The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-07-13
Rx.soyERNoR KENTs SPEECH.

Governor Kent, naue ~ lne hoPuo"@a" s-
IN, here ON the 9Th. ltsa dignihed and earnest
,rs..n,a,ioo Of the reasons which should induce
amen who think alike, to act together" for the
,.s,or,,iou Of Northern rights. We bespeak for
IL an attentive PerusaL
Ex-Governor KENT, Of Bangor, in respon.
ding 10 the sentiment said II was source
OF rrea, qualification to meet 90 many OF
his fellow citizens Of the western part OF
tho state. They had come there in the cell
sbralion OF our national birth day. II was a
erea, Jubilee otfreedom-a day Of the com.
memcra,ion OF tho uprising Of men against
tyranny; and on that day our sympaihies
and feelings wen, on, over the whole earth.
Wherever man was trodden beneath the
foo, Of oppression, wherever the fet'er
CALLED or tho iron entered the soul, there
our isympathies would 90 out, and We
would feel a universal philanthropy.
"Bu, our particular business" on this
occasion, is with American liberty, Amer
lean ideas, American rights and American
wrongs. We are here to-day to take coun-
Gil together Of these rights, TO consider our
duty rs Americans, whose right aud duty
i, is 10 govern America, to think over and
consider our wrongs and the remedies which
we should apply for their redress. There
is a great deal Of meaning, OF practical
wisdom, and sound common sense in tina,
old adase OF Davy Crockett, I" BE sure you
arc right, then 20 ahead" Think first,
think we'll understand but stop not there;
oct, oct Is the great duty and the great
thought tha, should DO present with U.s.
Tho true statesman is not Uiopian philos-
opher, or mere book worm, CT closet specu-
la,or; nor Is the true American citizen
merely a man who theories bu, he, in
either case, is a man who brings his thee
ries TO tho test OF practice, and all his
Thoughts to practical results and issues. a
man may think ever so wisely, reason ever
so acu,ely, and conclude ever so sagaclous-
", and yet IL he stops there without action,
il is bu, a. Sounding brass, or a tinkling
cimbal:" for il is as true in politics as in re-
ligion tina, "Faiih without works IS dead"
This is a lesson tina, we of the North ought
10 learn, and i, is time that we had learned
IL. The Yankee IS a reasoning animal and
equal to any man in speculation but when
the time for action comes we are too apt TO
le, il end ia speculation. II is not so in the
South. They reason too; but they do
more they bring everything 10 the test and
gaze OF their great slavery interest and pow
or. They stop no, with thought, but seem,
breeze from the North in an instant; and
whenever question arises which touches
the great interest Of slavery, the whole south
rs band OF brothers unite, and everything
is made 10 give way before il. Every po-
li,cal tie or course OF policy, every qucs-
ton touching our home government or our
foreign relations every possible question,
every possible relation and interest, .ades
away before this as frost before the SUM-
Ard this is one grea, secret why the South
has always triumphed, and why she has
been able 10 carry forward and execute
some OF the mos, prepos,erous and outrage
Gus and apparently impossible measures
whenever they have set themselves abou,
IL.
Now, as we are assembled here, the great
thought and topic OF the day has relation 20
our duties rs American citizens connected
with the great question TO which have al
luded. Ii is curious, and yet appalling, to
mark the advances Of the slave power. In
the beginning under the constitution II was
merely apologeiic, excusing itself on the
ground Of its being a colonial institution
forced upon them by British power, ac-
knowledging il TO be positive institution
against national right. which was TO be con-
fined entirely 10 the States in which IL then
existed. But how is i, ,o.dayl That same
power is now arrogant and presuming, in
sis,ing that slavery is national, and freedom
socIional-,ha, they have RICH, to carry
this institution into every part OF the terri
tories in the United States; contending tina,
there is no power existing with the people
OF tho U. S. to prevent their going there and
holding slaves as property; and perhaps in
nothing is the advance Of this power more
marked and striking than in tho changed
tone in which IL Is now discussed in the
South. Their language OF arrogance indi-
Gates the cy,on, f,heir triumph.
Permit me TO glaaco at one or two points
which mark The advance Of the slave pow.
or; and iirS, in regard 10 iae acquisition OF
Louisiana, and the mighty territory and lis
mighty river, which We then acquired. Il
was undoubtedly grea, acquisition, bu. il
was one which even Mr.. Jefferson consid
orcd OF doubtful consiilu,icuali,y. Blu, If
tho proposition had been 10 connect that
large territory lying north Of ouI Northern
boundaries, would not the constitutional
scrupieI Of The South have been entirely too
strong to srtrer even the thought OF annex
alton Certainly. Who car doub; IL Then
taking in Florida as another Slate; then
again came Texas, with the capacity and
condition Of making three or four additional
slave States. Then ITO war with Mexico.
which The admission Of Texas brought upon
us, and the acquisition OF new territory for
slavery. And here is the only instance OF
luck for freedom in regard TO California
when the Northern people passed into that
territory and made il free State. But
how was this action on their part regarded
by tho South Why, they threatened dis.
solution OF the Union II we admitted il, al
thoagh ], was the acquisition OF their own
war; and they talk even now OF dividing
California and making on, Of il another
State for slavery. Then there is Cuba =
not yet in j, is irue-but with the eye OF the
South and the administration upon il and
they are determined to have il either by
buying, begging or stealing.
Now look step by step at the encroach-
mems OF slavery and its acquisition OF terri
tory and political power, and then glance
ut the struggles which have taken place be-
tween il and freedom Look a, tho result.
Always, every time and on every occasion
the Sampson of the North has been bound
moro securely; every time the wi,he has
been stronger. Every time have they adj
vanced their Zoo, until we lie PROSTATE with
their iron heel upon our necks.
Bot in addition 10 this extension OF slave
territory look at the violation OF the CON-
promises OF Congress- Look at the matter
Of the Missouri Compromise rs il was orig
inally adopted What was IN II was not
question Of latitude or longitude, or mere
line North or South, but question whethe'
any more slave States should come into the
Union-whe,her Missouri should be allowed
TO come in as slave State. That was the
turning point. The North resisted. They
said "you have slavery in your own States
by positive law existing there, and there
IL must be- confined" We have never