, 1863-02-26

| from letting fall the blow. mo, No.l Shall
we, to whom is left only the hem Of this poi.
soned garment, refuse to exchange it. for The
1ull robee OF freedom for WHICH We would
other rstots pd Ree ae afefs e tc Con. co
btitution worth so little that Nc ,rill refuse
| to sacrifice this blood-stafned institution tor
1t: Is the Union so small In vs1ue that VIC
will balance It In one hand, and slavery in the
other, hesitating which to choose? MOL Is
The infinite honor Of guardianship over hu-
man freedom such a baublc in our eyes that
VIC will prove faithless to the trust, rather
than abandon slayery: "For one sny,,' in
the words Of Kentucky's noblest and greatest
eon, "nevcr, s,e,vr, NEVER ! 4" Never And
IRON the graves Of the Revolution. could our
iathcrs speak, would come to US this hour,
the Qulck and stern response, "Ncrer, Hcsey,
:SEyEK.". tCo1tinued applause.1
But it is not to be denied, that III every
Border elare State, there are many who de-
libe1sfsely prefer Slavery to the Union, and in
their blind devotion to the former can sec no
higher larf Of patriotism eonsccrating them
to the latter. They are Traitors, whatever
they may eeeEl. Others there are who pro-
less uuionisn,, but long for Slavery with the
Union; yielding to the strangc deiuaion that
after nil, I'M tho horrible record Of the last
three years, there is yet room on this couti-
ncnt for. both. They nrc but little better
than tue first. Others, again, love the Union,
but, like Lots wife, cannot fofbear to look
back npon the sodom Of Slavery, though fire
congealed, with their. steps towails the
Union, but. thele faces toward Slavery.
Laughter and applause Still others deny
unWlllingrtss to: give up Slavery for the
Union's sake, but whine at losing their
"niggers, without being paid for them, and
quote, with .empnasis, the constitutional
be taken for public. use without compensa-
tion;" bat do not remember, TINT until
Slavery pays back to the nation the thousands
of millions Of treasure which it's war upon
the Union has cost the republic, there is s no
money in the treasury not otherwise appro.
priatcd," out Of which to pay for slaves
freed by Slavery's own most wicked act.
Others, agafn, fall in with the advancing tide
Of loyal sentiment agninst Slavery, but sec
endless complications In tho future Of the
enir0nchieed negro, and are vexed, By: day
md by night, with hideous apprehensions Of
negro 1aziness, negro pauperism, negro vice,
cred and betogged, they wander ID maze,
ever returning upon their own tracks, when
single glance ut the star Of the Union, like
that Of the storm-tossed mariner, at his star
friend in the northern sky, would point them
to the haven where the Union is the firm
anchoring ground Of every hope, end the
still waters Of Patriotism, give the only sure
Meantime the steady and impetuous tor
rent Of events wears away the barcd founda-
tfons Of slavery throughout the land, md the
huge, uusightly iabric totters to It's fall. Not
d yol1cy is fired in battle, on either side, but
Fours death into tho vitals of slavery. Not a
q charge uron slavery. Not shell flies
through the startled air, but shrieks out the
doom Of slayery-Not a moan Of tho wound
cd md dying on the CORY field, but under.
tones the dirge Of slavcry. Not u cheer Of
victory for the Union, but swel}s the world's
rejoicing cry oyer M slavery, PROSTATE and de-
voted to annihilation; [chcers,l and when
that clcer bursts from the Threats Of the
hundred thousand slaves Of Yesterday, now
tie freedmen and brave, soldiers Of the Re-
public, beside whom before another ami
versary Of Washington's birth, will stand
another hundred thousand Of their black
brothers, armed to defend their ncw-found
thon may all who still cling to slaVery know
that 1t were US easy to call the unnumbered
dead of this war from their graves, % to re-
infuse lie into tue dead corpse Of American
slayery! Is this funaticfsm! Ia it enthusf-
akm? Is it cxaggeration: Is 1t even extrav-
unrarnishcd trnth; such truth as ought to
be spoken from the house-tops through MI
the Border StateE, and no where more than
in this ancient Commonwealth. The people
Of a1l those States will be wise to hear and
heed it. Presently, like the imprisoned drop
OF water, which, acted upon by fire, has ex-
pareiye power to. rend mountain, 1t will
hurl tic battlements Of slavery from their
toiid base, ard upon their crushed and shape
iess fragments will rise new temple Of
Liberty, with this grand Inscription over its
SLAVERY; !; .nsRE Is FnrEpoM!''
