The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-07-04
ANA, WEDNESDAY,, JULY 4, 1866.
every face is stamped with deep and awful


responsibility. .a @ 5ssaasr
Why turns every glance to that door? why is
every face so solemn? why is it so terribly still?
The committee of three, who have been out
all night, planning parchment, are about to
appear
That parchment, with thasignatures of these
men, written with the pen lying on yonder table
will either make the world free, or stretch these
necks upon the gbbet yonder in potter's field,
or nail these heads to the door posts Of this
hall!
That was the time for soemnsaces and deep
silence. # . ~
At last, bark! The door opens, the commit
tee appear Who are these three men who
come walking on towards John Hancock's
chair? t.H
That tall man, with the harp-features, the
bold brow, and sand hued hair, holding the
parchment in his hand, is the old Virginia far
mer-Thomas Jefferson. The stout built mah
with resolute look and flashing eye? That is a
Boston man-one John Adams. And the calm
faced man, with hair dropping in thick curls to
his shoulders-that man, dressed in a plain
coat and such odious homemade blue stock
ings?-that is the Philadelphia printer, one
Benjamin Franklin. 5..-
The three men s1vance to the table. The
parchment is laid there. Shall it be signed or
not?
Then ensues high and stormy debate, then
the faint t-hearted cringe in comers-whlle
Thomas Jefferson speaks out his whole soul.
Then the soft-toned voice of Charles Carroll
is heard, undulating in syllables Of deep music.
But still there is doubt-and that palefaced
| man, shrinking in one corner, squeaks some
thing about axes, scaf1olds, and gibbet.
"Gbbet!'' echoes fierce, bold voice, that
startes men from theixseats-and look yonder!
A tall slender man rises, dressed-although it
is summer time-in faded red cloak. Look
how bis white hand undulates as tits stretched
slowly ut,-how that dark eye burns, while
his words ring through the hail. 1--WE do not
know his name, therefore call his appeal
The SPEECH OF THE MAN IN THE RED CLOAK.
sGibbet? They may stretch our nccks with all
the gibbets in the land-they may turn every
rock into scaffold-every home into grave,
and yet the words on that parchment can never
die!
"They may pour our blood on a thousand
scaffolds, and yet, from every drop that dyes
the axe, or drips on the saw dust of the block,
a new martyr to freedom will spring into birth!
"The British king may blot out the stars OF
God from his sky, but he cannot blot out bis
words written on the parchment there! The
words of man mayFerish-H His word never!
"The words will 60 forth to the world when
our bones are dust. To the slave in the mines
they will speak hope-to the mechanic in his
workshop-freedom; to the coward kings these
words will speak, but not in words of flattery
No, no! They will speak like the flaming syl
ables on Belshazzar's wall-the days of youl
pride and glory are numbered. The day O.
Judgment and revolution draws near!
Eyes, that parchment will speak to the kings
in language sad and terrible as the trump o
; the archangel. You have trampled on man
; kind long enough. Atlast the voice of human
woe has pierced the ear Of God, and calls hi
Judgment down! You have waded on to throne
over seas of blood-you have trampled on t
r power over the necks of milllons-you hav
l turned the poor mans sweat and blood int
robes for your delicate forms, into crowns 70
your annointed brows Now, kings-now pur
pied hangnren of the word-for you come tn
| days of axes and scafolds-for you the wratl
, of man--tor you the lightnings of God!
Look! How the light of your palaces O,
] fire flashes up into the midnigh ght sky!
''Now, purpled hangmen Of the world, turl
and beg for mercy
, "Where will you fnait?
S s'Not from God, for you have blasphemet
| His laws!
'*Not from the people, fos you stand bap
' Used in their blood!
y Here you turn and 10! gibbet!
$ "There-and scafold looks xau in tn
k face.
e All around you-death-no where pity!
: "Now, executioners of the human race
kneel down, yes kneel down upon the sawdus
9 of the scafold-lay your perfumed heads upo
the block-bless the axe as it talls-tbe ak
! that you sharpened for the poor mans neck!
'Such is the message of that declaration t
# man, to the kings of the world! And shall W
n start back appalled, when our feet press tn
very Threshold of freedom? Do see quaiin
faces around me, when our wives have bee
butchered, when the hearthstones of our LAM
t are red with the blood of little children?
e "What, are there shrinking hearts and fa]
y tering voices here, when the very dead Of ou
battle fields arise, and call upon US to sign tia
parchment or be accursed forever?
t "SlGn! II the next moment the SloDeI lop
e is round your neck! Sign! if the next momer
n this hall rings with the echo of the falling axe
Sign! by all your hopes in life or death as hus
bands-as fathers-as men-slgn your name
to the parchment, Or be accursed forever!
II ''Sign-and not only for ourselves, but fc
all ages. For that parchment will be the tex
k book of freedom-the bible of man forever!
"Sign--for that declaration will 60 forth
: American hearts forever, and speak to thos
hearts like to the voice of God! And its wor
It will not be done, until throughout this wld
S continent not a single inch of ground owns tn
sway of the British king!
g may, do not start and whisper with SUI
g prise? 1t is truth, your hearts witness /
p God proclaims it-this continents the propert
of free people. and their property alone. 90
e say, proclaims it! Look at this strange hstor
D of band of exiles and outcasts suddenly trans
t formed into peope-look at this wondertu
h exodus of the old world into the new, wher
: they came, weak in arms but mighty In God INK
faith-nay, look at this history of Bunker til
:, your Lexington-where band OF P laln Tar
/ mers Knocked and trampled down the panopl,