Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-07-13
A Great Speech,
DELIVERED AT PHiLApELrHIA, BIT Tuos.
H. FoRp, or ONO.


THE following is correct report Of the
Speech which Capt. Ford, of Ohio, deliver
ed in the Philadelphia Know Nothing Con-
vention. Il is one of the most truthful,
comprehensive and blunily eloquent Speech
cs we have ever read :
Mr.. President IL feel much embarrsss.
men, when reflect that | arise to represent
the views OF the mighty West on thus vcxed
question Of Slavery, now under discussion
| would TO God that some gentleman more
competent TO the task had undertaken it,
Gentlemen from other States have shown
strong DISPOSITION to discuss party politics in
this debate. With the dirty details of party
polite, we have nothing to do, in Ohio
Our principles are patriotic and pure, our
purposes high and holy.
The gentlemen who preceded me have
all mistaken the policy of the founders OF
Republic. They never intended to tolerate
Slavery, or even to be responsible for It's ex-
istence. With the trainers of the Conslitu-
ton, Freedom was the rule, Slavery the ex~
ccpion Freedom national, Slavery section.
al. But those patriotic gentlemen from the
South are DESTROYS of changing the rule, so
as to make Slavery national and Freedom
sectional to extend over territory now free,
of Human Slavery.
We, on the other hand are DESTROYS Of
sustaining the policy of our forefathers-a
Bible based, law loving, liberty built policy
And here we take issue. The honorable
gentleman from North Carolina. pointing to
me, taunungly SAYS " You OF the North re.
fused to extend tue Missouri Compromise
line 10 the Pacific, when we offered 1t 10
| Il. .ftraa
and for this reason: Ne are DESTROYS Of err
lending The area Of Freedom, instead Of The
curse Of human bondage.
The honorable gentlemen from Tennes~
see aud Alabama have said that we, At The
North, we're generally opposed to the es-
Enlistment Of that Missouri Compromise
line at the time the compact was entered IN
TO- in 1890. son what prc,cxt can you base
your opposition TO its repeal Z" In answer
to the gentlemen, | say that The people Of
the North ieere opposed to the establishment
at that tine, and for this OBVIOUS reason. II
was a base surrender of territory to Slavery
that had been by the God Of Nature and our
laws consecrated to freedom. I bat at this
moment, instead of the voce of freemen s.
ccnding 10 heaven in ardent prayers for the
perpetuiiy of this Union, thousands Of hu-
lect slavery there. Those men who were IN
Congress from the North and voted for this
compromise, lie forgotten somewhere their
memories have persisted with them. So hare
zee seni those ieho uoiei .i5r lis repeai 10 their
poiiticd' grdres, 10 be remembered no more By
as, ercepi IN The long tring annals q IN
fanny.
The gentleman over the way asks me to
reconcile that position. ! viii, sir The ter
ritory the south acquired by virtue of that
contract Is already fingered, yes, niggered
all over The crack Of the drivers lash TO
The disgrace of humanity be II said Is this
day heard on lie every acre. The voice Of
Freedom is not heard there, but Slavery,
dark and damning, curses that Otherwise
beautiful country, having territory sufficient
TO make an empire Of ireemen. That IS he
reason ice opposed us repeal. and Hoic rsk for
lis resiorqt,oH We cannot recall Slavery
there nov,-'tis too late Ii we could place
that territory in the same situation Il was in
1870, there would be no trouble from our
Stale about the repeal OF the Missouri re-
strciion. No: we would, like men, enter
the arena and fight manfully the battles of
Freedom. Yes, sir; we would see that
Freedom, our inheritance, was not turned TO
strangers and our homes to aliens, and Lib
crty left dcsolatc in the land Of our fore
fathers.
But the dark and danning deed is done
and, regarding the rights of the States ua-
der the Constitution, we cannot change il
now.
And now, after our submission for thirty
iour years TO that lnquityi you come forward
and inflict this renewed outrage upon US. -
You say, " 1t is true, north Of that line was
set apart By solemn compact 10 Freedom
but the contract was unconstitutional, and
consequently null and void
care not from what point you view II
you have taken under that contract and OF
course are bound by it. You now come to
us whlnngly and say, - TINS contract Is
void, do not attempt to enforce IT," suppose
YOU give your note to friend for one hun
dred dollars, borrowed on the Sabbath and
afterwards, to avoid the payment, set up for
defence that the note was given on Sunday
and consequently void and you would no,
pay ii. Ia what light do you suppose all
honorable men would view YOU f? In no 9th,
or light than as oOpSummdte Vi iGins, unWor-
Thy he confidence Of all honorable men ia
this light OHIO and the teeming millions Of
the mighty West, whom | feebly represent
here, view yon, Gentlemen, in relation 20
tins Kansas Nebraska inquiiy appeal TO
Representatives from the South, in tie name
Of all that is honorable,-in the name of
God, To be this once influenced BY the pure
promptlngs Of right aud justice, and restore
this compromise Inc, or from this day hide
your doformed heads and make your appear
ance no more among intelligent beings
Blu, am resolved TO place the gentlemen
those chiyalrous Southern gentlemen
right on the record. Many of them do say
that the repeal of that time honorcd line Ito
use their own words was wrong, an IN
jury, and an outrage, and that j, ought TO be
restored. say many Of You have said 50 TO
me: and inasmuch as every gentleman from
the North has been challenged 10 give the
name of any Southern man who has dared
TO even breathe one word 10 favor of Free.
dom, therefore, to avoid being asked SO to
do, come up now 10 the confessional, or |
shall without hesitation name the gentlemen
TO this convention. (Checrs and laughter.)
At length Hon. Kenneth Rayner, Of
North Carolina, arose and stated that be had
so SAID, and took this occasion to say tia.
he considered the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise wrong and an outrage, to
which the north ought not to submit. lie
said If he had been a member of Conrres
he would have had his right hand severed
from his body before he would have con.
scented to the iniquiiy.
Gov. Brown, Tennessee, said he had stat.
ed that II was wrong and unjust TO repeal
that act; but inasmuoh as it was passed, he
was opposed to agitation on the subject by
reinstatlng IT.
-Four or five more. at this point, took The
floor at once, Ford remarking pleasantly,
Keep cool, gentlemen we are gong 10
have an Interesting class meeting here out
come up 10 the confessional, one al tine -
Laughter long aud Loudly A number of
gentlemen confessed IN substance what Gov.
Brown did.
Mr.. Ford proceeded by saying that an
open confession" was "good for the soul .
and he hoped the gentlemen would learn an,
other trulsm; That the only way to get rid
OF guilt was TO " repent and sin no more
All we ask of you, gentlemen, IS to DO right,