Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1860-06-29
Mr. LINCoLSS lf0SIgGPHE TO THE DECIiIi.
IiGN OF NDIPESDiNtE.

Mr. INColSS ifosIgoPHE TO THE DECIiEi
TicN OF INDEPENDENCE.
[In these latter days, politicians have
arisen who sneer at the Declaration as "0
string Of g'ineri'Hg generaliies,' or "a fan
fdroaode Of noHseuse"-;hat our Whig
forefaihcrs were hypoerites, and did no,
mean what they said. We doubt whether
that Declaration will be read in a dozen
Democratic or Union celebrations Of the
4th of July, 1850. Judge fancy and S.
Arnold DJuglas have been the most bold
and ingenious in their arguments to bring
into disrepute that glorious instrument by
robbing i: of its vital principle 1t was 10
reply to one of those assaults (by Judge
Douglass against the Declaration, in the
campaign Of IS, that ABRAHAM LINCOLN
gave u,terance, ,impromptu,to the followiug
noble and eloquen, defence of the PatriO-
tic Siguers Of the Platform Of &c j
"The Declaration of Independence was
formed by the Representatives of Ameri-
can liberty from thirteen States of the con-
federacy-,welvo of which were slave. hol-
ding communities. We need no. discuss
the way or the reason of their becoming
slaveholding. 1t is sufficient for our pur-
pose tha, oil Of them greatly deplored the
evil, and that they placed provision in
the Constitution " hich they supposed would
gradually remove the disease BY cutting
of its source. This was the abolition of
the Slave Trade. So general was the con-
viction-the public de,erminaiion-to
abolish the African slave trade; that the
provision which l have referred TO as being
placed in the Constitution, declared that il
should not be abolished prior to the year
1903. A constitutional provision was
necessary to prevent the People, through
Congress, from putting stop TO the traf-
Gck immediately at the close Of the War
Now, if Slavery had been a good thing,
would the Fathers of the Republic have
taken step calculated to diminish its BEN
efcent Influences among themselves, and
snatch the boon wholly from their poster
iry? Those communities, by their repre-
in old Independence Hall, said
to the whole world, We hold these truths
to be selfeyident: that all men are crea-
ted equal; that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inalienable rights;
that among these are life, liberty, aud the
pursuit Of happiness This Was their ma
jestie Interpretation Of the economy Of the
Universe This was their lofty, aud wise,
and noble understanding Of the justice Of
the Creator to His creatures. CApplause1
Yes, gentlemen, to al His creatures, to
the whole family Of men. In their en-
lightened belief, nothing, stamped with
the Divine image ard likeness, vas sen,
into the world to be iroddeD on, and degra-
ied, and imbruted by its fellows. They
yrasped not only the whole race of man
then living, but they reached forward and
seized upon the far,hest pOsierity. They
erected beacon 10 guide their chiliren's
and the countless myriads who /.
,hould inbatit the earth in other ages.
Wise statesmen as they were, they knew /
be tendency Of prosperity to breed tyran,s,
md SO they established these great self /
.vident truths, that when, in the distant
uture, some man, some faction, some in-
crest, should Sc; up the doctrine iha, none
,ut rich men, or none but white men, or
lone but Anglo Saxons, were entitled to
ife, liberty and the pursuit Of happiness,
heir posteriiy nigh, look up again to the
Declaration Of Independence, and take
ourage to renew the battle which their
aihers begau-so that truth, and justice,
nd mercy, aud all the humane and Chris
ian virtues might not be extinguishcd
rom the land so that no man hereafter
7ould dare to limit and circumscribe the
reat principles on which the temple Of
berty was being built. Loud cbeers.]
low, my countrymen, if you have been
lught doctrines conflicting with the great
lndmarks of the Declaration of Independ-
nee; if you have listened to suggestions
bieh would take away from its grandeur,
I'D mu'ilate the symmetry Of its proper.
ons; if you have been inclined to believe
lat all men are not created equal in those
lalienable tights enumerated by our chart .
liberty, let me entreat you to come
,ck Return to the fountain whose wa
RS spring close by the blood Of the Rev ,
uiion. Think nothing of me-take no ,,
fought of the political fate Of any man
come back to the truths
ia. are in the Declaration Of Indepen- =.
,nce. You may do anything with me !,
~ choose, if you will but heed these sa- ,
ed principles. You may not only defeat
e for the Senate, but you may take me
ID pu. me to death. While pretending U
indifference to earthly honors, | do clairi J.
be ac,uated in this contest by something I
CHER than an anxiety for Office. l charge t
u to drop every pal,ry and Insignificant b
ought for any mans success. l. is 4
thing; I am nothing; Judge Douglas n
nothing. But do not destroy that i'm ri
ortal en,5len, Of Hurlani.y-tie Decl4ra- I
N O. Aasrtcza [a3sps.asacs' :