Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1838-187?, 1860-09-28
Ex-senator Clemens Huntsville Speech

We copy below few paragraph:
from the great speech Of Hon. Jere
Clemens, delivered at Huntsville, Aug
6, 1860. We wish we had room .fol
more extended extracts:
Fellow citizens, the history | have
given you of the slavery agitation would
be incomplete if paused here. l have
shown you with whom it took its rise,
and by whom it has been fostered and
kept alive. The next enquiry is, what
have been its results regarded from a
Southern standpoint alone ? Are we
any more eecure to-day than we were in
1870? Has all this wrangIing secured
for us an iota Of political power Have
our rights been placed upon a frmer
basis. Have our enemies grown weak
er or have we grown stronger? If
none of these things have been accom-.
plished, then what good has grown out
of it ? and what good may we expect in
future? The fruits that tree has borne
one year, we may reasonably calculate
upon its bearing the next. And so in
political economy, the effects of meas
ure once fairly tried, afford the best cri-
teriou by which to judge of the effects
of second experiment. In 1910 the
Abolition candidate for President re
ceved little over 1000 votes, But
the seed then sown grew and hourished,
and in 1914 the Abolition vote swelled
to 62,l40. This was the first fruit Of
agitation of forcing m orsl. religious
and domestic question into the politics
of the Nation. In four years the vota.
.ries Of fanaticsm increased nearly nine
fold in numbers, and more than hun T..
dred fold in zeal. In 1913, after the
lapse Of another four years Of agitation
it had increased to 296,282. Mark the
rapid rate of progression, and tell me,
as practical men, il it was net time to
try some other remedy for this great
and growing evil. Fortunately there
were those in the Councils Of the Ma
tion who were equal 10 the occasion,
and still more fortunately there was a
President in the White House worthy to
be the successor Of Washington. Calm
and concilistory in his bearing: pure
and unspotted in his character honest,
upright, just and patriotic in every
thought; firm and unwavering in the
maintenance Of tie right he looked out
upon the storm, and bade the troubled
elements be still.
In voice which echoed from one end
of the Republic to the other, he pro-
claimed that agitation must have an end.
The giant wonders of the American
Continent, Clay and Webster, were by
his side, and lent their voices to swell
the mandate. For this time fansticism
paused ia its career. For the first time
waves more dreadful than those which
refused to do the bidding Of Canute,
were rolled backwards by the magical
power of wisdom and earnest truth.
Milard FILLMORE stood upon the beach,
and the black and deadly waters ahrank
away from his presence. During his
Administration the Abolition vote fell
of to 1896. Treasure that fact in
your memories, and when you 60 home
record it in your tabl is, that Milsrd
Fillmore, the Aboitonist as he was called
is the only President who, for twenty
years, has dealt an effective blow at the
anti slavery organization Of the North.
Mr.. Pierce succeeded Mr.. Fillmore.
He found land at peace, and people
happy and conlented. lie had been ell
evated to the Presidential chair by a
vote approaching to unanimity. snl a
revival Of the Monroe Era of good feel
ing was confidently predicted. In an
evil hour be lent his influence to the re-
peal Of the Missouri Compromise, ana
thus necessarily re.opened the whole
subject of slavery. The monster we all
thought dead inhaled new life and ener-
gy. Again its horrid head was erected,
and again its hateful Kisses sounded in
our ears, The ballot box in 1855 told a
fearful story. Mr.. Pierce had increased
the Abolition vote TO I ,34l,8l2.
What Mr. buchanan has dona hv his