Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-02-27
lloEIllIIoN ol lLAYEET.


" the vieWs Of Warrington with rerard
70 he Blavs trade eomnend themPelvs- n
cur appreciation after the lapse Of nearly
ninety ysals, his opinions On Slavsry srs
- temperate and 50 clear that II thew had
been followed they Wcuid have established
Pesoe amongst us forever. On the 18th o.
April, l1ee, be wrote to Robert Norris :
There is not q man living who wishes
more sincerely than / do 10 see a plan
adopted for The abolition Of slavery" This
was his fixed opinion; 50 that in the fol,
lowing month he declared TO Lsfayetts;
b degrees the abolition Of slavery GER
teinly night and assuredly ought 10 be
effected and that, TOO, by legislative au-
thority." On the 9th Of September Of the
sane yeer he avoWed his resolution never
20 possess another slave by purchase; /;
adding, It being sm0ng my frst wishes
% see some plan adopted by which slavery
IN this country may be abolished by laW.b
In conformity with these views the old
confederation Of the United States, az a
time when the convention for framing our
constitution was in session, by 8 unapi.
nous vote prohibited slavery forever in
81 the territory thst then belonged 10 the
United States and one Of the very first
aots Of Washington ss President was to
approve law BY which that ordinance
might continue 10 have full effect"
On the 9th Of Nay, 1874, in the midst
Of his cares as President, he devised plan
for the sale Of lands in Western Virginia
and western pennsylvania, and after Civ
Ing ether reasons for his purpose he sdds:
! have another motive which makes me
earnestly Wish for the accomplishment Of
these things; It is, indeed, more powerful
than al the rest, namely: to liberate q
certain species Of property which Dos
sess, very Fepugnantly to my own fee ,inRs.B
And II less than three months after he
wrote that Farewell Address 10 which Ne
this day have listened, be felt himself ius-
tined IN announcing to Europe his hopes
for the future in these words: GNothing
g mora oertain than that Maryland and |
Virginia must have laws for the gradual |
abolition Of slavery, and at period not |
remote"
But though Virginia and Maryland have |
net been wise enough to realize the conf. |
dentPrediction of the Father Of his Country |
though slavery is still permitted in the |
District Of Columbia, from which Madison |
desired to see il removed-the cause of |
freedom has been steadily advancing. The |
line Of S6 deg. 30 min, which formed q /
barrier to The progress Of skilled labor to |
the southWard has bean effaoed. Our ooun- |
try, 81 one bound, crossed the Rocky Noun
tains and the wisdom Of our people, as
they laid the foundations Of great empires
on the coast Of the Pacific, has brought
about tkat tzI-tlayi f-srs. slr, ssur-is- AL
ing q the Straits Of sMsgellsa, the waves
Of tie FEest oceah, IS they roll in upohS
the s6srs olep their hshds "a Joy, for along
al that vide region the land IS cultivated,
BY no hands but those Of Che frse.j Let .ps
be grateful 70 8 good Providence which has
established liberty as the fale l0f oar couh.
fry beyound the possibility Of . relapse.
For myself, was one Who desired TO
postpone or rather hoped altogether to avoid
the collision which has taken place, trust
ing that society By degrees would have |
worked itself clear BY its own innate /
strength and The virtue and resolution Of |
the community. But slavery has forced |
upon us the issue, and has lifted up its /
hand 70 strike q death blow ct our exist |
enee IS people. L has aVoWed itself |
desperate and determined enemy Of our /
national life, Of our unity as q republic, |
and henceforNard no man deserves the |
name Of statesman who would consent to |
the introduction Of that element Of weak |
ness and division into any new territory,
or the admission Of another slave State
into the Union. Let us hope rather that
the prediction Of Washington will prove
true, and that Virgins and Maryland will
soon take their places as free states BY the
side Of Ohio and Pennsylvania.