The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-11-01
sc. comnberrr.

This gentleman addressed his Demo.
cratic friends at Gantt's Hall on Tues
day evening last. The Hall was well
filed, about one-third being Republic
cans. We were unable to be present
during the whole of the speech. Dur
ing the course of his speech he took oc-
casion to refer to the series of resolu-
tons which we published few weeks
since, affirming that they were written
for friend, for whose benefit and at
whose request he wrote them, strongly
protesting against their declarations all
the while.
He also took occasion to inform his
hearers of the beatifc condition of the
negro slave at the South. He pictured
his happy, fat and saucy condition with
never care, reasonable work, and only
an occasional ripple crossing the smooth
sea of his paridisaical content, when
the trifing sacrifice of wife or child or
husband had to be made-a ripple that
passed a moment and was gone; told
how kind and indulgent masters gener-
ally are, and how much thought and
pains they bestow upon their slaves.
In short the "peculiar institution"
was elevated into very desirable af-
fair, and the black republicans soundly
berated for making so much fuss and
telling SO many lies about it. Slavery,
according to Mr.. Coffin bury, is. on the
whole, not bad thing, and he has no
objections to its going wherever it
pleases at its own sweet will. He has
opposed time and again, the idea of its
restriction and does so still.
Now, we venture to assert that no
one present would have for moment
imagined that the author of these SEN
timents was also the author of an abo
lition poem, "a few stanzas of which
we give below, not having room for the
whole poem, but which is the fact, and
we feel confident that though he slip
ped so-easy" out of the responsibility
of the free soil res olutions, he will at
once recognize this literary offspring
and confess to its paternity. The poem
first appeared in Weilnan's Miscella-
ny, published at Adrian, and was cop
led and praised by the abolition press
all through the country. The plot Of
this poem is that of slave, called ssBlack
Baldred -" having no rights that a
white man is bound to respect,," runs
away from his master : the rascal
Naturally enough the master seeks te
reclaim the runaway, as we would 9
stray horse, and accordingly pursue.
him with hound, and failing to cap
ture him in the struggle, the slave kill
ing the hound, the master deliberately
shoots the fugitive. The stanzas tc
which we allude are as follows:
Black Bdldred stood amid that grateful shade,
Upon the rivers bank, and gazed afar,
With wishful eye, to that far land that laid
Beyond the rapid stream his eye with care
Was dim wasted his form, and sunk his cheek;
/ And in his soul were thoughts that even there,
lie scarcely dared to trust his soul to speak
| The big dark drops of blood were oozing fresh
From his torn limbs, and lacerated feet,
And many a wound within his mangled flesh,
| For like fiery courser swift and feet,
He had dashed through the forest. from the lash
Of an inhupan fiend, who calpd him Stare,
To seek afar, lord freedom or grave.
| Here the poet gives history of thu
slave; his bold attempt to escape; th'
coming upon him of his master and tn,