Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-06-18
An Eloquent Address.

AT the recent reunion in Chicago of
old.time abolitlonists Gov. Beveridge,
of Illinois, delivered the welcoming I'D.
dress, as follows
Thirty-odd years ago there came man
across the praires, without compass or level,
laying out a railroad. The man was Owen
Lovejoy-a man hating slavery, loving liberty,
and honoring his God. That road was one
line of the underground rsilroad-chartered
not by law, but in moral convictions; en-.
gineered not by science, but through charity;
constructed not with money, but out of love;
freighted not with commerce, but with down
trodden humanity; operated not for the bene.
tit OF stockholders, but for the escape OF the
fugitive fleeing from the hand of his Cypress
or. Without magnificent depots, the home Of
every despised abollionist in the land WAS II
station, while the weary traveller found rest
and refreshments, welcome, and "God
speed YOU"
One terminus was in the land OF the slave;
and with the fixed polar star as the unerring
headlight the train ran on amid darkness and
storm, by devious and diverse routes, through
valley and forest, along swamp and stream,
by rock and cave, past cancbrake and thicket,
in lane and by-way, across mountain and plain,
over prairie, hill and lake, into that land yon-
der, beyond the confines OF the great Republic
the shortest, quickest and safest route from
slavery to freedom,
The train ran on amid the deaunciations Of
the North and the malignant curses Of the
South. 1t ran ON through divided churches
and disrupted political organizations. 1t ran
on in spite of the Infamous Fugitive Slave
law, the more Infamous Z" bred Scott de-
cison, and the military Interference OF the
Executive.
Greater the difficulties encountered, greater
the dangers threatened louder and ieIcer the
IL, I.., e. ,Et. t1tn
train sped on. The people stood 0ghast at
the terrible shrek, and the very nation trem-
bled beneath the thunderings of the wheels,
No one supposed 1000, GOO Of slaves could
he transported from the South into Canada.
No one supposed that the deyerance OF
Israel from Egyptian bondage would be re-
peated on American soil, There was no
Moses to lead the euslaved host-no plague TO
terrify--no angel OF death to appall-no
cloud 10y day--no pillar OF ire by mght-no
Jehovah to divide the sea. Yet the underground
railroad was an instrument in the hands OF
God for the futllment Of His grand pur-
poses
The flying fugitive, pursued, hunted ana
captured, rescued, hidden and hurried on to
the city Of refuge, was a constant reminder OF
the inhumanity and barbarlly OF African
slavery The story Of his wrongs rom Ms
own lips, the scars of shackles on his ankles,
oil ItlaUdtlth on HIS NiiNlN, vi wv llNi N''''l
on his neck, of the lash on his back, excited
sympathy, awakened moral sentiment, aroused
the public conscience and brought 9gltauons
such agitatiUus Of the social, mental, moral,
religious and political forces a. were never
before Witnessed in this or any other couh-
try.
The contest broadened and deepencd. The
South in II, frenzy and desperation invoked
war The question was: Shall the country
be all slave or all ffcc~--hould the black u3g
or the flag OF our fathers wave over the laudt
The Government, before on the side Of slavery,
for It's own honor and preservation, declared
for freedom, and against slavery lheu the
Underground Railroad Company Win an l.s
obligations cancelled dissolved. The train
stood still, the fires Of the engine went out
and in a day the proclamation " the Immortal
Lincoln, backed by the war power, perfected
the emancipation Hallelujah. dc year OF
jubilee hab come ~
The men who had part in this great strug-.
gle--the men who initiated and carried on and
forward the anti,siayery movement 10 glori.
Gus contamination; the men who became agi-
tatoas-wcre accursed as black abolltlonis1s;
were denounced as negro thieves; were
scorned, scoGed and ,snecred at by the popa-
lace; were mobbed, beaten and imprisoned;