Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-08-01


aius N clay
A Republican Fee State Organization has
been made in Kcnion aud Campbell couoties,
Kentucky, a platform adopted, and candidates
nominated. J. r.. Whiuemorc, of Campbell
county, is the candidate for Congress Abner
Williams and A. p. Harrison, of Keuton Co.,
and VIM. II. W. Luke, Of Campbell county,
the Republican candidates for the State Leeis-
lature. The election in Kentucky takes place
August let, aud though there is no prospect Of
the election of the Republican ticket in the
counties named, the candidates are active
friends Of freedom, and it is a step forwerd to
have such a ticket brought out and voted for at
all in a Slave State where the vote by ballot i'
not allowed to the masses.
Friday.tvening Republican meeting was
held at Covington, Ky. That Southern cham.
pion of Free Soil, Free Labor, and Free Speech,
the Hon CAsstUs NJ CLAY, addressed au au-
disnce of two Thousand people for two hours
in his plain, fearless and convincing manner.
We copy from the Cincinnati Gazette the fol-.
lowing sketch of his telling speech
LIBERTY AND DEspOTISM.
After alluding to the right OF every citizen
Of KenJucky-a State professedly free, and re.
publican in its iustitutions--to express frankly
his political sentiments no man, the speaker re-
marked, could fail to see that there was now
crisis in the history OF our Republic, which
called upon the patriotism aud statesmansbip
however humble-of every man who loved
his country. The great Napoleon had well
said that Europe must ultimately be either all
Republican or all Cossack There was an end
less conflict between the principles of Repub-
licanism and of DespOtsm one could not exist
in Europe beside the other. Freedom was an
Evsium upon which the subjects of a dcspotism
could not look, without aching to te free them
selves and the rise and fall Of Napoleon af
forled apt illustrations of the truth of his own
saying. Human nature was the same here as
in Europe and though we called ourselves
Republican,, the love Of power was as strong
here as there, and the same eternal conflict Of
opinions was going on. Nothing Of the slight
est value-not even one of our growing crops
could be preserved but by our own excrtions;
aud how could we expect our hbery-pro
nOunced by all philosophers, statesmen and
jurlsts the most priceless Of possessiona-to be
maintained without eternal vigilance
AGGREssIoNs OF SLAVERY.
When the Federal Constitution was made,
Slavery was in conflict with the principles Of
Liberty and Progress. 1t stood in the very
Convention which framed it, in the persons OF
the representatives from Georgia and South
Carolina, and there, as always, dictated to us.
1t said to our fathers who had sent forth the
Declaration of Independence "li YOU de not
make a CunstitL ton recognising Slavery, and
permitting the importation OF slaves for twenty
years, all your lpbors lor liberty and the forma
ton of a Union, shall be undone, and you shall
be driven back perhaps to another conflict with
Great Britain Under the fear of this dread
alternative the point had been yielded, ard a
Constitution formed indirectly recognizing the
institution. During the early years Of the
Government, the incOmpatibility, incongruity,
and impOssibility of the co-existence of Slavery
and Liberty had not been fully developed But
the subsequent history of the country had Prov
ed that those interested in Slavery had been
eternally vigiant, never losing sight Of the
political and social power they derived from it,
until it had grown from a suppliant to a great
Power threatening to Overspread the whole
continent and carry US back to the desputism
of ancient ages This was its present relation
to the interests of the American people and
conservative men of the North, South, East and
West had been driven from neutrality into tax.
ing position upon it, The hope of Henry,
Lee franklin, Adams, Jay and Morris, when
by the ordinance of 'S7 they dedicated all the
unoccupied territory Of the country to eternal
freedom, that it WAS destined to speedy e1tinc
ton, had proved fatal illusion. 1t had spread
in the admission Of Kentucky, Tennessee Lou.
isiana and Missouri and under the name of
Conservatism, and the threat of the dissolution
of the Union, had again and again triumphed
over the laborers of the South and the North,
and invaded he territory set apart to be forever
free. Was there any one within the sound of
his voice, whether calling himself Democrat,
Wing, American or Republican, who did not
feel that the enslavement of ANY man invaded
the rights and degraded the position OF every
other man who earnedh his bread with his hands
THE COMPROMISES.
Influenced, he knew not by what fatal spirit
of compromise, in 1920 the frecmen of the
North and the South had at last said Take
Missouri give it up TO this system which de.
grades every man that holds plow or drives
a team-which would have the capitalist own
the labOrer-but it must not extend to more
territory north of 5000 let that be etenally
consecrated to free labor--open to the free EN-.
igrant from the North and those from the
South driven out by the terrible competition of
this mslign system" That compromise was
considered so sacred that the conservative
journals of the day, the National Intelligencer,
and Niles Register declared that when il should
be oYerthrowD, American liberty would be
overthrown with it. Yet the Slave Power,
which had made it, was the first TO lay sacrile-
gious HANDS upon this great pacific measure.
When Texas, slave State, with the privilege
Of being divided into five slave States desired
admission, 1t was promptly welcomed to the
Union but California, which opened to MS 3
commerce OF which any empire might be proud,
because free State, was kept waiting Tor a
year; and then only admitted under a - com.
promise including the enactment of the Flu.
gtiye Slave Law, with its odiOus and invidious
provisions, suhiecting American frcemon to in.
yasions of their rights such as no British sub
ject could be subjected TO.
MAGOFFIN AND BELL.
Repeatedly this question had been "fnallV
setlled"--buried forever; but it always burst
the cerements of the grave and appeared again.
The trouble had always been, with the formers
of the compromises Of the past, and the Ma
gofiin5 and josh Bells of to day, that they
dealt with measures, not principles This was
what he called quackeTy, empricism, politics,
not craftsmanship. The present contest in
Kentucky excited little interest and no euthu-
siasm, because it dealt with sequences and
measures only-Was ON the suriace-did not
dare 20 touch the great principles involved
Every intelligent man in the State knew and
felt this. The South" which Mogofhu and
Bell talked about, meant the Slave Power; it
| ignored and forgot the mechanics and white
laboring free men of the Southern States.
DOUGLAS AND BUCHANAN.
The speaker went into an extended and
amusing review oi the course of Mr. Douglas.
who was described as "a little, square shoudered
fellow, with head somewhat fiat on the top,
owing to limited moral qualities and what the
Hoosier girl denOminated an infynte small
chance of legs" Mr. Clay contended that his
cnmran had hpnn ON the uhnIe nnn of nnn.tn,,t