The Portland daily press., 1892-02-03

next dluGI DIlClI tOllllAiAoSe'-.
large bowling mob led by two or three
slave traders surrounded the jail, opened
the lower gate by force, and assembled TO
the gate which opened into the room
where Mr.. Giddings was conversing WIN ~,
Capt Dayton, and swore they would XIII
him before he left the Jail. The Jallor, d
man of undaunted courage, kept the mop
at bay until Mr.. Giddings had got through
his business: and then proposed TO u, MN
to retire to an apartment in the bmldlnS
where he would be perfectly safe. MI.
Giddings very cody told the jailor he was
going out and requested him to open the
door. This he refused to do, and told
him he would not get five feet from the
Jail before he would be dead man. MI.
Giddings then called a gentleman there
present to witness, that if the Jailor let
him out and he was murdered, no blame
should be attached to him. After a long
parley, the jailer opened the door and
Mr.. Giddings walked out. crowded ms
wav through that blood thirsty, bowling
mob. pushing them right and left, telling
them he was in haste to take his seat IN
the House. The mob seemed paralyzed
at his boldness, and did not recover from
it until he was out of their reach when
they broke forth into a torrent OF the
most shocking profanity, curslng their
own stupidity in allowing him to get
away. Mr.. Giddings during his first and
second terms in Congress made h1mself
familiar with the Rules of the House,
and ever after was one of the best parlia-
mentari ans in that body. With the his
tory of governments ancient and modern,
he was perfectly familiar, and of the his
tory of his own country, especially that
part of it relating to the questions OF
slavery, he ''knew every line"
AS public speaker Mr.. Goddings was
not what the world calls finished ORA
tor, yet he was a very effective debater.
His emotional nature was powerful and
easily excited and he owed to his strong
sensibilities great portion of that popu-
lar eloquence which never failed to cap
ture his audiences.
Nothing will test the power of a mem
Der of Congress to sustain himself in de-
bate, like well recognized rule OF one
member pitching into another in the
midst of a speech, plying him with con-
Predictions and cross questions, intended
to embarrass and throw him off his line
of argument, and destroy the effect OF
his speech.
In what is familiarly known as trough
and tumble" debate Mr.. Giddings had no
superiors and few equals in Congress.
The men in the pro-slavery ranks who
had the courage to commence an attack
upon him, were very few and they were
always glad to get out of his hands.
Some of the most corrupt schemes OF
the shareholders to defraud the govern
ment and plumber the treasury were ex-
posed and defeated by Mr.. Giddings.
Notably among them was the ''Amistad"
case in 1889. A number of slaves were in
M. - 80 Tod
from Africa to Cuba. SO of their number
were sold to two slave dealers Mentz and
Ruiz. who shipped them on board the
''Amistad'' for Principe. On the voyage
the negroes rose, asserted their liberty
killed the captain and took charge of the
ship which drifted into an American port
where the courts declared the negroes
free under the law of nations.
In the next Congress the committee on
foreign relations through Mr.. Ingersol
of Pennsylvania reported bill toe pay
Montez and Ruiz $40, 900 for the loss of
their negroes.
Mr.. Giddings in one of the ablest
speeches ever delivered in Congress- ex-
posed the villainy of the whole thing and
gave it its death blow for after his speech
it was laid on fhe table and never after
wards called up.
In 1871 the slave ship ''Creole" sailed
from Richmond, Virginia for New Or
leans. While at sea the slaves arose, as
serted their liberty and Howell, one of
the slave dealers was killed. The negroes
took possession of the vessel, landed it
at Nassau, British port and under the
laws of England became free. Mr.. Web
ster, then Secretary of State demanded
of the British government payment for
those slaves. Mr.. Giddings introduced a
series of resolutions denying the consti-
tutional power of the President to involve
the people of the free states in the sup
port of commerce in the image of God.
For this he was publicly censured by
a resolution of the House. He immedi-
ately resigned his seat, returned to his
constituents who reelected him by an
overwhelming majority and Endorsed the
doctrines of the resolutions for which
he was censured. 1t should be here
added that the British government never
paid for the negroes.
The speeches of Mr.. Giddings cover
all questions touching slavery which
were presented while he was member.
Among them were the following: The
Florida War, Feb. 8, 1841; Reduction of
the Army, June 4, 1872; The American
Slave Trade, Feb. 10, 1913; State Rights,
Feb. 13, 1874; Annexation of Texas,
May 21, 1874; Indian Treaties, Feb. IS,
1916; Mexican War, Feb. is, 1916; Will
mot Proviso, Feb. 10, 1917; Privileges of
Members of Congress, April IS 1913;
Payment for Slaves, Dec. %, 1S4S; The
Federal government and Slavery, Feb.
II, 1S49; Speaker of the House, Dec. 81,
1S49; Admission of California, and New
Mexico, Aug. ID, 1850; Agitation of Slave
Question, Feb. 26, 1851; Compromise
Measures, March 16, 1852; Baltimore
Platforms, June %, 1852; Repeal of Mis-
souri, Com promise and Kansas, -Nebras-
ka Bill, 1854.
Mr.. Giddings remained member of
the House until 1861, twenty-five consec-
utive years, when he was appointed by
President Lincoln Consul General of
British North America and died at
Montreal May 81, 1854.
Anyone who carefully studies the con-
gressional life of Mr.. Giddings cannot
fail to recognize the fact that among all
the great anti-slavery leaders who led off
in the advance movement which culmin-
ated in the destruction of slavery in this
country, Joshua R. Giddings stands at
the head and front-"the greatest Ro-
man of them all.
JOHN J. PERRY.