Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-09-07
From the Boston Commonwealth
SPEECH OF HON. S. ?. CHASE,
a or OHIO, n n 81
At the Wolfboros Meeting. "a

ou Win Sredt ohooiin6' -, /, X,
was the first time inhis life that he had adj
dressed a public audience in his native State.
He was indebted to New Hampshire tor his
birth. and for little else, save the knowledge
of the alphabet, for he hardly regarded the
two wears which he passed in college as ad-
ding materially to his benefit, for he was
ashamed to say that he was not very lnius-
trious student. He came to them from the
6rst.born of the ordinance of l7o7,--from
that great State which owed her freedom to-
dav. her free institutions, and her vast pros
nerity to that ordinance of freedom which
within the last few months had been ruthless
.ly stricken down in the Congress Of the Uni
ted States. He felt then, that, born In New
Hampshire, free once, and he trusted, destined
to be free again, and coming from State
which owed its existence to the ordinance o!
81, be felt he had some right to speak to
council of free people, assembled to determine
what course duty required of'them upon the
emergency which had now arisen.
He had said that he was born in this State.
Should he say that he had been sometimes
ashamed to confess it? (Cheers.) When he
had heard New Hampshire complimented as
the South Carolina Of the North-when he
had heard it boosted that let the shareholders
lead where they would, they always knew N
Hampshire was true and would iollow-might
he not confess to them, that he had sometimes
felt ashamed that the hills and the valleys OF
New Hampshire nurtured race of men will
ling to take their law from any other source
than God and their own free hearts But in
the last few months he had been proud that
he was boru in New Hampshire. When he
had heard of them, in the far West, casting
away party shackles and uniting as brother
freemen, determined to cast off the yoke Of
slaveholding bondage, then he had felt proud
that his lot was cast among them originally
1t was an injunction of sacred writ, that we
must ''cease to do evil and learn to do we'll.
Last March they ceased to do evil. Next
March would they learn to do well Great
applause.) ....
Mr.. Chase said that he supposed it would
be be expected of him to give some account
of the manner in which the Nebraska bill was
carried through Congress; and went on to de-
scribe the different stages Of its progress, and
the various expedients to which the slave pow.
er was compelled to resort in order to secure
its passage, illustrating his narrative by MI.
merous anecdotes This recital was listened
to with great attention and interest
He did not regard this Nebraska and Kan.
sas act, this violation of solemn pledges made
BY our fathers, as "A single isolated act by nc
means. 1t marked course Of events, Of
which it became the freemen of this land tc
take heed They began in this country with
a Democratic Republic, but they sanctioned
in their midst the principles OF slavery. Tc
be sure. the founders Of the Republic never
dreamed that slavery would be extended al
all; they never supposed it would be main
tanned or strengthened by the arm Of the ma
| tional government; but the slave power soon
feltits strength, and it had proceeded from
one act of aggression to another. until at last
it graspol boldly for supreme dominion. The
contest which had been so long waging, with
varying success, and the contest in which they
were now summoned to engage, was confess
between the slave power and the people o.
the country; 100000 mon, who in their sew
eral States were distinguished by the possession
Of slaves had been marching steadily forward
with their eye fixed upon one pont-that wa,
the snbiugation of the people to their yoke
their absolute and unlimited control. This
repeal of the prohibition of 1920, marked
only stage Of their progress He SHOULD
never forget the exulting triumph with which
the shareholders told him, after the bill hat
passed, that the day was not far distant wher
there would be slaves in Ohio; and on,
member OF Congress boosted that in ten years
he should call the roll of his slaves under thu
shadow OF the monument upon Bunker Hill
C,Shame."0
Let them not deceive themselves. This re
peal Of the prohibition of 1920. and the es
Enlistment Of slavery in the territories o
the United States was meant merely as a ties
to try the people. They bore great deal il
1850. They bore the Fugitive Slave act
which Congress had no more right to pas
than they had authority to enslave every mai
woman and child then present, (oud cheers,
AN act which characterized every attribut,
of atrocity which could defle the legislation
of inhuman men. Some men bore that ac
because they thought it was the last thin,
they would have to bear But how was it
1t had turned out precisely as he said i
would in his place upon the floor Of Congress
1t was but stepping-stone in the march t.
supreme dominion. The repeal Of the prohi
bition of 1920 was another step in advance
and the shareholders thought the people woul'
bear that. They said that the people woul
acquiesce-they were used to it. Laughter.
| But they reckoned without their host. The
fancled that mutitudes of men, who had a
no small sacrifice of their honest judgment
yielded to the compromises of 1850 as fl
nal settlement, would continue to acquiesc
until they had learned that there was no fual
ity in the demands of slavery except abso
lutte submission to them. There was no final
ity to those demands, unless they would con
sent fathers and mothers. for themselves anC
their children, tnat they would become abjec
slaves. Were they ready to ratily this dc
| maui "ouiu lhcy cohsehb w tlls lurtnc
experiment on their patience? That assem-
bly, proved to him they would not. The mer
who upheld the compromises of 1850 were
now aware that their only safety in opposition
! to the slave power. was to stand shoulder tc
shoulder, with all the friends of freedom to
roll back the tide O. oppression. Loud ap
plause.) He took the liberty Of warning the
shareholders ofthis result in the first speech hi
made upon this subject, and then he said
standing here as an Independent Democrat
by the grace of God free and independent,
am ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with
any and every man, by whatever party name
he has heretofore called himself, who viii
come up with me to the altar of freedom, anc
there take an oath, in the presence ofAlmigty
God, OF inextinguishable and eternal opposi
ton to slavery prolonged cheering)
He beseeehed them to stand as true mer
| In this great battle. He seldom saw n mar