Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-01-30
WHOLE No, so5a-s
their votes on men who are nOt yoled for

their votes on men who are not voted tor
by either organization. ecsosx -
This, then, is our position before the
country. / am of opinion that, If we
were organized, we should have work
ing majority in favor of restoring freedom
to Kanzas yet that is at present doubt
full. Without such majority we do not
desire the Speaker. 1t we've useless for
US to elect that officer unless We can sus-
tain him after elected The lime has
therefore arrived when, 10 nv opinion,
every man should stand forth b0ldlyslet
him take his position distinctly before
the country, and let the nation know
where he stands, what are his principles.
where will he place himself on the record
now being made for coming time. Does
he wish 10 stand before the nation, and
before coming generations, as an adyo-
cafe and defender OF liberty or will he
inseribe his name on the roll Of slayery's
advocates? l know that many friends
think we should say little or nothing
about these greatfundamental principles
which now divide us from the Demo-
cratic party. / entertain q different
opinion. l know Of no time moreproper
for the aYowal of our individual views
than the present AS soon as we fully
understand each other we shall be bet
tier prepared to take our positions.
\ For my own part would not deceive
any man, and would have no man de-
ceiye me. We are strangers 10 each
other; for the first time most of US have
now met. We are constrained 10 actto-
gether. ard, in order to prepare for thst
duty, We must know each other, andthe
principles which each entersains.
For myself. and think | may speak
for some others, indeed, foi the repubh-
can party generally. may say tbatihs
zas should secure all men of that terri
tory in the enjoyment of life, liberty,
and happ ness. We hold, with the
fathers, thai this is the object. the ute
rior design Of all Christian Governments.
|, This design the Republicans intend car
Iyiag ont By const tuuipg agoyernment
il Kanzas that shall effect that pun pose.
My friend from Pennsylvania Mr..
JokEs denies that we have the right to
prohibit slavery in kanzas / wish to
meet him on this poir. LaughteEsl
Mr.. JONES. l do say that.
Mr.. GIDDINGS. / desire this issue
to be understood by the American peo-
pie. | ask his attention TO what consti-
Iutes slavery. Itis thesubjection ofthe
mind and body OF one man to the viii Of
another. In the words of a southern
jurist A slave is one doomed in his
person and posterity to live without
knowledge, to toll that another NAV
reap the benefit of his labor. The object
is the masters gain: the. instrument the
perfect subjection Of 4he slaye.s The
right of .self-defense against the ekastise-
ment of the master is taken from, the
slave. That first great law of nature,
and of natures God, is repealed, SO far
i as the slave is concerned, and human en-
1 actments can do it. Heis placed in the
4 power of the MASTER, who may scourge
and torture him !; and If the SLAVE. de-
fends his person, the law declares il an
act Of rebellion. and the master is at
! liberty to take the life of lhe slave if nee
essary to reduce him to subjeetion.s,
Mr.. LETCHER The criminal. Jaw
which protects me protects my slave.
Then i would say to the slaves of
Virginia, '' Defend yourselves"
would that 1 could tFuIhfully proclaim
that fact TO every slave in Old Domin-
! ion that could say to them truthfully,
You have the sans right to defend
yourselves that your masters possess;
/ that as your masters may project their
persons even to the Staying Of him who
assails them, so you have the right to
defend your persons and; if necessary
to such defense, you may slay your
masters when they assail you. in the
same manner that your masters may de-
| fend themselves against your attacks on
them., If such were the laws of Fir-
ginia. slavery could not be maintained
there one week, | admit that this right
OF self-delense, being natural right,
derived from nature God. cannot be
modified or repealed by human enact
ments, that The slave has ever had. and
still possesses this right yet the laws
of all slaveholding Communities infiet
upon the slave punishment and render
him liable 10 be slain by (he master for
exercising this right which God has be-
slowed on him. -
This right Of self defense constitutes
the very gist, the essential feature Of
slavery /; without It slavery could not
exist. Restore to the slave The right Of
self-defense. AMI he at once becomes a
free man. This power Of one man over
another constitutes the West despot-
ism. the most perfect tyranny that aver
cursed the iootstaOl of Grd. The mas
ter. at the instance Of his own mind,
without trial. without judieiSl inyesliga-
ton, punishes and even takes the life Of
his fellow man He thus holds the
power of life and death over his slave.
You NAV look to AustriA or to Russia
in vain for parallel TO such despotism
and we. the Re epublieans. insist that il
shall not exist in Kanzss The Demo
Gratis say ii sbsH be protected and per-
n'iIted there; that this Government
shall not prohibit tin thai Territ ny.
Let,nO man charge me with discuss
ing slavery in the States where we have
not the power to interfere with it, nor
the right to legislate in regard to it.
The Democratic party forced it into
Kanzas, and now insist thai it shall re-
main there. They thus compel US To
examine its moral. its PoIilicalcharaeter:
and now as we are forming the great
.while Mr. GIDDaSas vas speaking M LrrcRrx de.
MED this position, which Mr., GIDDISes r-pIied that
II he should write out his remarks he would refer tst
gentleman to his authority Ia accordance with this
promise. Mr. GtnDtSas qetes from the revised
OF Virginia, the following enactment OF loss
BE n essetsd and declared tkis GsnsrdE sdsssz-
bfy IL any slave resist his Tor other By hrs
masters order eorreetlng him) and BY the extremity
Of the correction shoun chance 70 die. that death
snail not he aeeounted fesny hat the Tor other