Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1864-11-03
B. b EXTRACT
.Isi
FROM THE SPEECH OF
THAD. STEVENS
saiasAf : lPPHrI1ApELPH1As, PHI !,
OCTOBER 20TH.

~ BE- II sfft rfnnfF O q = -rrrTf 81
j BY the Law. of, nations, as, now
recognized by the whole civilized
world, there can be pe slavery
Thank God, all writer's now agree
that "man can bold no property in
man." So far uas zoe are bound to
admls there is not q slave ON the
American Contin ent- Before the
proclamation of freedom their own
acts and the operation, of National
Law had set every bondman free,
Shall we now agree, for the sake OF
q disgraeeful and preoarious peace,
to re-enslave 100000 of human
tbeings7 Shall we bear the burdens
which are to Cypress our posterity
1for ages, unless we make the rebels
reimburse us? Shall we suffer the
tshades of our murdered citizens to
wander unayenged, and aid to rivet
the chains upon a whole race of
Gods children, that we may pur-
chase the poor boon of temporary
peace from triumphant traitorsi If
we are me-, we viii resis: it to the
death; IL we are Christians we will
sooner suffer martyrdom. l know
mo tiifferencp between those who ad-
vocate this .akEeu doctrine and the
professional man-stealer who piles
his heIlish trade on the coast of
| Africa Cheers In discussing
this question / purposely omit all
argum ents derived from the fact that
fsuch peace would be but a hollow
truce, to be followed by renewed
4 wars as soon as the rebels had sufff
,Eciently recruited their strength. !
Lpnt It on the higher grounds OF
moral obligation and Christian duty ;
/ put it, also, on.the high ground of
1 the gvindication of ihnman liberty
tthrodg ghout the world. / Know there
are those In the Republican ranks
who have proposed peace on the
single groun OF the integrity of the
| Union ieatfers Of our phalanx; once
chiefs In the |" "irrepressibla conflict
between liberty ysand slavery; jour
snalists who assumed to be thunder
Z ers in our literary corps have ad-
: yised to negotiate on the simple con-
iiition of the Maintenance OF the
gnicn Fheys have even suggested
,, that the immortal Proclamation oi
Freedom should not stand in the
way. They have said that this was
not a question of s' freedom, but q
question Of the Union" Such men
deserve to be rebuked by all the
true friends of :: Union and Liberty
(Applause,) Can it be that, after
having proclaimed freedom to all
after having enrolled these freedmen
in our armies; after they have fought
and bled,. and many Of them died,
side by side with our gallant soldiers,
we are mean and base enough to be-
tray them, and surrender them to the
tender ti1erct Of their traitor mas
ters, to shackles, to, torture. and to
death? Can Republicans or Demo;
Gratis, whether in the Cabitet or out
Of the Cabinet, who make such srig-
gestions; be aught else than misera-
: BILE edwards or moral traitors? 1t is
no excuse to plead that The esprit
Is willing, but the flesh is weak
Men who aspire 70 march at the
head of q nation, and to be foremost
in the party Of progress. have no
right to tremble and despair when
danger threatens. My young frfehds;
know not how such poltroonery stirs
your warm blood. but, old as / am,
1t makes the blood boil in my thin,
worn veins. 1t is not by such trem-
bling and trimming In compromises
that great nations are established or
sustained Where would have been
the liberties of Switzerland; If VIII
Ham Tell and her great men had
fainted when the first dark cloud
oyershadowed them7 Did Rome
succunib when Hannibal ovefran
italy, and thundered at her gates ?
Where would have been the Dutch
republic 2 where the independence
of the Netherlands, had not William
the Silent remained unsha en-, and
for fifteen years; amidst defeated
armies, and burning cities, and
slaughtered citizens, refused all of
fers of compromise short of inde1
pendehte? His firm principles and
iron will wrung from the naughty
Spaniard die independence of his
country. Be adrnonished by the ex
ample of your own heroic ancestors.
For eight years Of unparalleled suf-
fering, with but three millions Of
people, with their armies often re-
duced to a mere. handful of men,
they preserved an unshaken forti-
tude. compelled England to submit
to the dismemberment of her en-
pire, and finally established the i'm
mortal principle, g that all men are
born free and equal" Shame on
their degenerate sons, who with.
twenty millions of people cover be.
fore the dark banner of slavery
They are not legitimate descend
ants OF Washington, and Adams,
and j jefferson, and the heroes of the
Revolution There have been some
foul pfactioes,S some faint of the
blood, some crossing Of the breed.
They have. the names, but not the
souls or lineaments of their reputed
4 fathers, But in the midst Of al