The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1864-05-27


pour oil in his wounds, feed him, and lay hin
on your best bed, and take care OF him until h
is we'll" Such is the voice Of divinity in fayo
OF freedom OF speech, freedom Of thought, freq
dom OF private conscience. impiore gentle
men, not TO attempt 10 strike itdown Let Tho
error, il error it oe, exist SO long as truth i:
left free 10 combat it. In the beginning OF time
these two principles were made. They have
walked OF the earth together ever since. Trey
have roamed the earth for six thousand years
Truth and error have been combating on fields
of reason, on battle fields. everywhere.
| You of the Abolition party go back thirty
years to the beginning of your own organiza-
tton What vast then yon most warmly con.
! tended for What 5ut the right, the i!lmor-
| tai right TO speal, your sentiments, TO denounce
your political accusers, AMI to stand before the
world as freemen Suppose this gag law, this
instrument of tyrants, this odious relic of bar
barism, again revived in this Hall, had been APP
piled to some men sitting around me. /
protest before the living God that never knew
4 man wearing the shape If man whom would
not stand and protect in his right of free speech,
were be 10 utter hls sentiments in a decorons
and becoming manner. Your party inscribed
everywhere on their banners, Free speech"
Deny it to-day If you dare. Trample it in the
dust. Spit upon it and despise it if you win
The world will despise you when you do the act.
History will rake up the deed and preserve it.
and the historian will despise you as he writes
u down. PoSterity will despise this day in al
tae calendar Of time as the one on which liber-
ty was murdered in the Capitol
The heart and judgment of the world will
execrate you tor the deed, just as it to-day
execrates the memory of the bloody monster
hobesplerre; Just as 1t recalls the memory of
Marat 10 curse 1t; just it recalls the form OF
ot. Just 10 loathe him. There are your mod.
els. Go back further. Nerowas an early foun-
Ter Of your school Of politics Some one man.
suppose, is TO do all the thinking here. So
Nero thought. 60 the blood-stained monsters
OF the French Revolution thought So the o.
dious tyrannical bigots of the English Rerolu.
ton OF 1910 thought. These are your exam
ples.-I implore you to discard them. Walk
out in the light of liberty, and appeal to the
people. Tell them yon will trust them-What
a commentary on the intelligence of the peo.
pie!
You will not allow the gentleman from Ohio
to speak Perhaps next you viii not allow me
10 speak, other gentlemen from Ohio, the gen
tlert'a'' 4roHa Aer~ Hnrk and others around me-
Why! Are you afraid you cannot meet us in
argument! Are yeu afraid the people will not
Re 5t SSr' Virtue enough 10 t5dERQ dEQn ra afraid they have
card the wrong! You must believe that they
have not that intelligence or that they will not
be true to their own Judgment, or you would
be willing to trust them to discriminate between
right and wrong. Sir, trust the people I
challenge YOU before that great tribunal, am
willing TO stand or fall by IFS decision and al
ways have been. If you crush me before tho
American people, before thai tribunal where free
speech has full sway, | will 60 down without a
muTmar If ] can drive you from place and
power III the same arena by the same means, If
you are honest men you will submit also with
out complaint But if you think because you
have the power to-day that you can gag me,
that you can tie my tongue that you can de-
ny to me the right to speak. then woe to this
nation. When you una rtake to carry that
purpose into effect, the day Of doom will be np-
on us. Ii cannot be done; you know it cam
not be done without confagration that shall
light up the very arches of the sky from ocean
~ ocean. Are you ready for this issue? Do
you want ii? Ii you DO, it can be made by
The expulsion of the gentleman from Ohio
This will no longer be an American Congress.
We will be chained slaves. and the next ques-
tion TO determine Will be whether as men of hon
or we can remain and wear the yoke
Sir, this is painful theme to me- I feel
more of sorrow than of anger over such an Is
sue Let me appeal TO the sense of justice which
/ know anlmates some breasts on the other side
OF the chamber. Let us not misunderstood
each other. Let us deal with each other as
honest men, striving for common purpose
the restoration of our unhappy country You
may have your views of what policy is most
conducive to that end you have the right to
your opinions; have the right to mine but
because of this indifference of opinion in regard
TO accomplishing the same object, by all that wo
hold dear in the present, and by all our hopes
in the future, let not cut each others throats
and preclpitate strife and violence here and all
over the land. The civilized world would cry
shame upon such q scene, and the latest gener-
ations of our posterity will heap reproaches on
our memory.
The fable of the man who killed the goose that
4 l.. -.