Year: 1860




tainly know that these are times OF


great excitement, when the most


sober are in danger of saying things


which in their cooler moments


their judgments are unable to ap-


prove. Therefore feel it q duty


under existing circumstances to ut


ter no word before q public audi


ence, the import of which I have


not we'll considered in my retire.


ment. l make these remarks from


the fact that l see a reference in


your paper to my speech at DiGhers


Meeting House, in Monroe Town


ship, stating that came out and


forever renounccd and abjured all


fellowship and connection of every


kind whatsoever, with the republi-


can party. Now Mr.. Editor, I


most emphatically deny giving ut


terance to any such language on


that or any other occasion, never


have taken such an ungenerous po-


sition as that and l hope that l


never will, what, forever abjure all


fellowship with some Of my best


neighbors, sir, l cannot and will


not entertain such an idea as that,


when my very nature tells me and


the Constitution of the United
States tells me that the Republican


party has the very same rights to


their opinions and the expression Of


those opinions upon any subject
slavery not excepted,) as 1 have


and I most assuredly do claim this


right for myself. There can be no


genuine mental liberty where the


enjoyment and exercise of great


rights is not freely allowed and


fully guaranteed to all, because it


is selfevident that if men are per-
mitted to think and speak only on
suferance or by the consent of 9TH
t ers, they are deprived of the free
dom of mind and we are in the
: chains of mental bondage, and any
l half way allowance on this subject
' is entirely out of the question and
l should not be INDUCED in for mo-
ment. But as clear familiar and in
| controvertible, as this truth is.
1t is not practically acknowledged,


even in the free North. These


are the principles that 1 ad-
vocate where ever go; let every


subject be discussed freely but rea-
sonably. The seeker after truth
fears not the application of reason
to any proposition that he may be-
lieve in. I basedmy views upon this
very principle while making my
) speech to thepeople ofMonroe Town


ship on Saturday evening 9Th, and
yet it is said by some that I made
: pro-slavery speech, from the fact
t suppose that 1 remarked that the
people of each State ought to have
= their Constitutional rights which 1
G was under the impression allowed
F them to hold their Slaves as prop
4 erty. And 1 broughtthe constitu-
ton and the remarks of the very
men who not onlymade, but finish
: ed that in strument, in support of my
position. Uniformed them on that
occasion that I was going to vote
for Stephen A. Douglas, and gave
e them my reasons for so doing
S 1 stated to them in words not to be
misunderstood, that I did not con-
+ slider any of the parties perfect and
= that believed that Douglas was
n like other men, that he had some


faults but whilst l was choosing I
q wanted to embrace the least evil,
It therefore l am content to let the
5. people settle the question that un-
o questionably belongs to them this
l. principle Douglas embraces, and I
n am with him, for great subjects can
II be settled peaceably if the people
: will agree to resort to the ballot
t box to settle all their political diff
: freences. Yours for S. A. Douglas
l & Co., JOSEPH BECK.
Hamburg Sep. 10, 1860.


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