The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-07-28
speech Of Thomas n. Ford,
of Ohio, deiivered June 18th, 1855. at the
assembly Buildings PHILADELPHIA

MR.. FREsIDENT:-l feel much embarrassed |
when Ire6ect that arise to represent the views
Of the mighty West on this vexed 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 dis
cuss party politics in this debate. With the dir
ty details of party politics we have nothing to
do. in Ohio. Our principles are patriotic and
pure, eur purposes high and holy.
The gentlemen who preceded me have all
mistaken the policy of the founders of the Re
public. They never intended to tolerate Slave
~. or even to be responsible for its existence.
With the trainers of the Constitution. Freedom
was the rule. Slavery the exception. Freedom.
national; Slavery. sectional. But those patri-
otto gentlemen of the South are DESTROYS OF
changing the rule, so as to make Slavery ma
| tional and Freedom sectional; to extend over
territory now free the soul-withering, God-dis-
honoring curse of human Slavery.
We, on the other hand are DESTROYS of suE
tanning the policy of our ferefathers-a Bible
based, law-ioving. liberty built policy And
here we take issue. The lion. gentleman fl ON
| North Carolina pointing to me, haunting sa S:
'You of the North refused to extend the Mis-
souri, Compromise line to the Pacific, when we
| offered it to you" To this reply, we did so
| refuse. and for this reason: we are DESTROYS of
extending the area of Freedom, instead of the
curse of human bondage.
| The honorable gentlemen from Tennessee and
Alabama have said that we at the North. were
generally opposed to the establishment Of that
| Missouri Compromise line at the time the COM
| pact was entered into. in 1920. "On what pre-.
text can you base your opposition to its repeal!'
| In answer to the gentleman. say that the peo-
pic of the North ,cere opposed to the establish
ment at that time, and fl r this obvious reason;
! it was base surrender of territory to Slavery
| ho1 f,nn Ixvth n Eo1 81
laws cOnsecrated to Freedom. That at this mo-
ment, instead of the voice of Freedom ascend.
ing 10 Heaven in ardent prayers for the perpe-
| tuity of this Union, thousands of human beings
were clanking the chains of abject Slavery
there. Those men who were in Congress from
the North and voted for this Compromise, lie
forgotten semewhere-their memories having
persisted with them. So have We sent those who
voted for its repeal to their political graves, to
be remembered no more by us, except in the
long living annals of infamy
The gentleman over the way asks me to rec
Oncilethat position. / WILL sir. The Terrific
ry the South acquired by virtue of that contract
is already niggered-yes. fingered all over
The crack of the drivers lash Ito the disgrace
of humanity be it said) is this day heard on its
every acre. The voice of Freedom is not heard
there; but Slavery, dark aud damning curses
that otherwise beautiful country, having terri
tory sufficient to make an empire of freemen
That is the reason we opposed its repeal and
now ask for its restoration. We cannot recall
Slavery there now-'tis too late If We could
place that territory in the same situation it was
in 1920. there would be no trouble from our
State about the repeal of the Missouri restric-
ton. No; we would like men. enter the arena
and fight manfully the battles of Freedom
Yes, sir We would see that Freedom, our in
heritance. was not :urn ed to strangers and our
homes to aliens, and Liberty lett desolate in the
land OF our fOrpfathers
But the dark and damning deed is done; and
regarding the rights of the States under the
Constitution. We cannot change it now.
And now. after our submission for "a years to
that iniquity, you come forward and intlict this
new outrage upon us. You say. lit is true.
north OF that line was set apart by solemn COM
pact to Freedom; bu I the contract was uncon.
stitutional, and consequently null and void"
care not from wha' point yon view it; you
have stood under that contract and of course
are bound by it. You now come to us whining
iy and say. this contract is void do not attempt
to enforce it," Suppose yon give your note to
a friend for one hundred dollars borrowed on
| the Sabbath; an afterward. to avoid the nav
inent, set up for defence that the note was Civ
en- on Sunday and consequently void and you
would not pay it, In what light do you sup
pose all honorable men would view il? In no
other light than as cOnsummate Williams uu-
worthy the confidence of all honorable men,
In this light Ohio and the teeming millions of
tae mighty West whom fcebly represent here,
view you, gentlemen. in relation to this Kan
zas Nebraska niquity | appeal to Represent
atives Fl ON the South, IL the name of all that
is honorabie-in the name of God, to be this
once Influenced by the pure promptngs of right
and justice. and restore this compromise line,
or from this day hide your deformed heads and
make your appearance no more among intell-
| gent beings. %&
But am resolved to place the gentlemen.-
those chivalrous Southern genilemen--right on
the record Many of them do say that the re-
peal of that time-hon red line. to use their
own ords) was wrong. an injury and an out
rage. and that it ought to be restored say
many OF you have said SO to me: and inasmucl,
as every gentleman from the North has been
challenged to give the name of any Southern
man who has dared to even breathe one word
in favor of Freedom. therefore. TO avoid being
asked so to do. come up to the confessional, or
l shall without hesitation name the gentlemen
| to this Convention.
At length Hon. Kenneth Rayner of North
Carolina. arose and stated that he had so said
and took this occasion to say that he considered
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise wrong
and an outrage. TO which the North ought not
TO submit. He said if he had been member
| of Congress he would have had his right hand
oSsCicu ItUu HIS GOuy DCfOTe ne WOuIG have
consented to the iniquity.
Gov. Brown, of Tennessee, said he had stated
that it was wrong and just to repeal that act:
bat inasmuch as it was passed, he was opposed
to agitation on the subject by rcinstatingi it.
Four or five more at this point. took the floor
at once. Ford remarking pleasantly Keep
COOL gentlemen; We are going to have an inter.
esiing class meeting here; but come up to the
confessional one at time % daughter long
and Loudly A number of gentlemen confessed
In substance what Gov. Brown dbl
M. Ford proceeded by saying that a omen
confession was good for the soul; aud } e hon, d
the gentlemen wonld learn another truism
The only way to get rid of guilt was :. TO re
pent and su no more" All we ask II Won
gentlemen. is t. do right. remembering that
there are eternal and Interchangeable principles
OF right. which NO circumstances can vary, and
which God himself may not disturb
But your confession this day. coupled with
your action. you place yourself in the condi. |
dltlon OF thief who having broken into your
house and cot possession of your money. Won
detect and arrest. You say to him, :. You vii |
lain! what are you doing. thus invading nv |
most sacred rights" The thief comes IN to |
the confessional as our friends have this d,y. |
saying. g l know have invaded your most "a |
cred rights confess | have committed An |
outrage and ind .cted great injury upon Won. |
| have broken into your house and stolen your |
money. l have done this mean thing. re-. |
greet. deploIe it; but, inasmuch, ,,ot,y;fh-
sf01diup 0euerfheless ns bnAo oof a, -.