The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-12-04


brough, her husband 10 full stop,
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7 Speech Of Hon, VIM, II, soward,
Dciicrci at Roclctcr, on Mopday, OrL 20
Fellow Cid1cns ~ he unmistnkahlo out
breaks uf zrul which occur all around me
show That you are earnest mcu--uul such i
mnu am !, l.ct ms, therefore at least fur u
time, pass by all secondary and collateral
questions, whether ~ a personal or Of II
general nature, and consider the main sub.
lrct of the present canvass. Tho democratic
party, or, 10 speak more accurately, the party
which wears that attractive nnmr--is ir
poscs,ou Of the federal government The
republicans propose o. diNodgc that party
aud dismiss il from 10, high trust
The main subject, then, is whether the
democratic party deserves to retain the con-
hdcucc OF the American people. Ia attempt.
ing to prove II unworthy, think that / ana
not actuutcd hy prcludicrs against that party,
or hy prvposscssicus b. favor of adversary
iur | have learned, hy somr experience that
virtue aud patriotism, vice aud srlishucss,
are found boz all parties, and that they dil,r
,r.s it their motives than in ihc policies they
pursue. Our country is theatre which tN-
hlhits, in iull operation, two radically different
nWtifltut HN~tFtTH-iliF nfNN lthlfNH ItIN
ua=,s uf sut siir rits, inuuI 80, utityl uii
lhr btsi, OF voluntary labor u! frecmru. The
aborcrs who.orc rn>avrd are all negroes, or
persons more or less purely Of African dcri.
yation. Ht ms ~ oHiy dcridcBtdL The
principle Of thc system is that labor iu every
society, hN WAumsurlcr performed. is urcrs
spriiy uuiutrIlCctuul, gy1NrlliHg and base, and
that the .ibofcf. equal, fer his own good
aud lor lhc welfare of the State, ought to be
cnslaNcd. The white llboriug man, whether
native or foreigner, Is pot cnslaycd only be-
cause he cannot MS yet, be reduced 90 bouI-
Nc. You need not be told now that the
slave ~ stcw Is The Older of the Wo,TD4ttbt
once il was universal. The emancipation ct
our own ancestors, Caucasian, and Europeans,
AS they were, htrdk dates beyond period of
five hundred wears. The great meliorntiou
Of human society which modern times cNhih-
rs il mainly due to the substitution ofthe old
system of voluntary labor flr the uli one o.!
scr,ilr labor, which has already taken place.
This Atricin SLAVE system is one which, in It's
origin aud its growth, has hcop uhugt thcr
foreign from the habits of the races which
coluuizrd these States and established civil.
cation here. II was introduced ON this new
continent ~ an engine Of conquest, and ipt
the establishment Of monarchal power by the
Portuguese and tho Spauiards nud was cap.
idly extended hN them over all South AmUri-
ca, Central America. Louisiana and Mexico.
Its legitimate fruits are seen in the poverty.
imbccilitl and anarchy which now prrvadc all
Portuguese and spanish America. The free
labor system is of German extraction. aud it
was established in our country hy emigrnnts
from Sweden, Holland, durmUHy, Great Brit
ain and Ireland.
We justly ascribc to its influence the
strength wealth, greatness, intelligence and
freedom which the whole American people
now enjoy. One of the chief elements OF
the value Of human life is freedom in the pur-
suit al happiness. Tho-s slave system is not
only intoleraut, unjust ana .inhIman towards
the laborcr, whom, only because he is labor
er, it loads down with chains and converts
into merchandise, but scarcely less so TO the
freeman, to whom only because he is a labor
er from necessity, il denies facilities for en-
ploymert, and whom il cNpcls from the com
munty because il cannot enslayc and convert
him INTO merchandise also. IL is necessarily
improyident and ruinous, because as a gem
eral truth, communities prosper and flourish,
or droop aud decline, in just the degree that
they practice or neglect to practice the prima-
~ duties of justice and humanity. The free
labor system conforms to the divine law of
equality, which is written in the hearts and
conscienccs of men, and therefore is always
and everywhere benehcient
The slave system is one of constant danger,
distrust, suspicion and watchfulncss IL de.
bases those whose toll alone can produce
wealth and resources for defence, to the low
est degree of which human nature is capable,
TO guard against any mutiny and insurrection.
and thus wastes energies which otherwise
might be employed in national development
and aggTandizcment. The free labor system
eduoatos all alike, aud, by opening all the
fields of industrial employment and all the
departments of authority to the unchecked
and equal rivalry of all classes of men, nt
once secures universal contentment and
brings into the highest possible activity all
the physical, moral and social energies OF the
whole States where the slave system prevails,
the masters, directly or indirectly secure all
political power, and constitute ruling aris-
tscracy. In the states where The free labor
systems prevails, universal suffrage necessarily
obtains, and the State inevitably becomes,
sooner or later, q Republic or Democracy
Russia yet maintains slavery, and is a des-
potism. Most of the other European States
have abolished slavery, and idoptcd system
OF free labor. II was the antagonistc polili-
cal tendencies of the two systems which the
FIRST Napoleon was oonteplating when he pre-
dcted that Europe would ultimately be either
all Cossoek OF all Republican. Never did