The Globe-republican., 1896-06-04
MEMORIAL ADDRESS.
Delivered o. Ex-Governor Seay, CT
Oklahoma, Al Wichita, May
80, 1895.

Oklahoma, Al Wichita, May
80, 1895.
Governor Seay's address was an able
effort and was well received. He IS an
entertaining speaker. and was ire
Quently applauded. The following .
his address in full:
Comrades, Ladies and Gentlemen:
A third OF a century has passed and a
new generatioa has grown up since the
war Of the rebellion began. since bat
ties were fought and blood saturated for:
and field ard thousands of lives were
sacrificed for the Union. While no
product of q liberty loving brain was
ever so grand and noble or so compre-
he1sive in its portrayal Of human life
as the Declaration OF independence.
yet, although declaring: That all men
are created equal" three-quarters OF
century elapsed before a negro was rec
ognize'd as a man, and another decade
passed before he was accorded equal
sights under the Constitution. Human
slavery having ex!ste-ce in the colonies,
its virus was inoculated into the flesh
OF the young republic, Il grew and fat
tened and became strong. defiant and
d;ctatoreal; for it's preservation and lib
erty Of speech and the press was threat
ened and then deied, the slave power
became aggressive and claimed the
prairjes Of the west, and sent its propa-
gaada here forty-two years ago. Thea
the struggle between freedom and slav-
cry began in earnest; here the van
guard was organized, which resulted in
the overthrow of slavery. OF the emf
grant aid societies. the hardships. pr;va-
tons and dangers suffered by them: Of
the hot blooded, exciting debates in con-
gress, growing out Of Its discussions, of
the frequent removal Of territorial gov
errors, Of the appointment Of others, of
the lawlessness that existed along the
borders of Missouri and Kansas. result
ing in battle and blood shed between the
border rufiia;ns Of Missouri; and the Kan
sas Red legs. Of the leadership of the
-Atchisons and the Stringfellows on the
one side. and the Lanes and Browns on
the other. of the doctrines of ''squatter
sovereignty" which seemed to be ac
cepted by both parties, one need not
speak. lived in Missouri then, and
was Free Soiler, with only three others
in my county. These border troubles
grew out of violation. OF the Mis-
souri, compromise" by the south which
provided, that Missouri might be ad-
mitted as a slave state. the agreement
was made in 1920. and provided that the
south would never ask any more terri
tory lying north Of what was known as
Masons and Dixo-s Line, s.. 80 north
latitude, should be made a slave terri
tory. The deliberate violation of ths
solemn contract, as it was called and
the substitution of the doctrine called
''Squatter Sovereignty" as expounded
by Stephen A. Douglass, Intensified and
crystalized the Free Soil sentiment in
the 'cDrth. The Phillips. the Garrisons
and the Stoves wrote and spoke for
freedom. Uncle Toms Cabj-" was
read by every fireside in the north.
Douglass, The Little Giant" cham
Dioned the doctrine of "SquatterS Sow
erignty," Lincoln, the Sampson Of the
west, said the conflict between freedom
and slavery was :rrepressible, that this
country could not exist. half slave and
half free. When the full scope and
meaning of these propositions. the right
Of all men to equal suffrage and equal
freedom, had been felt and understood,
by the heart and brain Of the people, of
the north and the border states. slavery
was doomed. The great debate be-
tween the two champions In 1858, made
Lincoln and Douglass opposing candi-
dates for the presidency in 1860. Lin
coin became the recognized leader Of the
Free Soil party and was elected presi-
Han h1Hot tpcs M n trs
was cause for dissolution Of the Union,
and withdrew. President Lincoln
pleaded with them to return. They
answered by firing on Fort Sumpter and
seizing the forts. arsenaks and other
property in the south belonging to the
United States government. Then came
the call for volunteers, AID people Of the
great north answered with one grand
acclaim for the Union. They left the
plow in the furrow. the hammer on the
anvil. the shuttle in the loom. the yard
stick on the shelf. furnace fires were
extinguished, spfndles ceased their
music. factories closed their doors. mills
were shut down and in their stead, the
fires Of patriotism were kindled in every
homestead. IL, the village and city and
every part Of the north was aflame.
That Is the way they responded TO the
call Of their country. "War is the sub
ject Of all history" The microscope
reveals atoms that fight and swim in a
drop Of water-self- help-right to live,
eat and drink without moaestation, this
is an instinct. With us it was liberty,
freedom for all under the flag. we could
no longer live half free and half slave.
we could not mai-ita:n out nationality
and just laws with q proud and war
like people living neighbors to us. by an
imaginary line. The irrepressible con-
fl.ct had begun. We would accept no
compromise, We could not consent to the
destruction OF our glorious Union We
therefore had to fight in self defense.
Our war was necessary. was just and
this fact is now conceded everywhere
shat our nag floats. Justice has been
virdicated and everybody is satisfied.
When four years had passed with their
hopes and fear, their blood and tears.
Lee and Johnston surrendered to Grant
and Sherman. then there were left on