Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1859-04-22

the public mind, and Dir. Buchanan fuunC
it necessary, in order to carry the election
in his own State, to pledge himself dis
tinctly to the maintenance of the doctrine
of popular sovereignty, and to defend thu
rights Of those who had been ruthlessly
despoiled. will not pretend to indicate
the particular weakness. in his nature thai
induced him to turn the hand OF the sui
eide against his own fame, as it matter:
little whether it arose from timidity,a feal
of his enemies outweighing love Of biz
friends, a careless disregard of fair deal
ing, or weak and puerile vanity. 1t |:
enough to know that he deceived all our
hopes, turned with the blackest ingrati
tude upon that self-sacrticing friendship
by which he reached the goal of his fever
ish ambition, and sought by all the mean:
within the reach Of drunken and stagger'
ing authority, to disgrace every man he
could not debauch. Suddenly, and as BY
the touch of the wand OF the magician, be
became transformed from the sympathlzer
with down trodden freedom, to the open
aud shameless defender of aggressive and
law defying slavery.
The halls of the National Legislature
we're turned into marts for conscience; be
published bis interpretations Of party
principles and platforms, with the AFRO
ganee of dictator; and commanded his
subordinates in office, and bis coward
slaves, to reiterate and proclaim bis bulls
of party accommodation against all who
were rash enough to follow an indepen-
dent judgment. These acts of themselves
are enough to sever allegiance. 1t would
be an ill-shapen manhood which could
tolerate them in silence. But because We
denounce them, we are mathematical as
'rebellious." Sir, we will see where the
rebellion will end. 1t will end IN the su-
premacy of the laws; in the integrity Of
the constitution in the publication Of
parties in the sworn loyalty of exeeu-
tives and the vigorous growth, material
greatness, and eternal dominance of the
North. That is where it will end. Pop
ular sovereignty invoked by the South, will
be defended by us, and it shall unfold the
yelled, yet dimly discovered destiny of
this great republic. We are battling for
the right, for the spirit of the institutions
our fathers established; let US feel that
we are doing this, and we will accomplish
the victory of our century. Not mere
naked triumph at the polls, but the great
success afterwards-the untrammeled self
government of man the dedication of
continent to consistent liberty.
Those who stop to talk Of Cancellation
and compromises between US and the self
constituted oracles of the Democratic
party, can have but feeble appreciation
of the condition of things When you
can harmonize light and darkness, iuteg-
ri,y and corruption, the patriotic devotion
of the private citizen to the principles of
our government, with a tyranny worse
than that of the middle ages, it will be
time enough to cry ''peace." Let this
truth be made prominent-that there is
an eternal antagonism between Freedom
and Slavery. The constitution of the hu-
man mind aud the human heart makes it
inevitable and the one or the other must
eventually gain the ascendeucy. The
struggle between them, but just begun, is
now going on in our midst, and he is but
a superficial observer who does not dis
cover it. We have acted honcrably-
benevolently. For long, long years, We
have defended the chartered rights OF our
southern brethren We have even couced-
ed their exactions; We have given them
all the advantages springing from unequal
legislation We have changed policy to
suit their notions of interest; until, hav-
ing grown fat, they demand as peroga-
tive what we granted as favor, and hav-
ing found a President without affections,
a sworn officer not afraid of perjury, will
ing to back their pretenslons, they would
now treat us as a common enemy, and
brand our names with indelible infamy.
They have done more-they have gone
farther; they have come amongst Us, and
bribcd cupidity with gold, ambition with
promotion, and vanity with temporary
consequence, to do violence TO Justice
Longer forbearance not on y ceases to be
virtuous, bu, it becomes cowardly and
base. The North has rights, long in abey
ance truly, yet not lost; We will save
them by walls of fire and blood, if needs
be, We will save them.
in what l have just said, l would not
be Misunderstood; l know l can not
escape misrepresentation. l would resist
aggression on the part Of the South, not
her constitutional guarantees and | would
force plain, distinct, unequivocal recog
milton of the rghtful claims of the North;
nothing more, nothing less. Who can
safely complain of this?
wish | could stop here. If this were
all of the accusation, We might forget the
past in the exercise of profuse charity,
but unfortunately, We are not allowed to
do so. A usurpation has been accomplish
ed which saps the very foundation of our
political structure Mr.. Buchanan has
demanded an absorption Of the powers Of
Congress in those Of the Executive. To
carry out his treachery to US, be has as
sailed the representatives of the people.
He has bribed the venal, rewarded the
aspiring, alarmed the timid, aud deceived
the honest. BY such means was the Le-
comnton Constitution carried into proyl