gentlemen have said we ought 10 fight
for every thing yet they give up coo slaves up
for everything, who can lay his hand on his heart,
| and yielded up U0,OOO elavesi The slaves are
held only in virtue of the positive law of the land;
and full power is in the people, which they dele
gate TO theirrepresentatves in Convention, 10 alter
/ or abolish ell things not immutable or eternall
Our friends cannot escape this difficulty. think
/ the more cool and rejecting here, will see at
once the necessity of taking some middle, natur-
al, aud Just. ground, which promises areasonabls
hope Of success. The third resolution in the Sc
ries offered by Judge N, postpones any positive