The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-09-05

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is right. [Applause.J That is for the
Convention to say upon that question,
if upon none other, as Southern men
speak ont your minds Tapplause:1
speak the truth as you feel fapplause;1
speak the truth as you know Il. IAN
plause;l speak the truth as you feel for
your country; speak the truth as YOU
love permanent peace, and as You
hope to see the foundations of this Gov
eminent so that our children and onr
children's children shall enjoy peace
that we have not known. 1 tell you, un-
less you do this there can be no peace.
[Applause.l
Gentlemen, said that but short
time ago Convention was held in this
city. That Convention, to my mind,
did not do much, or rather omitted to
do much that was good; but it was not
wholly unmixed with good. That Con-
Ventlon, as read its history, came
here and simply recorded, and nothing
more, in Quaker-like silence, and ABB
Ject submission. That Convention re-
cognized the command OF one man.
lApplause. That Convention did
what the loyal Congress refused
to do. If we ever have a CONGRESS that
does not resolutely refuse, as the pres
ent one has done, merely to be the re-
cording Secretary of tine tyrant at the
White House, American liberty is gone
forever. tApplause- To my mind, it
Is important that Congress should be
commended, in that particular, for
that reason, independents, OF ali the
other merits of the question, and for
the reason that they have thought for
themselves. They have spoken for
themselves; they have stood up
against all sorts of influence,
for that which they believed. The
dead silence, sorry for want Of thought
and speech, that marked that conyen-
ton, and feeling thst posterity must
condemn it, stillI say that-its doings
were not unmixed Of good. Gentle
men, you all know we have had
IN this country an old. defiant,
proud and naughty party-quandom
democrats; quandozn copperheads.
No. My apprehension has been that it
has crusted all over with prejudice,
Keeping out the light of truth and the
light of day. Among other prejudices
for years has been This, that slavery
was divine institution; that all the in
eidentS OF slavery were divine; that it
was a sacred thing; That it should not
be discussed and shOEld not he spoken
Oft was household god. This was
the creed, this was theconducE of this de-1
hant and proud party. Well that party
comes up here to the l4th of August con-
yenton. That party,-for toe men of
that party constituted avase majority
OF that Convention. Now, nitark, gen.
tlemen, that in two of the resolutions
of that Convention it is distinctly said
that slavery is abolished and must new
err be re-established. [Applause.1
ask you then if this old Democratic
party has not struck its colors and
bowed in humble submission to repub-
lican principles. [ApplRuse,1 There
is some good in that. [Applause.1 It
marks an event in the progress OF hui
man freedom. At the Convention held
in Baltimore in 1864 which nominated
II Il Lob Z
announced that slavery should be ex-
urpated, not abolished merely, but ex-
urpated-taken out Of our institutions
root and branch, body and soul,
every hnament and every fibre of
1t; Marx ai; ,,og gentlemen, the differ
Not simply to cast off this or other
limbs of this horrible monster, but to
take out not only slavery, but all the
homogeneous and unrighteousness CON
sequences and incidents that resulted
from slavery. What are they in the
hrst place unequal representation
lApplause. Does not slavery remain
so long as there is q man mo matter
what his colorl unrepresented in the
government? Does not slavery remain
as long as one man does not stand equal
with his fellow man. The great Re-
publican party pledged themselves at
Baltimore it should be extirpated, and
time as 1t were in prison houses at the
South, when this pledge came to YOU il
came as the sweetest note you had ever
heard. Let this be uone and we will. be
content. call TIE attention of the
Convention to the fact that every SOUTH
ern State, North Carolina, believe, ex-
cepted, has not of itself abolished slave
ry; but II has announced in its Constitu-
ton that slavery has been abolished by
the military power Of the United states,
and ought not to be re-established.
Now call the attention of the Conyen-
ton to this particular language because
1T struck me when used, and when 1
first saw it several Southern gentlemen
were in conversation with me. Il
struck me as carefully selected and
used with a purpose that it should
never be said TO them that they had as
scented to the abolition Of slavery, and
that upon that they would hereafter
when represented in Congress come to
the Government and demand compen-
sat1on for their emRncipated slaves.
[Cries of that's so."l 1t is not neces..
sary for me to say before this Conven-
ton that they have no just right for
compensation. [Applause.l
Let them pay back to the government
the vast debt they have incurred be-
cause of their treason and rebellion,
and 1t viii pay them for their slaves.
[Applause.l But Independently of that,
upon principle they are not entitled to
pay Then, gentlemen, this Convention
ought to say to the people Of this ma
ton, if you want to be secure and safe
in this matter, fix it down in the Con-
stitution, where neither Congress nor
any department of the government can
touch it-that emancipated slaves are
never to be paid for. [Applause.l
Those Southern people, when they
assembled to make their various
constitutions, they provided in
them that their State rebel debt is
not to be paid. Every Southerner here
knows with what great reluctance they
did that. 1t required the positive COM
mand of the President and all the power
OF the Government to exact it of them.
That can be repealed by State action.
They can by action soon undo what
they have done, and assume the paw
ment of a debt which they have now
under coercion refused. Write it down
in the fundamental law of the land.
Let the loyal people of the nation
see that It is written down in the funda-
mental law of the land that no money
shall be paid out of the Golfers of the
people anywhere, North or South, for
the effort to destroy this Government.
[Applause.1 -
Upon these subjects think, but upon
the subject more particularly of equal
and just repres entation, this convention
ought to speak out. These gentlemen
rebels complain that their constitution
al and natural rights are infringed
upon. If they complain fairly, say SO.
II they have no right to it, If they ask
that the vote and power of the white
man in South Carolina shall equal the
vote and power of two white men in
pennsylvania, it is an injustice. and
say so. [Applause.l If they ask less
than justice give them full measure.