Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-02-27
A BUNcOMBE SPEECH.

| The Bill passed by the Legislature Of Ohio
| for repeating the law which prohibits the use Of
our jas to the U. y. foI keeping fugitive slaves.
has called forth considerable sharp debate 10 both
houses. A few days ago. in the Senate, Professor
| Monroe of Loran made an eloquent speech
against the repeal of the law. lie was followed
! by Mr. Plant, of Meigs,-a very plain looking
man. who wears his hair cropped, shaves closely,
and has had but little 10 say since his entrance upon
legislative life, in what that gentleman styled
"Buncombe speech" If more of the Buncombe
soeecbes made in our Legislature and Congress
ware ns nointedly truthful as Mr.. Plants proved
TO be. i, would he better for all concerned. On
rising Mr.. p said
Mr. President-I am from very close county
where the real political maj jorty is very uncert:n
On this account desire TO make Il speech Tor
BuncomJe; one that will suit both sides and in
order TO satisfy all the different interests among
my constituents propose to make speech on
one side and vote the other. The gentleman
from Lorain prof Monruel has said that be could
see no use in the passage Of the bill at this time,
when, in fact, there are many reasons why 1t
should pass now one of these. and very impUr-
tart one, that the permanency OF the Demo
cratic party depended upon II, and modern De
mucracy as he understood il was n wise arrange
ment to prerent peopie from running about loose!
The gentleman from Lorain seemed to think
that our iuils were Designed to be used only for
the confinement Of criminals, and in this he
would agree with him. But who are criminals
That gentleman had in n most eloquent manner,
drawn affecting picture Of the tugIuve slave
mother who had escaped with her slave child from
Nirginia-Now, he could show that this
" oman was u criminal of the worst sort Accord
ing to me gentleman's own showing, the woman,
when she arrived in Ohio with her child, was re-
Guced to mere skeleton-a skeleton IN rags
she guilty of three great crimes. First, evil
IDENTIFY guilty of grand larceny in stealing her
-l..l Ia ~, ,ha har staP she
hal also cm6ezzled and wasted her own body.
which vas no less her masters; and lastly, she
had committed high treason against the National
Government--for WAS itnot shawn Sy speeches
made by Democrats of this body and Of Congress,
and 50 understood throughout the Union, that this
Government was founded on niggers? 1t has
been declared treason to attempt to destroy the
Government and would il not be an 'attempt" to
destroy the Government in undermining Its toun-
dation by stealing away the niggers upon which
it rests? The common relation OF pillars and ed
ihces proves this.
Then we are told by tie member from Lorain,
that even for the sake of comfy il was degrading
to catch niggers he viewed it differently. Catch
ing niggers was not degrading bu. honorable
W hat does honorable mean Men are called Hon
orable and why? Unquestionably because they
are in Office and it is well known that Democrats
cannot get office under this government unless
willing TO catch nggers. Once holding made
men honorable. Then were not the means whicf
made men Office holders equally honorable? II
must follow Of course-that the end Justlhes th'
means, is principle of Democracy
| The member from Lorain, being professor OF
moral sciences, might on that account be excused
from not understanding the exacter sciences ou'
is certainly not easily pardoned for the error
INTO which he had fallen in regard to the natural
instincts of ood-hounds, as far as nigger catch
ing is involved. Blood-hounds know nothing o'
niger catching until trained to it-whle THIS Vo
cation seemed to be the natural instincts ei Demo
crata. Dogs and Democrats were not naturally }
on the same level, and hence it was necessary u
bring the latter down to .he position Of the for
mer, or vice versa. 1t was evident that Monroe
owed an apology to somebody. either 10 the Dog
or Den,ocrat--he didn't kpow which.