Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-11-21


the firm allies of the shareholders, and the
warm partisans of a spurious democracy
One of these-a German-has recently ad-
dressed Haunting pro slavery letter, through
a democratic journal in Ohio, to that old vet
eran in the cause of freedom, Hon. Joshua
R. 'Giddings. Mr.. Giddings replies to him in
spirited and effective manner, in the Ash
tabula Sentinel-the following being the con-
Guiding portion of his letter:
"You insist that we shall legislate for the
protection of those who labor. To me, that
would be most pleasant and gratifying EN- :
ployment. My life has been passed in the
midst of laboring people, and all my sympa
tines are with those who toll. But here again
the two great parties of the nation stand in
hostile array against each other one claim
ing the right of each and every individual to
the avails of his own labor, unfolding the
dignity and maintaing the moral and political
influence of those who cultivate the earth,
while the other insists that wherever Congress
possesses exclusive jurisdiction, there the
wealthy, the powerful the aristocratic, may
compel the poor, the weak, the friendless, the
| ignorant, to labor for the benefit OF their OPP
| pressors; they may be robbed of their earn
ings, their intelligence, and their offspring,
with impunity, and may be bought and sold
| and made merchandise You, openly voting
and acting with such party, turn round, de
mand of me, as your representative, TO over
throw your own influence, your vote, and the
power OF your party, by maintaining the rights
and the dignity of labor L beg you to be.
heYe, that so far as my humble influence ex-
tends, to the utmost limit of my talents, to
the latest moment of my life, will comply
with this request.
Again, you demand, in strong language,
that | shall cease my anxiety and labors for
the black man, and turn my attention to the
interests of the white people. This language
surprises me. HAS God given you any right
which he has withheld from the man of dark
complexion Thesuggestion is derogatory to
the character of Deity, is blasphemy against
his attribute of justice. Do you deny that
the black man Folds from God the same right
to live, the same right to the food which he
gathers BY his toll, which you possess These
are rights which Republicans hold to be com.
mon and universal. That you should ask
me to leave the black man in our own State,
or under the exclusive jurisdiction of Con-
gress, to be robbed and murdered, surprises
me. [ will be accessory to no such crimes.
You go where you please III pursuit Of hap
piness The black man holds from the ON.
nipotent mind the same right. Neither white
nor black shall be deprived of these rights, if
can prevent it. But if tyranny, oppression,
and injustice are to rule our people, 1 a0iH not
select their Usctjms
We have recently seen worthy colored
man shot down, murdered, in the most popu-
lous city of our State, by an officer of the fed
eral oIernment. l would have protected him
just as freely as would have projected you
l would have slain the murderer in defence of
the victim, if necessary to his protection.
would now hang the murderer as willingly as
l would had he murdered you or the Presi-
dent of the United States; but while you
sanction, by your vote and influence the
murder of black men, you insist that / shall
cease my efforts and anxiety for their protec-
ton. l loiU not do It! While able to speak,
to give vote, or WELD weapon, 1 will, to
the extent of my influence and power, pro-
tect all men in the enjoymentot life
And you say the negro is ignorant and de-
| graded. That is the argument of the Demo-
cratic party. Suppose it true, have they less
claims upon our sympathys Are we at lib
erty to rob the poor, to oppress the weak, to
despise the humble have no pity for the
rich, the wealthy, the mighty men of onr
land, who enjoy all their own rights, and
often encroach upon the rights of Others.
| But do not wish to enter into this contro-
negroes, as to which possesses superior intel
hgence and moral elevation, but would not
close my eyes toobvious facts.
There are. in our State, twenty.six thou
sand colored persons and do not hesitateto
say, that, without reference to Germans,
there are fifty thousand white foreigners, and
an equal number Of white natives, holding
| with you to the degradation of the blacks, but
who are far below them in point of intelli-
| gence and moral character. Nor shall l do
any injustice to the late Democratic candidate
for Governor Of Ohio, when l say, that Red
mond, and Douglass, and Pennington, and
Ward and Morris, and many other black
| men of our country and State are his peers
in all that constitutes moral excellence,
But there are many black men and many
white men, many foreigners and many native
born, who are ignorant. The Republican
party would protect all those, under the ex-
| elusive jurisdiction of Congress, or of the free
States, in the pursuit of happiness, and in the
attainment of knowledge. Our platform goes
avow that my own object is, not merely to
| protect the :, but to Inform, educate, refine,
and raise 4, I'm to a moral elevation, far high
| er and broader than the sphere Of thought, in
which the minds of those who seek to degrade
them now revolve.
The object of human existence is moral ell
ovation. Man is happy in proportion to the
| development of his moral nature. If every
black person in the universe possessed the
learning or the virtue of Locke or Milton,
mankind would be just so much better and
happier. Neither you nor l, nor any white
man. would be less intelligent or less happy.
To elevate our race is the appropriate labor of
statesmen, phianthropists. and Christians.
Parents spend their time and property to de-
velope the intellectual ability of their child
rem. For this purpose, schools, academies,
| and colleges, are established. Tract and mis-
sionary societies are formed, and teachers and
ministers are employed, to enlighten the g-
norant, raise up the degraded reform the VIC
iohs, comfort the afflicted, relievethe oppress-
ed, administer to the wants Of the needy, and
light up the intellects of those who dwellin
| mental darkness.
| These efforts constitute the highest and ho-
lest employment ef good men. The immae-
ulate Nazarere spent his life in this work it
was worthy OF his divine mission. To effect
this object, the aid of Heaven is daily invoked
at every family altar and on the Sabbath,
every pulpit is made vocal with the PRAYER
that God would enlighten the ignorant, re-
1 lieve the oppressed, reform the vicious, and
send the light of the Gospel to those who sit
in moral darkness. ,.-
To defeat these objects, and prevent the AL
mighty from granting these prayers, the Dem
ocrats Of our slave States have enacted laws
subiecting to fine and imprisonment those
who teach slaves (black or white) to read the
fAoau,1 ,rl o1o,,n4a tbnir cum voarot ,..,...n .