II US pursue yet further q train Of
troops Of the nation presents. recall no in
stance in history OF 80 signal retributlon
as impends over the Southern people ut the
hands Of their former slaves They raised
the CRY Of revolt, dreaming not that on their
own plantations, in their own cities, towns
and villages, at theiE own tiresides, in their
very rar}ors and chambers there was dor
would neysr sleep ngain: They, marched
forth to battle for slavery, leaving slaves be-
hind them, and looked back to sec them free
They left human chattels in the rear, and be-
hold! the chatte1s have become men.
[chcers.] They held them to be soulless
a soul have been breathed into them. They
parted with abject menials, who now con
front them as stalwart soldiers, never again
to call them master. lApplausc.1 Those
soldiers have sprung, as 1t were, from the
dragons teeth Of rebellion, sown broadcast
s]aught upon freedom for the sake of sla-
very. Mark In this the selfinyokcd yen-
eedncc upon crime. These dark columns Of
the sons Of Africa arc the counter revolution
which is to paralizc Southern treason. From
the day when the ARMS of the Union we're
con3dcd to their hands ant. they marched
under the grand old flag to the conflict with
Its foes, if never before, the fate Of the rebel
lion and Of slavery was irreyocably sealed,
and the foot of the black man was destined
10 tramp down the earth into the grave
where both shall lie dead together. From
that day the black race in America felt the
power Of new manhood, and stepped firmly
Think you that race will ever again return
to what It was2 Think you that here in
Kentucky, or there in Missouri, or Tennes-
see, or Maryland, you can forge fetters
strong enough to keep one part of that race
enslayed when It knows that another part Of
doms As well expect to- reduce a part Of
the white race in this land to bondage. The
negroes buy with their blood the freedom of
their race, and the nation will secure It to the
race forever; and when tlis great nation
speaks the word Of enfrauchisement, States
generosity, all enforce the claim Of the black
Tnce to respect, to confidence, to considera-
ton, and to freedom.
+l.et us face the logical result. The black
man is henceforth to assume q new. status
among US, and be delt with on principles
wholly different from those which in the
slave States have heretofore shaped the con-
ditions Of his existence. He ia to be here
after man, not. a cllatte1, md he is q Jeet
that he il a sudR. / say not that he Is to be
lifted into equality with the white man; but
that nc is to be assigned a position above
TINT of former days, and that disqualltica-
tionE, prohibitions, and degradations are to
hp rntrnrn1 and rTipi1arnR ronfarrhH that he
may know that the freedom he has won By
his fidelity and va1or is no empty. name, but
4 tangible, stealfast, and inestimab1e reality
And now, In vfeW Of these inevitable and
most pregnant results, where Is the wisdom
fata Of attempting to Prep up iVst, w.t.
dream Of 1engtheuing out the brief apan- Of
time that remains to slavery in this land?
Why hope good from its continuance, when
you know that in q few ycars at most, per-
Glance even in a fer more naontha-it must
ignominiously cease to be? Why not rather
redeem the precious time, By shaping the
destiny of the enfranchised race which is to
dwell among us, so IS to make its four mil
lions Of mca, women and children q blessing,
instead of curse to themselves and to the
nation? -. =
Ny friends, these are momentous questions
to us and to our country, Seldom have great
CT been presented to my people. Let us not
shrink from the high responsibilities inyolv-
cd In their solution, but taking courage from
the very difficulties that surround us, 60
brarely forward in the path OF duty, rugged
and thorny through 1t be-, trusting, through
form Of alavery, and the glorious establish
ment in its stead Of true and universal free
dom.
Ny friends, when In an after age. the his
torian shall review this wonderful era In