Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-09-08

heard Mr.. Thayer tell the following story
at his meeting in the City Hall, last Thursday
evening man down in Maine went to his
grocer to buy groceries, Not having money
enough to buy all that he wanted, he proposed
to pay for the balance by sending to the grocer
bear-skn. The grocer assented, the goods
were delivered, and the man departed. But
the bear-skin which he had bartered away was
not in his possession, but on the bears back
so he started off to hunt up the bear AT the
end of two or three weeks he discovered the
bear in the edge Of the woods, whereupon he
up with his old queens-arm, and let drive at
him. The bear, wounded but not killed, made
off into the woods at full speed. Seeing this,
the hunter flung down his old queen's-arm
and, with many protane eXpletives, shouted
after Bruin, "Run and be --, but you we
no business with that skin, for traded it off to
Mr.. -, three weeks ago" "And So"
said Mr.. Thayer, 'if any republican chooses
to creep into the old skin of congressional in
terventon and run off with it, he can; but
can tell him we traded that old skin off to the
Breckenridge men long ago."
Well, Charles Sumner for one, has chosen
to clothe himself in that same old skin of CON
gressional Intervention. At his most recent
appearance before "Worcester audience" he
said -
"Fellow citizens Hearken not to any
of those things, Keep the prohibition OF
slavery in the territories as the fixed and ire
versible purpose of our hearts and insist that
it will be established by congress- for without
congress it may not be established"
And then he quoted the following from a
speech made by him in the senate, six years
ago =
Il am constrained to declare, there is no
place accessible to human avarice, or human
lust, or human force, whether in the lower
valley, or on the lottiest mountain top, wheth.
er on the broad spangled prairies, or on the
snowy caps Of the Rocky Mountains-where
the prohibition Of slavery, like the command
ments Of the Decaogue should not CO."
"And these words" he added, are still OF
vital, practical force" That same old skin
which Mr.. Sumner put on six years ago, he
wears to day. Nor is he alone. "Old Abe, y
too, if Mr.. Sumner is to be believed, is at this
present time in that same old skin. "In the
coming election" says Mr. Sumner, "this
cause has its representative in Abraham Lin
coin And why has he been selected ?-but
UGCduSG llt lluue llInSGlI lllc determined
champion Of the prohibition of slavery in the
territories" And farther Oh MIR. Sumner di.
rectly afrms -
at is for the prohibition of slavery in the
territories that he Abraham Lincoln has la.
bored, and excepting his brief but honorable
experience in congress, his public life may be
summed up III this single service; nor mole
nor less. Let the magnitude of the service be
measured by bis present position as the repre-
sentative OF our cause"
Nor is this all. If Mr.. Sumner is still to be
believed, not only himself and "Old Abe" but
the whole republican party, also, are still in
that same old skin. He says -
81 clearly understood at the beginning that
slavery everywhere else except in the statesl
was within the jurisdiction OF congress, and
this also is the doctrine of the republican party
now"
And again he says =
at is by this election in November next
that you will especially vindcate the prohibi.
ton of slavery i'll the territories"
And yet Mr.. Thayer says we have traded
off that old skin TO the Breckenridge party
long ago! Who is "we"7 L. it anything but
the first personal pronoun singular, swollen
INTO the first personal pronOun plural Has
anybody traded of that old skin but MIR.
Thayer himself! Let him name one man OF
any hVle III lNe lepupIlcan purity VINO HAS uOne
| 50.
The story of the bear skin was not happy
one for Mr.. Thayer. The skin remained in
the possession OF the bear, who was its right.
full owner, Notwithstanding the down.ea caster
had traded it away. And so the old skin of
congressional Intervention is the rightiul pos
session OF the republican party. To-day as in
the past, the party wears it, nor will any
trading politician be able to tear it of. Mr..
Thayer may fire away at the party with his
old squatter sovereign arm he may possibly
wound it, but he will never get the skin with
which to consummate his barter.