Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-10-02

We gave them a fugitive slave bill sur
passing in damning airoeity the most bar
baTous legislation that ever disgraeed an
empire. Look through all the statistics of
all past time, and this bill will be found to
surpass everything, in infamy. 1 told Mr..
Mason, who is now the foreign agent Of the
JEFF. Davis Confederscy, when he was draft
ing that bill, that his purpose was not to
protect slave property, but to humiliate the
North to the lowest possible degree. Such
was his object and he did not deny it.
We passed it, to our everlasting disgrace,
for the purpose of quieting the South, but
though we had surpassed all legislation
hitherto known in villsiny, still they were
not satisfied.
This was just before I took my seat in
the Senate. was judge, humbly pre-
siding on the bench of my circuit, when the
country was startled by the deed de-
nounced il, and was told that should not
come down from the bench to argue such a
question: told them that I would come
down from Heaven, or up out of the flames
of He'll, if 1 could, to protest against that
National humiliation and disgrace [great
sensation in shoulderiDg the enormous
iniquity of that bill.
Did not every one of you feel humiliat-
ed Did you suppose it possible that the
people could be induced to aequiesce in
that rascality But what did you do
Why the Democratic party had national
convention soon after, and though the
Democrats scOwled at the dose, yet thsy
resolved to swallow it, and resolved to stand
by it and resist all attempts to interfere
with it or TO reopen the agitation Of slave
ryl The Wing party also met at Bslti-
more. was Whig, but what did my
party do2 1t followed the example of the
Democrats, and resolved not only to sus-
tain the Fugitive bill but to discountenance
the agitation of the Slavery question. In
asmuch as it was to settle the whole ques-
ZION, and give permanent repose to the ma
tion, the Wing party would take it as it
was
Thus both parties argued that this great
measure Of the South should stand as the
law of the land
THE LAST OUTRAGE.
But they were not yet oonoiliated. You
had given them all the territory they de-
manded, and in many ways they had made
US feel that we could not stand up in our
dignity before then. Sull something more
was wanted They could seize upon the
authority of the Supreme Court and OBJ
tain from the highest tribunal Of the na-
tioR the solemn sanction Of their despotio
doctrines. Accordingly, they trumped up
fictitious suit about Dred Scott a negro
eighty years Of age, and had the status of
the race fixed by judicial authority. 1t
was gravely decided that black man was
not citizen and had no rights which a
white man was bound to respect
NO ALTERNATIVE But WAR.
Thus it seemed that they had gone as far
as ingenuity and audacity could 20 in sd-
vaneing their doctrines aud degrading the
North. Nothing had been denied them.
and it seems that they had made demands
for the purpose Of provoking collision. or
Of manufacturing pretexts for rebellion.
They had exhausted their patience with our
plant disposition, and determined to make
open, bloody, reasonable war upon, rs.
The Democrats did not seem to know what
they wanted, but it was clear to the careful
observer. that they wanted q separate gov
ernment. They ceased to make demands.
The Democratic party would hsveconeeded
anything TO them, and knowing this thew
ceased 70 make demands in order to make