Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-05-22
Ibe Anti- 5lnucrp Buelr.
WILSON'S REPLY TO HAMMOND ON
THE LECOMPT0N BILL.

In the Lberator of April l6b were some extracts
from speech by Hon. lIeury Wilson. delivered
March 20ih, 1858 in reply to Senator Hammond
of South Carolina, who had not only ueiended
slavery it exlsts in the South. and declared thar
the laborng class, all over the world, are slave.
and must necessarily continue snch. but nureove =.
had used expressions which, however adjusted +,
what called the 'courtesies nt debate, plainly
impute a degraded character and servIie POSITION
70 many of thr Northern Senator's and three.
quarters of the constituents OF them all.
In the passages of his speech above mentioned,
Nj. Wilson Wig ,rou>lg aud nbu!v defended the dig
nifty Of labor owed that the aHhful application
of mans powers To the necessary work of rtie
world he lives in is the proof, ana by neans
the disproof of his manliness and trankl,
appealed To his own history t. show the utter falls
ity and absurdity of the slavehoiers claim that
manly labor is Incompatible with cultivation OF
mind with aspiration towards progress and i'm
proven,ent. and with the attainment of those dis
tnctions and hunurs which are most priced by
kind.
Mr. Wilson did more than this. He vigorously
carried the into the enemy's country and by
well chosen statistics from mpeachabe author
tiles, in regard to the comparative condition of
North aud S.uth relative To Industry, productions
arts sciences. Intelligence. civilization, wealth
credit, snlvency cuntort, security and prospect for
the future. he showed the absurtity and aseho0d
of Senator uunmuud's clam i'll all the;e pNrtic,-
lars.
What Mr.. Wilson has here claimed far himself
and for his constituents and sountryme the l.bo'
ing meil of the North. is perfectly true. Bu, more
than this is true .? Mr. WIlsnH himself. and
take especial pleasure in giving this testimony to
his credit, since we must make untavurabfe criu
cism upon other asprc u his position; and utheI
portions OF his speech. la comparison with that
class of men which Senator Hammuud praises aud
honurs as the highest types AID Euble>t specimen
Of the race-with that class ut the Nurth whose
hands have been hardened by toll, nor their
way hedged up by penury--wilh the men who, be-
ginning life WITH every advantage of high culture
refined society, and the best appliances for iutel-
lectual education, chose the department OF study
and occu patton which was most congeniai TO their
tastes and powers, found IN that occupation itself
a constant culture Of the intellect, were brought
by it into association with the most gifted minds,
and found leisure in it for the cultivation Of ele
CANT lite-atnre-in comparison with Everett, Win
throp and Choate. IIn,d and Lunt, Dewey and
South, side Adams. Mr.. Wilson stands uut illuSTi-
ous and glorious; a living example of the fact that
ndRliHesS springs up more surely from democratic
than from aristocratic cnlture lie opposes slave
ry, up to point where he is withheld by the enter.
ests Of his party; they try to keep their party
persistent and efficient in the support Of slavery.
But the more i'm portant question now comes mp
Can bestUw POSITIVE praise upon Mr.. w ilsOns
speech and upon his position To be nOber than
very mean men is no great distinction. Is Mr..
Wilson true representative OF tue liberty, the
"humanty", the "rightS of man., to which par'
advocate those great principles any further than
they suit the policy Of the Republican party ?-I
Does he deliberately and systematically give up
so much uf right and iLstce as IS found to inter.
fere with the success vt that party IN any emer
gency? Does he differ from Senator Hammond in
kind. only in degree? These questions
which an abolitionist must keep in mind, in look
ing at the speech of Mr.. Wilson.
Abolitionists have good memories, and they
need TO have them, while they deal with politicians
1t would be the extreme of folly if, in our admira.
tion Of the keenness of Mr.. Wilson's retOrts upur
favorer of the extension OF slavery we should for
get that he is himself entirely acqiescent in the
existence of slavery, pledged to that policy and in
fraternal cooperation with men who constant
ly renewing their declarations OF allegiance 10 it,
Ii would be the extreme of folly Ii forget that al
little more than q year ago. in his pa in the
Senate the representative of that party. he dis
claimed for himself and them all 'DE>IRE change
the domestic institutions of the existing States, all
"DIPOsITIoN TO endauger the Relation vt master
and slave"-that, for himself and them, he CiHdt-
Gated the right of the Southern States 10 hold men
in slavery and promised them peace in
simple slavehotdiog, if thew would atan-
don their policy of slave erienson-and that
he has never retracted these declarations,
nor abandoned these positions. 1t would he
the extreme of folly to forget that he is cooperat
lug with the editor of Tribune who is willing to
vote for shareholders, and admit more slave States
to the Union and with Sc ward who declares the
battle to be fought and the victory won; and with
Gooch who finds rights" in the institution ol
slavery. and refuses to make war upon IL and
with Banks, who declares that he is deterninel to
Interfere in no way, at no time and N no extent
with those setional, local and traditional rights
which Shareholders claim and with sumner. whoI
proposed, in his last great speech the restoration
in good faith" Of the Missouri Compromise Il
and that with these men be will labor in the com;