The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1852-12-17
KAIIDA PUTNAM COUNTY onto, FRIDAY DEcpMBER Il 1852


Day, two hundred and twenty-five years
after the landing OF Plymouth Rock.
Then he could not forget his own proud
words, uttered quarter Of century
before. / ihought him honest then; !
think SO still. Butbe said New-England
might have prevented annexation, that
Massachusetts might have prevented
annexation, only she could moi be reused !.
II he had labored then for freedom, as be
wrougt, for Slavery in so and '5l, Mas
sachuseiis would have been reused, New
England would have risen as a single
man, and annexation would have been
put aside to The Greek Kalends, day
beyond eternity. ese
lie opposed the Mexican war. but
invested son in il, and praised the
soldiers who fought in it, as "surpassing
our fathers who stood behind bulwarks
on Bunker Hill" He called on tie
nation 10 uphold the stars Of America on
the fields Of Mexico, though he knew il
| was the stripes thai they held up. ~,
leone now.,o speak Of his relation TO
Slavery. Up to 1850, his conduct had
been Just and honorable. As private
citizen, in 1920. he opposed The Missouri
Compromise. On Forefalhers' Day, in
1920, standing on Plymouth Rock, be
could say:
81 deem il my duty on ,his occasion
TO suggest, tina, the lnnd is no, yet wholly
free from the contamination Of traffic,
a, which every feeling Of humanity must
for ever revoli-I mean the African slave
trade. Neither public sentiment, nor The
law, has hitherto been able entirely TO
put an end TO this odious and abominable
trade. Al the moment when Gpd in bis
mercy has blessed the Christian world
with universal peace, there is reason TO
fear thai, to the disgrace Of the Christian
name and character, new efforts are
making for the extension Of this trade by
subjects aud citizens OF Christian states,
in whose hearts there dwell no sentiments
Of humanity or ofjustice, and over whom
neither the fear Of God nor the fear Of
man exercises control. In the sight OF
our Law, the African slave trader is a
pirate and feloD; and in the sight Of
Heaven, an offender far beyond the
ordinary depth Of human guilt. There
is no brighter page es our history, than
that which records the measures which
have been adopted by the Government at
an early day, and at different times since,
for the suppression Of this rraffic; AMI |
would call on all the true sons OF New.
England TO cooperate with the Jaws Of
man and the justice Of Heaven. II
ihcre be, within the extent OF our know
ledge or influence, any participation in
this traffic, le, us pledge ourselves here,
upon the Rock OF Plymouth, TO extrpate
and destroy il. 1t is not fit that the land
of the Pilgrims should bear the shame
longer. hear the sound Of the hammer,
| see the smoke Of the furnaces where
inanacles and feiters are still forged for
human limbs. see the vlsages Of those
who by stealth and a. midnight labor in
this work Of hell, foul and dark, as may
become the arliiicers of such instruments
OF misery and torture. Let tina. spot be
purified, or lei il cease TO be Of New
England. Let il be purified, or le, il be
set aside from the Christian world; lei II
be put out Of the circle Of human sympa-
thies and human regards, and let civilized
man hencelorth have no communion with
it.n q
In 1887, at NibIo's Gafden, he vowed
his entire unwillIngness 10 do anything
that should extend the slavery of the
! African race on this continent. Said he:
"On the general question Of SlaVery,
a great portion Of the community is
already strongly excited. The subject
has no, only attracted attention as ques-
tion Of politics, but it has struck far
deeper-toned chord. II has arrested the
religious feeling Of the country; i. has
taken strong hold on the consciences Of
men. He is q, rash man, indeed, and
little conve:san, with human nature, and
especially has he. a very erroneous
estimate Of the character Of the people Of
this country, who supposes thai feeling
of this kind is 10 be triaed with or
despised. Il viii assurcdly cause itself
to be respected. Ii may be reasoned
with, il may be made willing. believe
il is cn,irely willing, 10 fulfil all existing
engagements and all existing duties, to
uphold and defend the Constitution as ii
lie established, with whatever regrets
about some provisions which j. does
actually contain. But to coerce il into
silence, 10 endeayor to restrain its free.
expression, TO seek 10 compress and
confne il, warm as i. is, and more heated
as such endesyors would inevitably
render i,,-siould this be attempted, l.
know nothing even in The Constitution
or in the Union itself which would not
be endangered by the explosion which
might follow"
lie always declared that Slavery was
a local matter az the South; sectional,
not national. He took the ground in
1880 that the General Government had
nothing 10 do with il. In 1910. standing