Year: 1866

ceded by the British Government ior tne UNJUST
purpose of destroying American commerce.


W hat was the RESULT The result was that in four
months our o,nage was reduced to two thirds what
ilIwa 1t ei her destroyed, or heura lively turned
over 10 other nations Eng and acquired victory
over American commerce by her course, bat she
reaps the result long after when Prussia and Austria
combine for the purpose OF Wrestling from the ancient
kingdom Of Denmark the duchies OF SchleswR and
osten They soon saw that Austria with a single
port upon the country, could commaud the entire
commercial capacity of the people OF the United
States for the purpose Of destroying her commerce
her in the case OF the Alabama and ShenGnd 'dh.


And so Great Britain was Obliged to wait and see
Austria and Prussia dismember her ancient allY
and from that day until now Great Britain has been
a second or third.rate power in the affairs OF the
world in consequence of her departure from the
prncipe of right; and she can never regain that
pos ton until che restores the ancient rule OF public
and international law, in reference to the right OF
belligerents upon the ocean, and has made compen'
satiOn to the Government of the United States tor
the losses sustained for the damages In her own


But, gentlemen the people of this country are
never to be diverted from questions OF domes &c
concern by any movements on the part of the
Executive or Secretary of State, either ID reference
to the AabdptG CLAIMS, or in reference to the con-
present moment, situated we are, IN the adjust
ment OF domestic difficulties, and last and least of
81 should the people of this country intrust the
difficult question of interference in foreign affairs
10 man or to men who have shown themselves
utterly incapable of managing their own home


And we can afford to wait The people Of Great
BI ain will compel the Government of Grea Brl-





their injustice during the Rebellion oOn as we
shall be under the necessity OF receiving c0mpensa
ton And as far as Mexico is concerned, unjust as
is the conduct of Napoleon, unjust the usurpa
ton OF Macmillan in Mexico, If they don't choose
to leave, WI enever our Government is in safe hands
we can Danish all these gentlemen from this conti'
nent.


But we have had as you very well know, in our
own experience, more pertinent illustration OF the
danger of departing from justice in the organization
Of the Government If q Government be not just in
its organization, you cannot expect it to be Just
either in ltg domestic OOliCV IFS foreign, When
our fathers made the onstitution in 1888, they
copnized in IL the instnut,on of slavery They re.
COZ nized that institution in three forms; and, yOI
consider saverv-lf you analyze it-you Will find
that 1t is only of the worst forms OF injustice,
and every other degree or kind of injustice is the
same in kind, upon analysls-dlferlng, possibly,
on in degree they recognized the institution OF
slavery in that provision which permitted the i'm
portation of such persons until the year 1908.


They recognized the institution of slavery in that
provision of the Constitution which provided for
the return OF persons escaped from service IN one
State into another They recognized the institution of
which those States in which slavery existed were 10
be represented in Congress IN proportion to the
number of free persons to which was to be added
threeltths OF all other persons thus conceding TO
slavery and to veholders the worst ins tut on in
the country and The worst class of in the coun-
try political power disproportonate to the political
power enjoyed in the tlee States of the Union.


Some of you-I presume all OF yOu-have heard
family a little discreditabie nov. especaliy
among the friends OF liberty; and, as possibly
am under some obgations to the Blair family, / will
mention circumstance, for the purpose OF making
antobservation. -.v


time, In the month OF January; was the a. week,
inc uding the sabbath On Sabbath morning Iwent
out towards what was then known as the slave pen
as remember il, and dInGy yellow brick buiIding
surrounded by brc< walls of the same color. AS
was walking towards It, met a black woman, who
O little curiosity, which, perl aps, was not COM
menda6le; and said to her po nting to the Slave
tears, and said 'Ihat is the place where they keep
the poor colored people that are going down TO
people, the general name Tor the wlole unknown
region OF the South.


vist for the last time her daughter. whom under.
stood to be girl of eighteen years OF age who had
been sold and was to leave the next morning. She
was the last seven children, who had been taken
away from her in the same way As was leaving
her, "Who was your masterY" said l. She said it
such was my experience in that brief interview
with hat woman, that then made a resolution,
which have to this day kept that would never
utter or write one word in defense OF the insti-
tuition of lavery, and positively have not.


OF course 1 cannot know whether this woman
told the truth or not as TO whether this was her
master. For, il she told the truth, am somewhat
indebt TO the Blair family for the resolution. As
ever to say any thing for their benefit, may say it
now (appausel lin view of the fact that in their
ca O., and in the case OF Others, we know that the
sin slavery sin so foul that it corrupts not
only those who participate in it, but their children
even down to the third and foulth generation, and
! think that the peope of this country ought 10
reso We that they will support for the first
second Office in the nation any man who has bought
or sold human flesh. Enthusiastic applausel


And the nation never can be safe while in the
Executive chair there is q man who has bought and
sold human flesh. The whole Southerneountryto to-day
is aboring and suffering under the influence Of the
effect that the whole body of the Shareholders have
become, what Virginia statesman fifty wears ago
SAID hey ould be, a of tyrants, ana they
spect nothing butpOwer Wherever the army 49, or
wherever they know that the power of this Govern:
meDt is and can be exercised Tor the proectonof loyal
men, loyal men for the moment are sate but there


s no safety within the region winch has been cursed
by slavery, except loyal men are protected by The
power OF this Government, and the difieut ty is that
during the last fifteen months the whole Rebel popu


aton OF the discontented States have felt whether
| truly and tor reason or not, that the man at the
head of this Government was not disposed tO
Tho extent of his ability to protect 10 al men; hence
the massacIes of Memphis and New Orleans,


Had there been at the head of the Government
man like Mr.. lincoln, he would have employed The
powers Of this Government IN sustaining the rights
OF the loyal Convention In New Orleans The con
| Veuuon had right to assemble, whether IL was
lePal body or not, but If It were legal body it mac
| the power to control the Government OF Louisiana
o course 1t had right TO ASSEMBLE, n0twIthstand
ing 1t was not a ega body. 1t had the same righ
to assemble that you have TO night, and had Mayo
cised his power to the utmost in the protec ion o
the members OF the Convention, we would not hav'
had the bloody page we now have upon our history
But fathers permitted the institution of slavery
! in this country They founded Government Il
pa upon freedom and in part upon slavery.


III 1868 Mr. Lincoln declared In his great cOntes
with Douglas in Illinois, that the Cioyernmen
founded in part upon freedom and IN part upOI
avery could not stand. Indeed, in the lifetime o
civilizations poised upon antagonistic and hOstit
idc s. and from the year 1890 to the opening o
tqali and bloody war there was really no unol
orpanzed under the Constitution, and finally


dlf'culhesi terminated IN the war OF 1851 ii
b.. dred and fifty to tour hundred thou
sand, and expended from three to fou
III Iusand mill ons of dollars ana these are tn


mt aia fO no mi M fath