The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-04-05

. Law had been forced upon the North TO
2 the re capture Of their slaves, odious in il
details. repulsive in its main features to tn
enlightened judgment Of our people. and vi
olalive of the rights of man 10 a trial Of hi
;, liberty; and not until. still further on, thi
!. controlling Interest in tie atfsirs OF the Gov
ernment. this sapping and mining po,ce
had. in exultant joy. destroyed the restriction
n against slavery north of 80 80 min. nortl
" latitude, and upon that soil, once musica
with the notes Of freedom, reveled in despot
!. ic triumph upon the rights. the traditions. tht
70 franchises. and the de ,rest interests Of oul
:, people. pros,tu,ing the ballot box, driving
: from the polls ightful citizens. following by
. day and numbering by night men whose only
= crime was the uttering OF sentiments which
they had drank in among the hills and val
leys of their former homes in the free North.
We could wait no longer. 1t would not do
to wait until the slave power had SO interwo-
ven itself into the very web of our political
!, fabric that the integrity Of our Institutions
was fatally imperilled.
The people of the North were reluctant
to break away from their ancient party asso
Citations; for a long time after the South had
wantonly sported with their rights, they
posed in the confidence Of returning justice
and the security of their pledges. But when
at last these fond hopes were dspelle1 IN
their tearing the dia lem from the brow of
freedom in the northern half OF the Loui siana
purchase, the people of the North, from
cessity, in vindication and maintenance OF
their principles and the principles of their an.
cestors, sprang at one bound into this organi
zation, which, like a mighty army, swep.
along, extending its column from the early
and constant home of freedom ia the East
to the scattered settlements of free labor be-
yond the Mississippi. until it now embraces
in its conquest fifteen States of the Union-
And l am not surprised that gentlemen Of
the South tremble and take alarm; they hear
the tread of these millions Of freemen; it is
mighty army marching on 10 take posses.
sion OF the Government, we'll oficered and
fully equipped, and with weapons, munitions.
aud supplies, more complete and more potent
than the army of Hannibal or Napoleon, or
the brave followers OF Jackson when he
| struck the decisive blow against British arro-
gance and aggression at New Orleans;
inasmuch as the ballot box the free press aud
free speech. in the cause Of truth and JUS
tice. are more mighty in battle and more
powerful in conquest than the swori
Southern gentlemen have no right to COM
plain of the numbers and might and objects
OF the Republican party. nor from these to
accuse the people Of the North Of change
OF sentiment upon the question of slavery
The history Of this contest, made up from their
own record through the past twenty five
years. has been conducting the mind Of pa
triot,c citizens, of whatever party. all over
the North. to the necessity Of organic stion
to preserve the principles Of justice and lib.
erty. Its not our people, but the people of
the South-you, gentlemen-who have
changed from the declared opinions and pur-
poses OF the founders. When the declaration
OF our rights was proclaimed and the procla-
nation of our liberties aud those rights which
belonged to all, there existed among Us an in
stitution inconsistent with its great truths,
and with the form and spirit of the Govern.
ment which was framed All the leading
men Of that day, aud subsequently, through
. large period Of our history, believed il to be
not only anomalous TO our institutions, but q
deplorabe evil; and they sought by every
means to eradicate it. will be INDUCED by
gentlemen in calling attention to some Of their
ever memorable sayings; TOR their testimony
fortihes and sustains my proposition. ana at
the same time places in moIe vivid contrast
these daily oblations of our Southern bre.h-
rem at the shrine Of human bondage
Previous to the Revolution, while the ra-
ton was taking counsel. and preparing for
the struggle OF liberty against despotism, the
people generally "were struck with the in
consistency of an appeal for their own liber.
ties. while holding in bondage. their fellow
men, guilty only Of a skin not colored like
their own" The people of Darbury. Con-
necticut, in town meeting, agreed to import
no more slaves; at the same time declaring.
I'VE cannot hut think it palpable absurdity
so loudly to complain of attempts to ensave
US, while we are actually enslaving Others
In Darien. Georgia. in 1775, the following
VoE ntNfpn
sens:
any contracted interested ,tive bu. by general
phils nthroPy for all snknd of whatever climate LAM
gusEe or compiexion hereby declare disappro-
oat'on and aohorren-e of the unnatural practise of
slavery as however the uncutiva;ed state of the
country other specous arguments may plead for )
practice founded in and cruelty and highly
dangerous TO liberties and lives dsoasin- part Of
our below men, and corrup,ing the
tue and morals of the rest"
Listen to Jefferson in the Virginia Con.
vention of IVA.
ject Of desire in these colonies where i, was unhappi
iy introduced in their infant state
Again, in the Declaration of Independ-
euce:
That all m an are created equal .ha. they are en-
dowed with certain inaliena5ie right: that amo,~
these are lifs liberty sni the pursuit of happiness
Again. in 1921. when urging a proposition
upon his native State he says:
Nothing is more certainly written in the book Of
fate, than thai these people he negroes 10 be
free. it less certain that the races equally
free. cannot live in the same Government Nssure.
habit. opinion, have drawn nieibe lines of distinction
between them. IL 10 still in power direes tie
process Of emancipation and aud in such
so degrees that the evil will OF inssnsibly,
and their place be. filed By free white
laborers II. the contrar- it is left 70 force it.
self human nature must shudder st the pros
pess held up. We shouli look in vain for an eI-
ample in the Spanish deportation delssion Of the
Moor
I need not allude to the anti slavery
sentimen" of Virginia 1t WAS written
in letters of living light and unfading re-
membrance in the ordinance Of 1857, passed
bv a unanimous vote of the States.
We End that the Constitutional Convention
was presided over by Washington, who said