Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-12-24
Joshua r. Giddinps.

sosAo~ -" SA0GA6S
A Washington correspondent Of the
Tribune, writes as below, of Mr.. Gid
dings' recent great Speech:
Nj. Giddings now took the floor, which
fact soon filed the galleries and crowded
the Hobbies, for the old war horse seemed
prepared for a gallant charge. He CON
tended that one thing was established by
our current political history; that is, that
We are destined to continue the agitation
of the great question, which, according
10 all past annals has agitated the North.
The rights of man are still the themes of
discussion. He showed that the Declar-
alton of Independence was one of the
rich fruits Of the Revolution, and asked
the member from South Carolina, Mr..
Keitt, if he was prepared to stand by
that instrument; but Mr.. G;ddings got no
answer. The Republican party have
responded to this question. They have
re-afirmed the great truth written by
the inspired pen of Jefferson, hat "all
men are by their Creator endowed with
certain inaliensble rights, among which
are life, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness" These rights came not from
Franklin Pierce, but from the Omnipo.
tent Mind. He put the question to the
member from South Carolina, if he would
stand by the principles of the Declara-
ton of Independence, and getting no an
swer, he said, Il ask any member Of the
Democratic party, North or South,
whether, that party is ready 10 stand by
those principles. l pause for an answer.
l hear no reply. Sir, such is the re-
spouse l always get to my well defined
interrogatories. Men from the South
unequivocally deny this truth. Men of
that party in the Moth dare not speak
in the affirmative. There they sit. If
they were 10 answer in the negative,
they would be cast off by their conslitu-
ents ; if in the affirmative, they will be
repudiated by tie South. Thus they
vibrate between heaven and hell."-
Great Laughter. He said the self
evident truth of the Declaration of indie
pendence was pronounced, by a promi.
len Democrat in the other end of the
Capitol, to be a self-evident lie; and that
the members of the Democratic party
now tacitly sanction the correctness of
that libel. He said that Mr.. Stephens,
of Georgia, had endeavored to show that
Abraham was a STAKEHOLDER and dealer;
that Brigham Young. with his %re.inue Of
three-score wives, INDICATED his doc
trines by reference to Abraham Also
Both he and the gentleman. from Geor-
gia, with great gusto appealed to the
civilized world, saying: Have we not
Abraham to our Father ?" Laughter
He showed that the Republican party
were pledged 10 support the Constitution.
He repudiated The lecture of the Presi
dent on the Fugitive Slave Law, and
said he should rather obey God. He
has seen at one time nine fugitive slaves
dining in his own house-fathers, moth
ers. husbands, wives and children--hee-
ing for their liberty, and in spite of any
law he obeyed the divine mandate to feed
the hungry and clothe the naked. He
did both, and gave them money and sent
them On their way rejoicing. Was that
treason?
Mr.. Bennett, of Miss, wanted to know
if the gentleman wouldn't have gone one
step further.
yes" was the prompt reply of the
gallant old man, al would have driven
their captor from my door yard if he had
made his appearance"
The inquisilive Mr.. Bennett pressed
the matter still further. and asked if the
gentleman would not have justified the
of the fugitives by force in the
first instance.
Mr.. Giddings walking indi 5qanily
out into the arena in front Of the speaker.
in a voice of thunder, that made every
member feel that he meant what he
said.) answered, 81 would smite down
the slave-calcher if he crossed my path
in pursuit of his traffic"
1t is impossible to give anything like
a truthful sketch of this mastery effort
of the veteran member from Ohio. The
earliest mail will convey to the Tribune
a full report Of the speech. :.