The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-05-17

struck with the Inconsistency of an an.
peal for their own liberties, while hold.
ling in bondage their fello w-men, guilty
only of. skin not colored like their
own;" and the citizens of Georgia, in
Il775, sent forth to the world the follow
ing manifesto: 1of9iTHoo ls9nod li9i
"To show the world that we are not Influenced
by any contracted or interested motives, but by
general philanthropy for all mankind, of whatever
climate, language compilation we hereby declare
our disapprobation and abhorrence of the unnatur-
al practice of slavery as howeyer the uucultv ated
state of the country or other specious arguments
may plead for it) a practice founded in injustice
and cruelty, and highly dangerous to our liberties
as well as lives, debasing part of our fellowcrea-
lures below men, and corrupting the virtue and
morals of the rest" on -9fi0se2 Rfa i.e'%l
Mr.. Chairman, if any Georgian to-
day should stand over the graves of
the men who placed this sentiment up
on record, and repeat it as his own
earnest conviction, he would be driven
by the Democracy from his house and
his hearthstone as traitor to his par
ty, or lynched as felon and an outlaw.
George Washington was President
Of the convention Which framed the
Constitution, and he was surrounded
by men who were fresh from the coun-
ellis and contests of the revolutionary
struggle they had drunk in the spirit
of the contest, and they had came to-
gether, as they expressed ii, "to secure
to themselves and their children the
blessings of liberty, while they spared
no occasion to denounce the evil. the
wrong, and the curse of human bond
age. 3se 20 sfbaiT iii 48Vo33T ~ u8a
Washington said "his vote never
would be wanting for thospassage of
the law to abolish slavery.p / He writes
to John r. Mercer. ff .u io S5ios +
Il never mean, unless some particular circum-
stances should compel me to it, to possess another
slave by purchase, it being among my first scishes
to see some plan adopted by which slavery in this
country may be abolished by law" r, 80
Mr.. Jefferson declared, in .l774:
The abolition of domestic slavery is the great
est object of desire in the three colonies where it
was unhappily introduced in their infant State"
And at a later period of his life, as
the result Of more mature experience,
he says: e3tti7lfal 2ai + lf 1
"Nothing is more certainly written in the book
of fate than that these people the negroes are to
be free nor is it less certain that the two races
equally free, cannot live in the same Government.
Nature, habit opinion, have drawn indelible lines
of distinction between them. 1t is still in our
power to direct the process of emancipation and
deportation, and in such slow degree as that the
evil will wear off insensibly, and their place be,
p1ri passu filed up by free white laborers. If on
the contrary, it is left to force itself on, human
nature must shudder at the prospects held up"
Patrick Henry adds his testimony,
in letter dated january ls, 1893.
az believe a time will come when an opportunity
will be offered TO abolish this lamentable evil
Everything we can do is to improve it, if it hap
pens in our day. if not, let transmit TO our de-
scendants together with slaves pity for their
unhappy lot. and an abhorrence of slavery, If we
cannot reduce this wished-for reformation to prac-
tice, let treat the unhappy victims with lenity
1t is the furtherest advance we can make toward
stice. 1t is debt we owe to the purity of our
religion, to show that it is at variance with that
law which warrants slavery. Es. g. i.
And another eloquent and eccentric
son of the Old Dominion John Ran
dolph) says: hss 99f ~ I..d haei4
'I give to my slaves their freedom to which my
conscience tells me they justly entitled 1t has
a long time been matter of the deepest regret to
me, that the circumstances under which Inherited
laws of the land, have prevented my emancipating
them in my lifetime, which tits my full intention
to do in case can accomplish it." M snt ~
And now, where would these men
of the olden time stand, if they were
once more in the land they loved, and
for which they labored? What fellow
ship would our modern democracy hold
with Thomas Jefferson ? Where is
the Democrat who dare announce as
his political creed the sentiments of a
Washington? Who in the ranks of
that organization dare repeat the old
republican doctrines of Madison, a
Henry, and a Randolph I? What DEM
ocratic convention will enunciate in its
platform the great truths that our faith
ers blazoned forth in the Declaration
of Independence = s8Jaelfi 4
Mr.. Chairman, none dare do it. ex-
cept at the sacrifice Of the party stand
ing. The man who stands up and
avows his belief and concurrence in the
blood baptized doctrines of our fathers,
will very speedily find himself outside
of this Democratic organizations. That
party sprrns the teachings of sages
and statesmen, as heresies and abstrac-
tions, and calls the Declaration of In
dependence "a string of glittering gen
cralities." New lights guide their foot
steps new counsels govern their votes.
l have quoted the Democratic doc
trine as expounded by Virginians of
the old school. Now, by way of con-
trast, let me quote the doctrine of mod
ern Virginia Democracy. On the 9th.
of January last, gentleman Mr..
Smith who once filed the executive
chair in the Old Dominion, and who is
now, as for years past, an influential
Democrat, on this floor was asked
whether he repudiated the sentiments
of the revolutionary fathers on the
subject of African slavery. His reply
was: f iE5 tanrfa4e 81 vtaf szt
2 al will say, however, in the outset, that the
gentleman, refers to the, sentiments of distin-
guished revolutionary men, and ask me if repu-
diate them. Sir, many of those sentiments, of
course, Irepudiate. Derisive laughter from the
Republicans. Many Of those sentiments are .false
in philosophy and unsou'ld an fact.
Another Virgillian, at the other end
of the Capitol, Senator Mason,1 ad-
mitted few days ago, that new
standard of Democracy had been
erected and he states the conclusions
to which the new faith brings its dis