The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-10-08
GREAT SPEECH OF
HON. WILLIAM ALLEN,
OF OHIO.

ss OF OHIO,
DeBivered at q Mass Meeting OF eH,
Denocracy at Nasi0nai Hail, Phil
sAelRAia, Monday Evening, Ser
esnber Goth, 1856. ss
As Col JAMES PAeE, the President Q
the meeting, introduced ex-senator Ar
LEN, the vast assem- blage simultane
ously arose. Wild scene of excite
ment and enthusiasm followed and cor
tinued or many moments, whicl
battles description. Chee
upon cheer we're given for the giftet
champion Of Democratic truth, ant
= from thousands of voices shouts o
spprobation made the welkin ring agair
and again.
Ny fellow citizens of Pennsylvania, ]
have no anecdotes to tell you--no wit
to display-nothing to excite your mer-
riment or elicit anything else than your
serious and solemn attention. The
matter involved in the pending contest
10 Of value too great, aud the aspect
which that contest has already put on is
too serious and solemn for us to spend
an occasion like this, in another manner
than in . pledge of our mutual aid to
each other, in great effort to save the
Constitution of our Country. Gap
plause.l
For the. FIRST time in the history of
the republic, an organized effort has
been made to embitter the feelings, ex-
cite the jealousy, and array the passions
of one bal the Republic against the
other. For the FIRST time an organized
effort is made to make use of the power
ofthe FREQ Statesto drive out of the I'm
ion the whole body Of the Southern
States; to drive them ont BY compelling
them TO retire, in order to enjoy that
right Of domestic aud local legislation
f1r which our fathers wrenched these
thirteen old colonies from the crown of
Great Britain. {Applause.) In this
very city, almost within the sound of
my voice, was put forward the Declara-
tion Of independence, to justify the in-
surgent spirit of the people liz the eyes
aud IN the reason Of mankind, for what
they were about; and the great reason
given was that foreign power made
laws for US contrary to our interests
contrary to our will. (ApPlause } Be
fore one century has expired, we fnds
party rising in the United States, after
the very FIRST presidential election after
the Free States have majority in the
cunfederscy, aud calling upon sixteen
to band themselves against e teen, be-
cause sixteen are more than fifteen, for
the parPose of depriving those fifteen o!
all the benefits of the American Reyo-
iuti i,n-locai legislation. That is the
character of this contest. Now know
very we'll that these men say 1--WE OILY
propose to liait the rights of the people |
on The subject of sIavcry, and within the
Territories. y Is that all you propose ?
II that the end of all this clamor by
which you disturb the harmony aud af
fright the sections of this Union? Is it
10 limit the area of slavery in the Ter
ritories? Is it prevent a new State
from coming into Union, when you your
,slf know that if she is rejected to-day
becanse she has slavery in her Consti
.ution, she may take slaves out to NOR
roe, come in the third day, aud put
slaves back the fourth (Applause-)
Are they serious then, when they tell
1s that this is all they mean By aboli- |
lion, that this is all they mean when |
hey undertake to array one half of this
p -ople against the other, and to precipi- |
.ate them together in fierce quarrel first,
md afterwards in bloody struggle-all
IN order to keep one State out of the
Union forty-eight hours, and then let
her come in with negroes Is that what
they mean? Suppose Kansas comes in
with slave Constitution to the door of
Congress tomorrow Congress says
7ou have got negroes there-take them
put, Kansas steps behind the door,
lakes out the negroes, offers her Consti-
n. ion and she is admitted. The next
lay. Convention is called in Kansas,
he Constitution is altered, and the ne.
yfoe stuck back. Laughter.) These
men pretend that all they are conten-
ling for is just the privilege Of making
his new State act the hypocrite for
about six months. tApplause.l But
hey cry ont to the old farmers of the
country whose sons are going northwest
md southwest. that We of the Democrat
10 party, by onr policy, are limiting the
lres of freedom, limiting the quantity of |
and which may be occupied by the peo-
pie moving from the free States, and
Who do not wish tosettle in slave States.
They say we have pulled down the bar
risr bs the repeal Of the Missouri Com
PROMISE and left the whole North open
TO the inundation Of the African race,
With chains upon their arms. Now It
70 happens that nature gives the lie |
point blank to this assertion. T.
I intend to tell you the truth that is
10 me on this subject, I have lived to
nearly the age of so without conceal
nsnt Of political opinions, and / will go,
n NJ r<Sx6 epaakiuo the truth on all