Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-06-29
From the Chicago Tribnne.l
How Gen. Ogiesby Became an
Anfl-SlaVefy Man.

planned how it happened that he be-
came an anti-slayery man. The General
is a Southern man by birth, parentage,
and early association, and has lived all
his life time among Southern born peo-
pie Lest our reader may not have read
the speech, we re-publish an extract
from it, giving the circumstance that
opened his eyes to the internal character
of the institution. He said:
May indulge myself for a moment TO
give you few of the reasons why be-
came an anti-slavery man? Yes, yes.
know that what affects the character OF
any one man in the country is of but lit
tie consequence; still it was a big thing
with me, and controlled all the future
thoughts of my life-made me honest on
the questions, made me purely honest
NV father was STAKEHOLDER: he had a
wife and eight children, and-only
one negro-laughter-a Unidentified
himself with the Institution of slavery
| He was Virginian born, living in Ken
lucky, cooper by trade. negro fell
to his lot somehow with other thing
from his fathers estate. He took thai
negro, learned him the carpenters trade;
he lived in the family, while all the chill
dren were being born he nursed us, took
care of us, led us along by the hand, and
father (so am told, and believe it's
true,l never gave him lash or kick OF
an unkind word Applause. He was
one of the noblest black men | have eV-
er seen.-After q while, in the course OF
events, my parents died and left US poor
very poor. | saw that negro put upon
the stand and sold off at auction. That
did not concern me very much, scarcely
knew what il meant. | saw those who
/ were my friends-whom / loved dearly,
and still love-I saw them about it, and
supposed as boy that it was all right
That negro came often to see US, as he
was taken away only about eight or ten
miles. He was then forty years of age
Shortly afterwards a son of the pur-
chaser, in the wrath and fire of the mo-
ment, exposed his old bare back, and
gave him one hundred deliberate lashes.
The news came to US children through
nv married sister-that sad story of how
poor old Uncle Tim had been treated.
Something settled hold of me then,
young as I was, and I made a resolve,
for boy, of quite a serious character.
that if ever in the Providence of God
grew up to be worth anything, enough to
buy him back to freedom, would do it.
His master, presume. was as kind as
they generally are. 1t is not the owner
of slave am abusing, but the institu-
ton. | am striking at something higher
than man-the system. Time passed
on, and remained poor. Finally Cali
fornia became the rage, and went there.
got together money enough to come
back home and go to Kentucky; / kept
Y,,x ,,r0r,iSa. / h0r1nbf him and cat bip,
free, and then swore eternal vengance on
the institution of slavery. [Tremen-
!. deous cheering.] The institution of sla-
very never favored me. love the peo-
pie, for they were my dear friends, and
owned slaves. Most of my relations were
nearly all Kentuckians, and nearly all
shareholders. saw / had nothing to
gain by it. There were no free school
no such thing as learning to read or write.
I lost my attachment for the institution
/ never saw the day when 1 wanted to
own slaye-when desired to have the
control of one. l came to this free State
where there was no such thing, where
the young men could rise up and main
tain the manhood which God gave them.
and any man who will insist upon taking
the same stand that | did, will come to
the same conclusion.
WHAT he NOW THINKS OF THE EFFECT OF
SLAVERY.
i 1t was a very dangerous thing for me
to join political party opposed to sla-
very, for the men / associated with were
men who were not opposed to it, but the
more thought about Il, the more I necessarily
became opposed 10 Il myself. At last there
was no sort of question as to duty to the
Government. In the language of these
resolutions it was to eradicate il; but
did not insist upon that issue before the
country. The party with which / ulti-
mately associated did not insist upon it.
We thought that in time, from its own
obnoxious nature, it would wear out, but
; the speculative natuae of the thing, the
fortunes to be made from the traffic, the
T immense gains to be acquired from the
labor of slaves in the cotton and sugar
States, enticed and fascinated the people
of the South.
In 1860, when the census was made, we
found under sll the benign influences OF
the growing Civilization of the age, that
instead of the institution going gradually
out of existence, it was actually fixing
itself in perpetual permanency upon the
country; that its dark claws had sunk
deep into the Yitals of the nation. And
the men who adhered to it were sunk
deep in iniquity and immortality that
they endeavored to infict upon US chas-
, tisements, the more fully and effectually
to retain their grasp. The men who stood
up for that institution grappled the Uni
ted States by the throat, they went stark
mad, assailing the Vitals of our country
that slavery might live, and then it was
that the people became aroused to the re
, quirements of the hour. and true to the
highest mandates of Humanity, they swore
that thei institutions should die. Cheers.
, If there bad been no slavery-who will
deny me? who dare deny me?-not now
, particularly, but hereafter when ] am not
here-whO dare deny that if there had
been no slavery there would have been nc
. war; That is simple proposition
, There is no difficulty in understanding it,
IL calls for no uncommon mind To grasp
, it. 1t stands before you like great
mountain, and the simplest soul can grasp
! it. Had there been no slavery there had
been no war. What is the natural sig
nificance of that proposition! In order
that there should be no more war there
must be no more slavery. Loud and con-
tinued app, ,ause. Many noble men have
fallen in this war, thousands of men have
been slain on the battlefield; not in such
was as thousands of mankind have been
slain before; not because some dandy
prince has had his feelings hurt on ac-
count of not having his way in courting
some dainty princess; neither is it war
in which little questions Of ethics or alb
struse principles have been involved
No; it is a great big war, upon great
big question, affecting a great nation. 1t
is one in which people can afford to die.
lCneering. If the dead could be resus-
citated now while / stand before you,
could I appeal to the heart of of every
PROSTATE brother soldier who lies in his
grave to night, could he be brought be-
fore the audience To answer for himself.