The Portland daily press., 1867-02-09

such arguments as these, shall snoo,. or
their origin, the influence they have exe,toG .
and their injustice.
And first, their origin. 1t is related of an
old seaman, who made considerable disnlav
of the knowledge he had gathered in his mn
merous voyages, that he was asked by his lit
Tie son, where The fashions came from? Ills
prompt reply was, from Boston; and where
10 the Boston folks obtain them? From New
, hork, and the New Workers from Paris And
.ntnef r,L where do the Paris people get them?
me Old mans st-ck of know ledne was abont
rAn,'usted ra,l,' but making a desperate effort. he
fopiee' foa 1o straight from the Devil. And with
r,,. -, Ieoo cAcamlocution we can trace these ar
eos't, eanoits through the medium of the Demo-
na,;I Party, straight to the same source fire
,o,Ia. ne ii.nuenee they have exerted has been
iohS continued and powerful This taarf,I ~
1luence has deferred MANY mar, aro e,i
ing the honest convictions of his beart ,if",,
sanctioned the introduction of slave,,s ,r,.;oi
has been such a curse and reproacS =" IL
nation. They were at the foundation Of tta
laws which established and regulated tbe 80
tenn; and they moulded the public senIhnSnt
which gave vitality to these laws. Under
their fostering care the institution flourisbed
until it became a controlling influence in the
affairs of the country 1t made our PresI
dents, appointed our Judges and Ministers to
foreign lands, aud filled the army and navy
with its creatures; Tor long time il held the
conscience OF the nation in allegiance, and
when 1t was aroused, added fearful interest to
the struggle which followed; and notwith-
Standing the terrible experience of the past,
as we look out upon the troubled waters of
.ouay, we see this bauefui influence still
peing exerted TO keep far from us that day of
qu'e1ness and peace for which our hearts so
earnestly yearn.
ln speaklis a the justice of the ideas en-
o1ied IN THESE Arguments, we shall enter into
20 discussion OF The equality of the races
Inere are no data upon which TO found
sneh an argument. When the memo
race have been educated and teye,oped
for hundred years in succession, then Ills
question can be more easily determined.
we pass over the history OF the race ia this
country with all its terrible wrongs down 10
the late civil war. That contest was not en-
tered upon with any thought of dong Justice
to the negro; his aid was neither asked, nor
accepted when offered Deserving TO our
camps, or bringing valuable information to our
generals, they were given up and returned 10
bondage on the demands of their naughty
rebel masters. Putting down the rebeilion
without njaring slavery, was the great idea
Win Which the contest was for a long time
waSed; but the weary months and wears
expenditure OF treasure. There was a fearful
forebodng as to the result. The nation grew
sick and faint at heart, and the aristocracy
and governments OF the old world were re-
joiciDg in the prospect Of our speedy down.
fall, and only when the dire necessity was
laid upon us, did we come to regard thein as
an element 1n the STRIFE, or condescend to ask
their aid. 1t is unnecessary to rehearse 10
| you how nobly they responded, how brayely
| they bore themselves in the right, a1ttshow
| lar they were instrumental in saving us from
| the national destruction which seemed so i'm
| minent. And in view of such a record is it
not base injustice which viii meet them
| with scorn and contempt, and deny to them
the blessings OF freedom, ior which they
bravely fought? '"t
am in iavor of the passage Of this bill. be-
earse believe the principles involved have a
| lar wider range than the mere provisions of
the bill Itself, and because it viii strengthen
| the hands OF those in other States who are Ia
boring to Tree the colored race from the disa--
Dllitie, under which they now L, s.; and because
beleye the Satetr anu existence CT our ma
ton, as q united whoie, depends in a great
measure 1qQn our giving the right of suffrage
to thecoloftd race i'll the late rebeliious STATES
and because there is no one thing which SO
hinders this, as the restriction which the VOID
white makes in the constitutions and laws of
| to our country and the world demands that
our influence shall go out, Strong and unequiy-
ocally, in favor OF liberty. Let me illustrate
my meaning. About twenty years ago 1
read the statement OF an intelligent gentleman
! who had been travelling in the despotic en-
| pire of Austria, that among the means to which
they resorted to repress the desire OF liberty in
the minds OF the people, were numerous prints
and enSravings, illustrating scenes in Ameri-
can slavery, such as slave pens crowded with
| ITS victims, gangs OF men and women chained
| together Tor their march down South. the
sundering OF families, the selling OF men and
| women at auction, and the degrading punish
ment at the whipping post These were the
ideas they sought TO convey to their people Of
the freedom vi the noblest Republic in the
world. True, these things have passed away,
the shackles are broken, and the slave pen
stands empty to-day, but here and there upon
| our statute books, are the relics vf this old
barbarism. Let us rise above the preludces
which would retain them there, so that this
noble Republic, freed from the stains ofhuman
bondage, may send forth an influence which
shall be for the healing Of the nations.