, 1861-02-23

III. l1lCUA Sl1tkf Ill IA1 lA%aAS" VA AA4-
dependence Hall, on Thursday: May
"my right hand forget its cunning, and my !
ttongue cleape to the roof Of my n1o1uh, If I i
"eoer prooe false TO thoss teachings" Noble. |
words, ftly spoken ut the Threshold where !
the Declaration Of Independence was
drawn by Thomas Jefferson and signed by
the wisest and. best men America ever
knew!
This is fitting place to reprint Nj. Lin
coins apostrophe to the Declaration, from
one Of his speeches in the campaign of
1858. Is there any man so deafened with
cotton, OF SO blinded with molasses, that
lis soul is not stirred within. him by these
words:
"TLe Declaration of Independence was
formed by the repre- scntatives Of American
liberty from thirteen States Of the Confedera-
cy-welve of which Were Elaveholding COM
muniics. We need not discuss the way or
the reason of their becoming slayeholding
communities. Il is sufficient for ourpurposes
that al Of them greatly deplored the evil and
that they placed provision In the Copstitu-
ton which they supposed would gradually re-
This was the abolition Of the slave trade. So
general was the conviction-the public deter
mination-to nbo1i7h tie African slnye trade,
that tue provision which have referred to as
tia: 1t should not be abolished prior to
the year 1905. A constitutional provision
was necessary to prevent the people, through
Congress 1nsm putting stop TO- the
traffic Immediately at the close Of the
war. Now, il slavery had been good thing,
would the Fathers Of the Republic have taken
Astep calculated to diminish its beuefcent in
6uences among themselves, and snatch the
boon wholly from their posteity? These COM
munities, By their representatives in old lnde- t
pendence Hall, said to the whole world " e
hold these truths to be Eelf-evident: that all
men are crca1ed equsl; that they arc endowed
By their Creator withe certain inalienable
rights; that among these arc life, liberty and
jestic Interpretation Of the economy Of the Uni
verse. This was their lofty, and wise, and
noble understanding Of the Justice Of the
Creator to His creatures [Applause.] Yes,
gentlemen, to az His creatures, to the
whole great family of man. In their Gu
Divine image and Ikenees was sent Into
tbs world to be trolden on, and degraded,
mud inbrutcd by its fellows. They grasped
not only the whole race Of man then
upon the farthest posterity. They erected q
beacon to guide their children and ttxir child
ren's children, and the myriads who should
iuhabft 1Ae Garth in other ages. Wise states
men as LAey were, luef hueM L4E ltHASACy VI
prosperity to breed tyrants, mud 60 they estab.
lished these great selGevidept truths, that
when in the distaut future some man, SOME
Gactiou, some interest should set mp the doc
trne that none but rich men, or none. bu1
white men, OF none but Anglo SaxonB, were
entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit Of hap
piuess, their pozterity might Look up again tt
the Declaration Of Independence, and TAX
courage to renew the battle which their fa
thers began-so that truth, and Justice, an
mercy, and nl1 the humane and Christian I'll
tues might not be exhnguished from the land
so that no man hereafter would dare to liml
and circumscrihe the great principles on Whic
the temple Of liberty was being bnilt. Lou
"New, my counbymen, If you have bee
taught doctrines conflicting with the grea
landmarks of the. Dsclaratis~ *of 1ndepeu
dence; : If you hare listened*fb suggestion
which would take away from It's grandeur
~nnd ulutilate the symmetry Of its proportions
If Won have been inclined to believe that n
men are no. created equal In those lnalienab]
rights enumerated BY our Chart OF liberty, i
me cutreat you to come hack. Return 70 th
fountain whose waters spring close BY th
blood Of the Revolution. Think nothing
me-take no thought for the political fate
any man whomsoever--hut come back to tt
truths that ere in the Declaration Of lndepel
dencc You may do anything with me "a
choose, If you will but heed these eacre
principles. You may not only defeat me II
The Senate, but you may take me and pnt Il
to death. While pretending no Indifferent
to earthly honors, / DO claim to be aSfuated
icty for Office. charge yon to drop eye1
paltry and insignia cant thought for any man
success. I am nothing. Judge Douglas
nothing. But do NOT destroy that immortal e1
be,n Of Hamdnay-lte Declaration Of America
independence