Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-08-14

plowed some OF it. In the city of Rich
mond in 1860, being there in attendance.
as a reporter OF democratic convention,
| went into an auction room, which was
located over a liquor saloon called the
"Washington House." The first thing l
saw that especially attracted my atten-
ton was a brighr-eyed black boy put on
the platform to be sold, and the auction
eer recommended him to the crowd OF
bidders by saying, Gentlemen. this little
boy plows with n or two horses l
knew what that meant. When l was a
little boy mot much higher than the pillow
handles. l had learned to pillow with one
or two horses. The little fellow looked
around with keen eyes as the bidding
went on, to see who his master would be
now IN the courts of Virginia. There
was no redress. NO hope for him, and
that was IN Old Virginia. Immortal
honor to the little fellows with shoulder
straps, and to the big fellows with the
guns who wiped out that shame from
the continent. I do not want to 60 back
on them now"
This little man without shoulder straps
should have gone a little further back
in history. He might have told his au
dience that in 1776 u Virginia gentleman
wrote a paper known then and now as
the declaration of American indepen-
dence. In the original draft Of that in
strument were these words:-"He has
waged cruel war against human nature
itself, violating its most sacred rights oil
life and liberty in the persons OF a dis
tant people who offended him,
captivating and carrying them into
slavery in another hemisphere. or incur
ring miserable death in their transporta-
ton thither. This piratical warfare,
the epprobrium of infidel powers, is the
warfare OF the christian king Of Great
Britain. Determined to keep open a
market where men should be bought and
sold, he has prostituted his negative tor
suppressing every legislative attempt to
prohibit or restrain this execrable COM
merce. And that this assemblage Of
horrors might want no fact OF disting-
uished die, he is now exciting those
very people to rise IN arms among US,
and to purchase that liberty OF which he
has deprived them. by numbering the
people on whom he also obtruded them !:
thus paying off former crimes commit
ted against the liberties OF one people,
with crimes which he urges them to
commit against the lives of another"
This was a terrible a~rraignment, and
committed the young republic to an anti
slavery policy. 1t was written by the
immortal jefferson, the founder of the
democratic party. Why was it not adop-
tedP Let Mr.. Jefferson himself say.
In his memoir written in 1921. in his re-
view Of the proceedings pending the
adoption of the instrument, are these
words:-''The p~usillanimous idea that
we had friends in England worth keep
ing terms with, still haunted the minds
ui many. For this reason, those passa-
ges which conveyed censures on the
people OF England were struck out, lest
they should give them offense. The
clause. too. reproba;ing the %ensiaving
the Inhabitants of Africa, was struck out
in complalsance to South Carolina and
Georgia. who had never attempted to
restrain the importation of slaves. aud
who, on the contrary. still wished to
continue it. Our northern brethren,
also, I6elieue. felt a little tender un-
der those censures; for though their
people had rery few slaves them
~selues, get they had been pretty con-
siderable carriers of them to Others"
Ttco southern states and sour north
ern brethren" objected to this strong
language against slavery.
Mr.. Haistead in his speech first
copies the demagegue OF the cross
roads by reminding the farmers
that he, too. knows how to
plow, and is v~irtuous in consequence.
He then misquotes the allusion to the
little fellow in shoulder straps. who does
not know enough to regard civil law as
superior to military force, making it ap-
pear as intended ridlcule of the federal
soldier, which would hardly have been
consistent. falling from the lips Of "a
distinguished congressman from Vlr-
ginia." who vas making a speech in
support of Major General Hancock, OF
the United States army. for president.
Mr.. Halstead told his Yankee audience
that Virglnians sold little negro boys
when he was a reporter. He should
have told them, further, that they did SO
because the ancestors of his auditors
had first stolen from their native
land and sold to them the fathers and
mothers OF the little negro boys. How
ever, this might not have been popular.
Mr.. Halstead was once considered a man
of independence of spirit and purity OF
motives. but he has been badly bitten
with the tarantula of Office, and his
dreams Of a second class foreign mis-.
sion have %reconciled him to any kind o.
society. and to the lowest demagogisn
in speech. If he and all such as be
could as easily forget their hatred of the
south, as the people of that section have
r%ellnquished slavery, it would be yer,
much better tor our common country
When the virtues OF different section.
are compared, we imagine that no on,
of them will be found to m%onopolize al
that is either good or bad.
The New York Sun has a two incl
letter from Mystic River so full of sub
jecls as to require this heading
cock. Huckleberries. R~attlesnakes, Eel,
and Garfield" The cells and CARTEL,
are placed together, because both ar
slippery.
! General Hancock's Letter of Accep
%tance:--''H called to h presidency
should deem it my duty to resist wit
all my power any attempt t o impair O
evade the full force and effect Of the cor
3 stitution. which IN every article, sectlo