Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-05-19

sions and instructions and yet this total
/ abStaining does not exempt us from the charge
and the denunciation.
The question reeurs, what will satisfy them!
| Simply this: We must not only let them
! alone, but we must somehow convince them
we do let them alone. This we know by ex-
| perience, is no easy task. We have been try
ing so to convince them from the very begin.
ming of our organization, but with no success.
In all our platforms and speeches, we have
| constantly protested our purpose TO let them
| alone but this has had no tendency to con
vince them. Alike unavailing to convince
them is the fact that they have never detected
man of us in attempting to disturb them.
! These natural and apparently adequate
| means failing, what will convince them This,
and this only: cease to call slavery aUrong, and
! join them in calling it right. And this must be
| done thoroughly-done in acts as well as
ioordS Silence will not be tolerated-we place
ourselves avowedly with them. Douglass
new sedetiOn law must be enacted and entorc-
ed, suppressing all declarations that slavery
Is wrong, whether made in politics, in presses,
in pulpits, or in private. We must arrest and
return their fugitive slave with greedy plea
sure. We must pull down our free-state con-
situations. This whole atmosphere must be
disnfected from all faint of opposition to sav-
cry, before they will cease to believe that all
Lnelr troubles proceed from us.
Once more: If slavery is right, all words,
| acts, laws, and constitutions against it, are
themselves wrong and should be silenced and
swept away Ii it is right, we cannot justly
object to its nationalty-its universally If it
is wrong, they cannot justly insist upon its ex-
tenson-its enlargement. All they ask, we
could readily grant, if we thought slavery
right all we ask, they could as readily grant, if
they thought it wrong. Their thinking it
right, and our thinking it wrong, is the precise
fact upon which depends the whole contro-
versy. Thinking it right, as they do, they are
not 10 blame tor desiring its full recognition, as
being right: but, thinking it wrong, as we do
can we yield to them Can we cast our votes
with their view and against our own! In
view of our moral, sociable, and political re-
sponsibilities can we do this
In conclusion Wrong as we think slavery
is, we can yet afford to let it alone where 1t Is,
because that much is due to the necessity arts
ing from its actual presence in the nation; but
can we, while our votes will prevent it, allow
it to spread into the national territories, and to
overrun us here in these free states
If our sense of duty torbids this, then let us
stand by our duty, tearlessly and effectively
Let US be diverted by none of those sophst-
cal contrivances wherewith we are so indus
triously piled and Observation-Disclosures |
such as cropping for some middle ground be-
tween the right and the wrong, vain as the
search for man who should be neither ly
ing man nor dead man-such as a policy OF |
don't care" on question about which all
true men do care-such as Union appeals be- !
seeching true Union men to yield to disunion-
lists, reversing the divine rule, and calling, not |
the sinners, but the righteous to repentance
such as invocations of Washington, imploring |
men to unsay what Washington said and undo |
what Washington did.
Neither let us be slandered from our duty
by false accusations against us, nor frightened
from it by menaces Of destruction to the gov
eminent, nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let
us have faith that right makes might; and in
that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our
duty, as we understand it.
Such words are worthy the Republican
standard bearer. 1t will of interest to hear
what the Tribune said of the speech from
which we have quoted, and of the speaker
the morning after it was delivered :-"Since
the days of Clay and Webster, no man has
spoken to a larger assembage of the intellect
and mental culture of our city. Mr.. Lincoln
is one of Natures orators using his rare pow
ers solely and effectively to elucidate and con-
vince, though their inevitable effect is to de-
light and electrify as well. We present here
with very full and accurate account of lis
speech; yet the tones, the gestures, the kim
ding eye and mirth-provoking look, defy the
reporters skill. The vast assemblage fire.
quently rang with cheers and shouts of APP
plause, which were prolonged and intensified
at the close. No man ever before made such
an impression on his first appeal to New
York audience"