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

! This gentleman who has been elected tc
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.
81 am opposed to despotism throughout the
| world. lnmy judgement, not only the Slave
States, but the General Government recogu1z-
ing as it does, slavery, is despotism. = X x
Despotlsm does not depend upon the number of
rulers. 1t may have one ruler or many Rome
was q despotism under Nero: so she was under
the TrEnyirate: EhthenS was a despotism un-
! der her Thirty Tyrants; under her Four nun
drcd Tyrants; under her Three Hundred w.
rants: X X \ 4 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 Y y
"The rulers and the ruled are of all colors,
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 ali
that appertain to him are the absolute 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 halt the rights Of
lHen, like the subjects of despotic Russia; but
u 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 II an could not take from him. Is he
not then, the subject Of despotic rule
"The slaves Of Athens and Rome were free
i'll comparison. They had some rights-cou'd
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, lis under
the most absolute aud grinding 'lepctism, that
the world ever saw Hut who are the aesrots?
The rulers OF the count.y-tho sovereign peo-
pie! Not merely the slas saholder who cracks
The lash. lie is but the instrument in the
hands Of despotism. That despotism 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 as o paradox,
because you and and the sixta cen millions OF
rulers are free. Nicholas Of Nus7i;s is free
The grand Sultan Of Turkey free. The
butcher Of Austria is Tree. Augustus, An
taony and Lepldus We're free While they
drenched Rome in blood. The thirty TyIants,
the Four hundred Tyran,s, the Three Idous-
and TyraIls. We're tree while they hound ihcig
countrymen i'll chains You, and I. and tile
sixteen millions, are free, while we tas:en iron
chains, and rivct molacles 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-dt2pots sacN us history ui!J
JTuaG and GOD obhor.