St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1858-11-11
Thaddeus Stephens.

,Ehls gentleman who has been elected to
the next Congress, from Pennsylvania, was
a member in 1850; and on the goth of
February Of that year, delivered speech
OF which we give an extract below. He
will be apt to add greatly to Mr.. Buchan-
ans felicity during The last years Of his
reign. d - rs
q am opposed to despotism throughout the
world. Mmy judgement, not only the Slave
States, but the General Government recognIz
ing as it does, slavery, is a despotism. = \ X
Despotlsm does not depend upon the number of
rulers. It may have one ruler or many Rome
was q despotism under Nero: so she was under
the Tru,nyirate. thens was. a despotisna I'M
der her Thirty Tyrants under her -Four nun-
dred Tyrants; under her Three Hundred "
rants: : : < In this government, the free
white citizens are the rulers--the soyereigns
as we delight to be called. All others are sub
jects. y x X X ,~>*s ,~2sse asss>~-- ---~-
t"The rulers and the ruled are of all co}ors.
from the clear white Of the Caucasian tribes to
the swarthy Ethiopian. The former by court
esy, are called white, the latter black. In
this government the subject has no rights, So
cial, personal and political. He has no voice
in the laws which govern him. He can hold
no property. His very wife and children are
not his. His labor is another's. He and all
that appertain to him are theabsolute property
of his rulers. He is governed, bought, sold,
punished, executed, by laws to which he never
gave his assent, and by rulers he never chose
lie is not serf, merely, with half the rights Of
lsen, like the subjects of despotic Russia; hut
d naked slave, stripped Of every right which
COD and nature give him, and which the high
spirit OF our revolution declared inalienabie-.
which, he himself could not surrender. and
which 1nan could not take from him. Is he
not, then, the subject Of a despotic rule
tsThe slaves Of Athens and Rome were free
in comparison. They had some rights-could
acquire some property; could choose their own
masters, and purchase their own freedom, and,
when free could rise in social and political
life. The slaves OF America, then, lie under
the most absolute aud grinding depctism, that
the world ever saw. But who are the Gespots?
The rulers OF the count,sy-the sovereign peo-
pie! Not merely the Shareholder who cracks
the lash. lie is but the instrument in the
hands Of despotism. That Iespotism is the
government Of the Slave States, and the United
States, consisting Of ali its rulers, all the free
citizens DO not look upon this ns o paradox,
because you and and the sixteen millions OF
rulers are free. Nicholas Of Nus,ia is free
The grand Sultan of Turkey free. The
butcher OF Austria is free. Augustus, An
thony and Lepidus were free willie they
drenched Rome in blood The thirty Tvrants,
the -Four hundred Tyran,s, the Three Thous-
and Tyranta., were free while they hound ihcir
countrymen in chains. You, and I, and fle
sixteen millions, are free, while we tasten iron
chains, and rivet manacles on four millions OF
our fellow men; tear their wives and children
from them; seperatc them; sell them and doom
them TO perpetual, eternal bondage. Are we
not then despots-acspots such as history acNJ
brand and God abhor