Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-02-16

out an hypocrltlcal piece OF special
pleading. drawn up by a batch OF
artful pettifoggers. who when speaking
of the rights of man. meant but the
privileges of a Sc. of aristocratic slave
holders. but styled it 1.-The rights OF
man." in order to throw dust into the
eyes OF the world, and to inyeigle noble
hearted fools into lending them aid
and assistance. (Applause.) These
are your boasted revolutionary sires,
no longer heroes and sageS, but accom-
plished humbuggers and hypocrites,
who said one thing and meant another;
who passed counterfeit sentiments as
genuine, and obtained arms, and assis-
tance and sympathy, on false
pretensrsl There is your great Ame-
rican Revolution, no longer the great
champion of universal principles, but
mean Yankee trick bursts Of ap
plause and laughter)- wooden nut
g-(renewed heerS)-the most
impudent imposition ever practiced
upon the whole world Applause. J
That is the way Mr.. Douglas wants
You to read and to understand the
proudest pages of American history!
That is the kind of history with which
he finds it necessary to prop his
mongrel doctrine OF popular sovereign
tyl That is what he calls wildcat
ing the character and the motives and
the conduct of the signerS of the Dec
laration of independence. Thus he
did not blush to slander Jefferson,
who. when speaking of his country,
meant the world, and, when speaking
of his fellow citizens, meant mankind;
and Franklin, in whose clear headed
theory and practice were the same,
and who, having declared "all men to
be created free and equal" became the
first president of the first great aboli-
ton society; aud John Adams, the
representative of that State which
abolished slavery within its limits
with one great stroke of legislationi
and Washington, who declared it to
be "his fondest wish to see slavery
abolished by law" and affixed to the
Declaration OF independence the broad
signature of his heroic sword; and
Madison, who deemed it "absurd to
admit the idea of property IN man.
and OF the trainers OF the Constitution,
who took care not to disgrace that
instrument with the word slavery
and before adopting it finally, blotted
out from the extradition clause the
word "servitude," avowedly, because
it signifed the condition of slave,
and substituted the word "service, +"
avowedly, because it signiied the
condition of free man. Thus Mr.
Douglas dares to speak of all those
true men, who, after having proclaim.
ed their principles in the Declaration,
endeavored to introduce them into
practical life in almost every State in
the way of gradual emancipation
That they have failed to do this, is Z
fault of theirs? 1t shows not thai
they were less great and sincere, but
that subsequent generations were
hardly worthy of SO noble an ancestry
{ Applause
There is Mr.. Douglass version o
your history. lie despairs Of con.
verting you without slandering youl
fathers. His present doctrines can
not thrive unless planted in a calum-
ny on the past. he vindicates the
signers of the Declaration of Inde-
pendencel Indeed they need it sadly
| see the illustrious committee of five
rise from their graves-at their head
Thomas Jefferson, his lips curlcd with
the smile of contempt, and hear him
say to Mr.. Douglas, "Sir, you NAV
abuse us as much as you please, bu,
have the goodness to spare us with
your vindications of our character and
motives" (Great laughter and APP
plause.
1t is common thing that men of .
course cast of mind so lose themselves
in the mean pursuit Of selfish ends, as
to become insensible to the grand and
sublime. Measuring every character
and every event in history by the low
standard of his own individualities.
applying to everything the narrow
rule of their own motive. incapable of
grasping broad and generous ideas,
they will belittle everything they car
not deny, and drag down every strug.
gle of principles to the sordid ar .ns
of aspiring selfishness, or of small
competing interests. Eighteen hun
dred yeara ago, there were men. who
saw nothing to incipient Christianity
but mere wrangle between Jewish
theologIans, got up by carpenter
boy, and carried on by a few crazy
l.