Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-06-19
JUNE 49, 1856

the whole country, in all its extent-mar
shallng hostile divisions. and foreshadowin!
strife, which. unless happily averted BY
the triumph of Freedom, will become war
fratricida, parricidal WARMTH an accu
mulated wckedness beyond the wickednes
of any war in human annals; justly provoking
the avenging judgment of Providence ant
the avenging pen of history, and cOnstitn
ting a strife, in the language of Inc ancient
writer, more than foreign, more than social
more than cirl; but something compounded
of al these strises, and in itself more than
war; sed potius commune qaOadam eromni5uS
ct plus guam belLum.
| Such is the Crime which you are to Judge
But the criminal also must be dragged into
day, that you may see and measure the power
by which all this wrong is sustained. From
no common source could it proceed. In its
perpetration, was needed spirit of vaulting
ambition which would hesitate at nothing;
hardihood of purpose VIII ch was insensible
| to the Judgment of mankind; madness for
Slavery which should disregard the Consti-
tuition, the laws, and all the great examples
of our history; so a consciousness of power
such as comes from the habit of power; a
combination of energies found only in hun
dred arms directed by hundred eyes; con-
troll of Public Opinion, through venal pens
and prostituted press; an ability to sub
sidize crowds in every vocation of life-the
politician with his local Importance, the law
ye- with his subtle tongue, and even the
authority of the Judge on the behch; and a
familiar use of men in places high and low,
so that none. from the President to the low
est border Postmaster, should decline to be
its tool all these things and more were
needed; and they were found in the Slave
Power Of our Republic. There, sir, stands
the criminal-all unmasked before you
heartless, grasping, and tyrannical-wlth an
audacity beyond that of Verres, a subilety
beyond that of Machivel, a meanness beyond
that of Bacon, and an ability beyond that of
Hastings. Justice to Kansas can be Sc
cured only by the prostrat,on of this intiu-
ence; for this is the Power beb;nd-greater
than any President-which succorS and sus-
tainS the Crime. Nay, the proceedings |
now arraign derive their fearful consequence
only from this connection.
In now opening this great matter: | am
not insensible to the austere demands of the
occasion: but the dependence of the crime
against Kansas upon The Slave Power is SO
peculiar and important, that trust to be
pardoned while | impress it by an illustra,
ton, which to some may seem trivial Its
related in Northern mythology, that the god
of Force. visiting an enchanted region, was
challenged by his royal entertainer to what
seemed an humble feat of strenglh--merey,
sir, to lift cat from the ground. The god
smiled at the challenge, and, calmly placing
his hand under the belly of the animal, with
superhuman strength, strove. while the back
OF the feline monster arched far upwards,
even beyond reach, and one paw actually
forsook the arth, until at last the discom-
fitted divinity des sted; but he was a little
surprised at his defeat, when he learned that
this creature, which seemed to be a cat. and
nothing more, was not merely cat, but that
It belonged to and was part Of the great
L Gil SGI "IiNhJ III 10
able folds, encircled the whole globe. Even
so the creature, whose paws are now fast
ened upon Kansas, whatever it may seem to
b., constitutes in reality part uf tle Slave
Power, which, with loathsome folds, is now
coiled about the whole land. Thus do ex-
pose the extent of the present contest, where
We encounter not merely local resis' ance,
but also the unconquered sustaining arm be-
hind. But out OF The vastnesS of the Crime
attempted, with all its woe and shame, de-
rive we'll founded assurance of commen-
surate vastress of effort against it, by the
aroused masses of the country, determined
not only to vindcate Right against Wrong,
but to redeem the Republic from the thral-
dom of that Oligarchy, which prompts, di-
rects, and concentrates, the distant wrong.
Such is the Crime, and such the criminal
which it is my duty in this debate to expose,
and, by the blessing OF God, this duty shall
be done completely to the end. But this
will not be enough. The Apologies, which,
with str :nge harddood, have been offered
for the Crime, must be torn away, so that
IL Silull Sluuu lOI "ItllOuI VI
ig-leaf, 20 cover its, ,vieness. And, finally,
the True Remedy must be shown. The
subject is complex in its relations, as it is
transcenGent in Importance; and yet, if |
am honorcd by your attention, hope to ex-
hibit it clearly in all its parts, while con-
duct you to the inevitable conclusion, pat
Kansas must be admitted at once, with her
present Constitution, as a Stae of this
Union, and give new star TO the blue field
of our National Flag. And here | derive
satisfaction from the thought, that the cause
is strong in itself as to bear even the mfr
mites OF its advocates; nJr can it require
ANYTHING beyond that simplicity Of treatment
and moderation of manner which desire to
cultivate. Its true character is such, that
like Hercules, it will conquer just SO soon
as it is recogn sed.
Nv task will be divided under three diff.
ferent heads; first, THE CRIME AGAINST KAN
sAs, in lis OIL in and extent; secon Ay, THE
APOLOGIES FOR THE CRIME; and thirdly, the
True REMEDY.
But, before entering upon the argument
| L UuSJ say SOiliSlulHs5 vi ShuiuOI
er. particularly in response to what ha
fallen from Senators who have raised them
selves to eminence on this floor II champion
sh p Of human wrong mean the Senate
from South Carolina. Mr.. BUrLER,i ant
the Senator from Illinois, Mr.. DOUGLAS,
who, though unlike as Don Quixote AM
Slncho Panza, yet, like this couple, sail.
, forth together in the same adventure. | re
gret much TO miss the elder Senator from
his seat; but The cause, against which h
has run tilt, with such activity of animos
i v, demands that the opportunity Of exp IS
ing him should not be lost; and it is for TIN
, cause that | speak. The Senator fron
South Carolina has read many books Q
chivalry, and believes himself chivalrou
knight, with sentiments of honor and cour
age. OF course he has chosen mis,res
to whom he has made his vows, and who
though ugly to others, is always lovely t
. him; though polluted in the sight of th
IL \ IA