St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-07-14
Letter from Cassius NJ Clay.

GENTLEMEN Your favor Of the 10th
is received too late to accept 1t on my
part. I deeply sympathise with you in
your movement against the advances Of
"Slavery and despotism." The scenes
which are now being enacted in Cleveland
where men are fined and imprisoned for
the exercise of the highest instincts Of
heathen philaS Sthropy and Christian NOR
ality, in violatjen- Of the sacred principles
of our government and the utter over
throw Of the much vaunted Constitution,
are we'll calculated to arouse a sluggish
people to action, and awake the sleepiest
from their fatal slumbers! / always ha-
ted and denounced the Fugitive Slave
Law; not only because it violated the Uni
ted States Constitution return of fu-
gitives from labor being duty imposed
upon the States only according to the un-
bought dicta Of the "Expounder Of the
Constitution" Daniel Webster, and de-
MED to Congress- s-but because it violated
all the safeguards Of freedom, jeoparded
the life, liberty and happiness not only of
the humble and hated African, but Of ev-
cry proud Saxon in the land, and made
justice mockery in all its forms but be-
cause it heeasiztatea ema degraded our
manhood, and fitted us to be ourselves
slaves, which our masters long since de-
signed. --i = @I<1|'' -: i - ".3
, Gentlemed allow me to be little ego
tistical. In a letter to the members Of the
New York Legislature, dated Jan. 9, 1916,
I used these words ''This is no longer
a question about Africans they
be beasts or men-a debate about maudlin
philanthropy but avhether we, the eight
cen millions of white men Of these States,
shall be ireemen or slaves !"- =" -.5l.sD:
These sentiments and utterances werc
denounced as the most atrocious and fa-
natical all over the North; and what. little
reputation had for common, sense. was
for long years lost Nv hat say you now,
men Of Ohio j.? What think YOU Of the
expulsion of the Representatives, of Massa-
chusetts, seeking legal redress of wrongs
in the courts of the United States, from
Charleston and New Orleans? What
think you Of the army and navy present
in Boston to enforce an Unconstitutional
law? What; think you Of tho trials Of
American citizens for their lives for econ
structive treason? ?"4 What think you: Of
the selling. Northern citizens into South.
ern slavery?'v What think you of the. gov
ermental murders in Kansas? ! W hat think
you iof the military. dictatorship there! :; ;
What think you Of the armed overthrow Of
the ballot BY the national bayonets? w na::
think you Of the political attempts to vote
. minority Constitution over tbe heads Of
the freemen Of Kansas, and to drive it down
With sword and ball? What think YOU Of
the decishn Of the Supreme Court that
the black man has no rights which the
white man is bound to respect What
think you Of their dicta that citizens of'
Free States are not citizens Of the United
!: States: Y bat think You Of the -Dr3,da
Scott Seott Decision lan IN its real
slavery z; =, IS Z. the only sovereignty Of these
= otatss-n; e. III; the IAN henage Of the Kent.;s,kv
a. and : Kansas E laws, 4 mans right Is his
save rs higher than all laws law IS and const;-
tutions - What thinlE YOU, of thst sor4 ',l y
a1shiggher law?'2 What think von Hf1 of.ha :. 1
san1olyo political I;2li t movement, under aDemo-1
oeId.lc oe ~ g auspices, which wiill,iin 1861
eau upon you to invest Congress- ,l,1, With the
2oWer to pqtitinto practice !: Ii iall.the Ter. M
eo,: tlteoos1es, and then IN all the StatasS Yon M
Milling @ 4 sSs know q,
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