Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-01-27
CASSIUS NJ. CLAY, OF KENTUCKY.


The holiness with which Cassus NJ. Clay
maintains his position in Kentucky at This
time of excitement is significant and cheer
ing fact. At the capital of the State the
other day, on the very evening of the day of
the assembling of the State democratic Con-
vention, he delivered public address to the
people, in which he vindcated Rep blican
principles without shrinking, denounced the
expulsion of anti-slavery men from Kentucky,
the prescription of northern men at the South.
and the disunionism of the democratic party,
and fixed upon that party the responsibility
of the agitation and trouble now upon the
South.
1t required man of Mr.. Clay's great
moral and physical courage and pluck to do
that; but it was well and thoroughly done.
Some previous experiments have shown that
Mr.. Clay is an ugly customer to mob, and he
was heard without interruption. The clos
ing passages of his speech ran as follows:
What do you propose to give US in lieu
of this great Union as a protection ? Why,
the Charleston Mercury and the Richmond
Enquirer say: We will send to Louis Ma
roleon, and we will ask him to lend us some
troops to defend usi' Oh, shame shame
are you going to bring US to this? Is this
the reward that you OFF, US, that you will
call on Louis Napole n, the despot OF France.
and his troops, and he will defend us against
these northern traitors and fanatics? Are
you ready for that, democrats? We have
been led so long by democratic leaders Is
this the feast to which YOU have invited US,
that after you can no longer be preserved
that they will get Louis Napoleon (they can g,
trust Victoria she has too many notions of
freedom about herr to preserve US ? What
does it mean? 1t means going absolutely
back into French despotism. Are you ready
for that? No, gentlemen. That is the rea-
son came here tonight, because heard this
thing talked of-because it is threatened.
come to tell you, as live. as we all live
there is not a single true Republican bu; viii
shed his last drop of blood before he viii sub
NIT to this they will fight you for a thou
sand years ere they will submit; they will
not relapse into French servitude.
-NpN dbOut tuis kIltlpcI) bOOh. am ~
ing to be frank. | did recommend this book
| say have read this book carefully, and
there is not a single incendiary doctrine in it
there is not single appeal to the slave If
1t be Instruction among a people protesting
to be free to appeal to the legal white voters
OF the country, for whose protection the Con
stitution processes to be made, TO rise from a
serfdom to the same power and control Of
the Government that the free laborers and
the free people Of the North have done, it is
discretionary. Let me 90 one step further
and say that there We're some places in that
book published by him that we did not re-
gard as Just; it was understood that those
parts were to be stricken out not that they
were incendiary, but that it was blunder
not to be urged | tell you. gentlemen. |
stand on Helpers pamphlet, and YOU may
make the most Of what | say. Cries of
GO on, and We will stand by YOU all
night.
- have stood by you all the long days of
my youth and manhood, extinGuished all the
aspirations Of ambition, suffered ignominy
and contempt, been denounced, spurned and
avoided by the men whose interests | was
arguing. by the white man, and robbed by
the black man; but still holding myself true
TO one purpose. stand there still. What 10
me now are the once ROSY tints of life, with
my hair silverei over. with my sinews stifen-
ed with age In the course Of human events,
| have but little time to remain here. | say,
Kentuckians, come war, come peace. | trust
in God may have the fortune to stay here
the rest of my days, and that, although the
millions may depart from me. there VIII be-,
in Kentucky, one standing true to the last.
whose aspirations may be, however visionary
however theoretical, true to the banner
which | would have float over US. The same
old banner Of l7,9-each stripe with the
progress of the ages paling into a brighter
galaxy Of stars In the language of We.
ster, its motto no such miserable iuterrogat0-
ry, as w hat is all this worth p nor those
other words Of delusion and folly, Slavery
and Union, far less Slavery first and
Union alterward, and yet more, Slavery
with or without the Union - But his own
glorious sentiment-for the which and with
which, with flial piety walk backward and
cover his late political nakedness 'Liberty
and Unlon, nol0 and torerer, one and iasspa-
ra5ie r'