The National tribune., 1900-02-08

MISSOURI VOTERS 'JtS
men to do. OF the 4O-odd Nebraska Sena-
tors who sat present and heard him no one
rebuked him.
IF this had been said among Marion's
| men, SouthernerS though they were, what
would have become of the man who said it?
If this had been said to the men who cap
tured Andre, the man who said it would
probably have been hung sooner than
| Andre was. If it had been said in old
Independence Hall rs years ago, the very
door keeper would have throttled the man,
| and thrust him into the street. Thus
we see the plain. unmistakabe spirit of that
early age towards slavery was hostility to
the principle, and liberation only by ne
cessity. But now it is to be transformed
into a sacred right Nebraska brings it
forth, places it on the high road to extension
and perpetuity, and with pat on its back
says to it: Go, and God speed YOU Hence
forth it is to be the chief jewel of the Nation,
| the very figurehead of the ship OF State.
Little by little, but steadily as mans march
| to the grave, we have been giving the old
| for the new faith. Nearly 80 years ago we
began by declaring that all men were Gre
ated equal; but now from that beginning
we have run down to that other declaration,
| that for some men to enslave others Is a
sacred right of self-government.' In
our greedy chase to make profit OF the negro,
| let us beware lest we cancel and tear TO
pieces even the white mans charter OF free
dom. If all earthly power were
given me, / should not know what to
do as to the existing institution. My first
impulse would be to free all the slaves, and
send them to Iiberia-to their own native
land. But, if they were all landed there in
a day, they would all perish in the next 10
days; and there are not surplus shipping
and surplus money enough TO carry them
| there in many times 10 days. What then!
Free them all; and keep them among US as
,J,,-l Te. IN taI a
betters their condition? Think would not
| hold one in slavery. at any rate; yet the point
/ is not clear enough for me to denOunce
people upon. What next? Free them, and
make them politically and socially our
equals? Ny own feelings will not admit
| that those of the great mass OF white people
viii not A universal feeling, whether well
or ill-founded, cannot be safely disregarded.
| We cannot, then. make them equals: IL
does seem to me that systems of gradual
emancipation might be adopted; but, Tor
their tardiness in this, will not undertake
| TO Judge our brethren of the South.
Our Republican robe is soiled-traiied
| in the dust. Let us repurify it: Let us
| turn and wash ii white, in the spirit, II not
| slavery from its claims of moral right
back upon its existing legal rights and its
arguments of necessity Let us turn 1t to
the position our fathers gave II. and there
let it rest in peace. Let us readopt the
! Declaration of Independence, and with II
the practices and policy which harmonic
with it. Let North and SOuth-let all
Americans-let all lovers Of liberty every
| wIere-join the great and good work. III
We do this, we shall not only have saved the
/ Union, but We shall have so saved it as To
make and to keep it forever worthy of the
| sa Iing. We shall have 50 saved it that the
succeeding millions Of free and happy
people the world over. shall rise up and call
us blessed to the latest generations"
"HARKi FROM THE ToMBS \ DoLEFUL
| SOUND"
II was in one Of these speeches that Mr..
| Iincoln'S power of reDartee was admirably
illustrated by a most laughable retort made
| by him to Douglas. Mr.. Ralph f. Hoyt, who
| was present saws: IN the course of his
speech, Mr.. Douglas had said: The Wings
are all dead For some time before speak
ing. Lincoln sat on the platform with only
his homely face visible 10 the audience
above the high desk before him. On being
ceeded TO straighten himself up. For a few
seconds | wondered when and where his
| head would cease its ascent, but at last it
did stop, and Honest Old Abe stood before
us. He commenced: 'Fellow-citizens: My
| friend, Mr. Douglas. made the startling
announcement to-day that the Wings are
all dead. If this be so, fellow-citiZens, you
twill now experience the novelty of hearing
a speech from dead man: and suppose
you might properly say, i'll the language Of
the old hymn:
'Harkl from the tombs doleful sound,'
This set the audience fairly wild with de-
light. and at once brought them into full
confidence with the speaker"
ADVICE To KANSAS BELLIGERENTS.
About this time party Of Abolitionists
in Illinois had become 50 excited over the
Kansas struggle that they We're determined
10 go 10 the aid of the Free State men. AS
soon as Mr.. Lincoln learned of this project
J he opposed it strongly. When they spoke
10 him of Liberty, Justice, and God s
higher law" he replied:
. Friends, you are in the minority-in a
sad minority; and you can't hope 10 succeed,
reasoning from all human experience
You would rebel against the Government
and redden your hands in the blood of your
countrymen. If you have the majOrity, as
some of you say you have, you can succeed
with the ballot, throwing away the bullet.
You can peaceablY. then. redeem the Gov
ernment and preserve the Liberties of man
: kind, through your votes and voice and
. moral influence. Let there be peace. In a
democracy, where the majority rule by the
ballot through the forms of law, these
, physical rebelions and bloody resistances
are radically wrong, unconstitutional, and
are treason. Better bear the ills you have
than fly to those you know not Of. Our
} own Declaration of Independence says that
Governments long established should not
he resisted for trivial causes. Revolution
ize through the ballot-box, and restore the
Government once more to the affection and