Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-01-30

be done, and that word, the Repub-
lie is saved, will go out over all the
earth, and shake the foundations Of
every tyrants throne, and compel
every despot to hold the reins of
power with a tremulous and un-
steady hand. Surely something
will have been gained for humanity,
the world over, when in the land of
Washington, of Madison, of Jefier-
son and Franklin, filled with Il peo-
pie second to none among the ma
tions Of the world, it shall be ac-
kncwledged that before the majesty
of their law every human being is
equal-equal in the rights ofperson,
equal in those rights which are as
universal as the material structure
of man, equal in those rights which
are the gift of God, and to protect
which governments are instituted
among men. ! submit that gentle
men do but initiate tie example Of
those who contrived this rebellion
years ago in the councils Of the ma
ton, by the arguments which they
adduce here in answer to what we
have said and what we say now in
support of this measure. When l
repeat the utteronces and reiterate
the deathless words ofyour immor
tai Declaration, every one ofwhich,
like the words of Luther, were half
battles, gentlemen rise in their pla-
ces, as their predecessors did years
ago in the Senate, and declare that
the words of the Declaration are
but glittering generalities, rhetorical
hourishes, and the self-eyident truth
itself, that all men are created equal
and endowed with the rights Of life
and liberty by the common Father,
who is the God of all the nations,
is, after all, but a self-eVident lie
That is their answer 1t is all
'rhetoric," it is a "glittering gener-
ality," it is a ''self-evident lie"
Sir, it is written in your Constitu-
ton that there are persons who are
natural born citizens in this land, l
would like to know by what method
of reasoning gentlemen revive the
ancient dogma that this world was
made for Caesar. I would like to
know how gentlemen on this floor
have arrived at the conclusion that
any of their citizens, born
with them within the limits Of this
Republic, have not the same right
to live here, and, if God so please,
to die here, as the gentlemen them
selves? That is one of the issues
involved in this contest-the right
of every natural-bo4n, abiding
citizen of the Republic to live on
the spot of his origin. ] have no
doubt we could get rid of all con-
troversy at once, if we would sur
render the great trust given to us,
and say to the men, red with the
blood of our murdered countrymen,
seize again the control of all the po-
litical power of the nine disorgan-
lied States, trample down under
your iron heel the four million ma
tive born children Of the Republic,
who were once citizen slaves, now
citizen freemen, the men who never
forgot, during all the four years of
conflict, that your flag was the sym
bol of liberty; the men who never
forgot to whisper a word of cheer
and comfort to the wounded and
dying soldiers Of the Republic in
the great struggle for the nations
life; the men who never failed to
aid your defenders in their escape
from the prison pens in which their
comrades were subjected to untime-
| ly death by the slow tortures of
famine and poison. Surrender these
men, faithful to the last, to the
traitors in rebellion, and the con
test is ended. Allow Jefferson Da-
Wis to come back and sit down in
his senatorial robes in the Senate ;
call home that hatchet-faced con-
spirator from France (Slidell OF
Louisiana), and restore him to his
place call home that other Senator
watching across the border in Can
ada (Mason), and restore him to
his place; call back all the repre-
sentatives who went out in the year
1861 from this hall, clothed with
perjury as with q garment, lifting
their hands in violence against your
Government and Constitution, and
the contest will be ended.
Sir, l cannot speak for others,
but for myself, so help me God
living Or dying, l am against any
such proposition. Let the friends
of the Republic keep the Republic
in their hands. That being done
its safety is assured, and the time
will come within The life, trust, OF
every man now honoring me with
his attention, when the laws Of the
Republic in all our borders will be
so just, so humane, so impartial in
their justice and in their humanity,
that the poorest and the humblest
human being between these oceans
will.Rnd equal protection with the
richest. the noblest, and the mo 81