True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1856-07-09
Letter of Hon. Josiah Quincy

Letter OF hon. JOSIAH quincy.
E. r. HoAR, Esq Sir: l have re,.
ceived your letter inviting me to attend
the Uniterian Festival, and expressing the
qualification it would give you 10 see
and hear me on that OCCASION 1t would
give me great pleasure TO comply with
your request, did not the very tenor Of
your letter preclude me from it. / per-
ceive that should | attend speech will
be expected from me. But, sir, it would
be impossible for me to utter my opinion
on the subjects with which my heart is
full, without crossing the policy of some.
offending the prejudices Of others and
making, perhaps, the whole company ap.
prehend that had arrived at that period
of second childhood which is sometimes
incident to old age.
My mind is in no state 10 receive pleas
ure from social scenes and friendly inter-
course. can think or speak Of nothing
but the outrages of Shareholders at Kan
sas, and the outrages of shareholders at
Washington-uutrages which, if not met
in the spirit of our fathers Of the Revolu.
ton, land l see no sign that they will be)
our liberties are hut name and our.
Union proves curse. These outlages
constitute series of iniquitously con.
triveL, we'll connected, compact tissue,
ofwhich the Fugitive Slave Law was first,
The repeal of the Missouri Compromise
the second, the invasion of Kansas and
The taking the ballot boxes by storm by
mob of shareholders, the third the en-
couragement Of this sacrilegious foray
against the right of free suffrage. aud the
Ultimate support Of i. by the National
Executive and military arm, the fourth.
The hostile irrupiion of two members Of
Congress in the Senate Chamber of the
United States, armed with deadly blud-
geons, and, probably, secretly, according
10 the habits o! their creed, with bowie
knives and revolvers, and these prosira-
ting on the floor with their bludgeons a
Senator of the United States, sitting peace
ably in his seat, unconscious Of danger,
and, from his position, incapable Of de-
fence, inAicting on him blows until he
sank, senseless, under them. aud which,
il they do not prove mortal, it was not
from want of malignant intent in the COW.
ardly assassins-a and all this for words
publicly spoken in the Senate, in the
course of debate, allowed by the presi-
ding officer to be spoken. and exceeding
not one hairs breadth, any line Of truth
or duty u! This is the 6fth, and the
climax of this series Of outrages, uunpar-
alleled, nefarious and brutal.
/, Such are the facts-.such are the outra.
ges, series Of them, which ought to
ring through every city and field. through
every palace and cottage, Of the free
States which ought to fly, like the fiery
cross on the highlands of Scotland, over
the mountains and through the valleys of
the free States, startling the sleeping,
rousing the thoughtless, uniting the free
clans, and enkindling whatever glimmer.
ing spark that yet remains Of feeling and
spirit, which in former times entitled the
inhabitants of the free States 10 the char.
acier of patriots, and fearless, farseeing
statesmen. But alas |! Sir, ! see no
principle of vitality in what is called free.
dom in these times. see divisions
enough, and parties enough. see every
,ohim setting up for itself, and calling and
expecting all the rest of the world to fol-
low in It's train. But Of thoughtful,
concentrated, determined principle Of uni
ted action, united to the occasion, which
spurnins the desire Of place, and the
hope Of emolument, and the hankering
for office, and actuated solely for the ad.
vance of public good and general welfare,
| see nothing. The palsy Of death rests
. on the spiri. of freedom in the SO called
free States ~
In my opinion it is time to speak on
the housetop what every man who is wor-
. ,hv of the name Of freeman ut,ers in the
chamber and feels in his heart. BY a
series Of corruption, intrigue and cunning.
, bribing the high by appointments Of state,
, the low by the hope OF emoluments.
playing between the parties in the free
States, and counieracting one BY the other
by flattering the vain. paying the mean,
and rewarding the subservien', the slave
holders have, in the course Of fifty years,
usurped the whole constitutional powers
Of the Union, have possessed themselves
of the Executive Chair. Of the Halls Of
Congress, of the National Courts Of JUS
tice, ard Of the military arm, leaving
nothing of hope to the spirit Of freedom
in the free States but public speech ~
the Legislature, snd the ballot box. The
one a Shareholders mob is crushing in
Kansas, the other deputation from the
slayeholdsrs Of the House Of Representa-
tives have aitsmpied 70 crush BY q slave
holders bludgeon. My heart is too full.
, If / should pour forth all that's in i,
both paper end time would fail me.
Truly lam yours,
r JOSIAH QUINCY.
Quincy, May q, '56.