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particular　to　keep　out　of　that　instrument　the　word　〃slave；〃　the

reason　being　that　slavery　would　ultimately　come　to　an　end；　and

they　did　not　wish　to　have　any　reminder　that　in　this　free　country

human　beings　were　ever　prostituted　to　slavery。　　＇Applause。＇　Nor

is　it　any　argument　that　we　are　superior　and　the　negro　inferior

that　he　has　but　one　talent　while　we　have　ten。　　Let　the　negro

possess　the　little　he　has　in　independence；　if　he　has　but　one

talent；　he　should　be　permitted　to　keep　the　little　he　has。

＇Applause：＇　But　slavery　will　endure　no　test　of　reason　or　logic；

and　yet　its　advocates；　like　Douglas；　use　a　sort　of　bastard　logic；

or　noisy　assumption　it　might　better　be　termed；　like　the　above；　in

order　to　prepare　the　mind　for　the　gradual；　but　none　the　less

certain；　encroachments　of　the　Moloch　of　slavery　upon　the　fair

domain　of　freedom。　　But　however　much　you　may　argue　upon　it；　or

smother　it　in　soft　phrase；　slavery　can　only　be　maintained　by

forceby　violence。　　The　repeal　of　the　Missouri　Compromise　was　by

violence。　　It　was　a　violation　of　both　law　and　the　sacred

obligations　of　honor；　to　overthrow　and　trample　under　foot　a

solemn　compromise；　obtained　by　the　fearful　loss　to　freedom　of　one

of　the　fairest　of　our　Western　domains。　　Congress　violated　the

will　and　confidence　of　its　constituents　in　voting　for　the　bill；

and　while　public　sentiment；　as　shown　by　the　elections　of　1854；

demanded　the　restoration　of　this　compromise；　Congress　violated

its　trust　by　refusing　simply　because　it　had　the　force　of　numbers

to　hold　on　to　it。　　And　murderous　violence　is　being　used　now；　in

order　to　force　slavery　on　to　Kansas；　for　it　cannot　be　done　in　any

other　way。　　＇Sensation。＇



The　necessary　result　was　to　establish　the　rule　of　violence

force；　instead　of　the　rule　of　law　and　reason；　to　perpetuate　and

spread　slavery；　and　in　time　to　make　it　general。　　We　see　it　at

both　ends　of　the　line。　　In　Washington；　on　the　very　spot　where　the

outrage　was　started；　the　fearless　Sumner　is　beaten　to

insensibility；　and　is　now　slowly　dying；　while　senators　who　claim

to　be　gentlemen　and　Christians　stood　by；　countenancing　the　act；

and　even　applauding　it　afterward　in　their　places　in　the　Senate。

Even　Douglas；　our　man；　saw　it　all　and　was　within　helping

distance；　yet　let　the　murderous　blows　fall　unopposed。　　Then；　at

the　other　end　of　the　line；　at　the　very　time　Sumner　was　being

murdered；　Lawrence　was　being　destroyed　for　the　crime　of　freedom。

It　was　the　most　prominent　stronghold　of　liberty　in　Kansas；　and

must　give　way　to　the　all…dominating　power　of　slavery。　　Only　two

days　ago；　Judge　Trumbull　found　it　necessary　to　propose　a　bill　in

the　Senate　to　prevent　a　general　civil　war　and　to　restore　peace　in

Kansas。



We　live　in　the　midst　of　alarms；　anxiety　beclouds　the　future；　we

expect　some　new　disaster　with　each　newspaper　we　read。　　Are　we　in

a　healthful　political　state？　　Are　not　the　tendencies　plain？　　Do

not　the　signs　of　the　times　point　plainly　the　way　in　which　we　are

going？　　＇Sensation。＇



In　the　early　days　of　the　Constitution　slavery　was　recognized；　by

South　and　North　alike；　as　an　evil；　and　the　division　of　sentiment

about　it　was　not　controlled　by　geographical　lines　or

considerations　of　climate；　but　by　moral　and　philanthropic　views。

Petitions　for　the　abolition　of　slavery　were　presented　to　the　very

first　Congress　by　Virginia　and　Massachusetts　alike。　　To　show　the

harmony　which　prevailed；　I　will　state　that　a　fugitive　slave　law

was　passed　in　1793；　with　no　dissenting　voice　in　the　Senate；　and

but　seven　dissenting　votes　in　the　House。　　It　was；　however；　a　wise

law；　moderate；　and；　under　the　Constitution；　a　just　one。　　Twenty…

five　years　later；　a　more　stringent　law　was　proposed　and　defeated；

and　thirty…five　years　after　that；　the　present　law；　drafted　by

Mason　of　Virginia；　was　passed　by　Northern　votes。　　I　am　not；　just

now；　complaining　of　this　law；　but　I　am　trying　to　show　how　the

current　sets；　for　the　proposed　law　of　1817　was　far　less　offensive

than　the　present　one。　　In　1774　the　Continental　Congress　pledged

itself；　without　a　dissenting　vote；　to　wholly　discontinue　the

slave　trade；　and　to　neither　purchase　nor　import　any　slave；　and

less　than　three　months　before　the　passage　of　the　Declaration　of

Independence；　the　same　Congress　which　adopted　that　declaration

unanimously　resolved　〃that　no　slave　be　imported　into　any　of　the

thirteen　United　Colonies。〃　＇Great　applause。＇



On　the　second　day　of　July；　1776；　the　draft　of　a　Declaration　of

Independence　was　reported　to　Congress　by　the　committee；　and　in　it

the　slave　trade　was　characterized　as　〃an　execrable　commerce；〃　as

〃a　piratical　warfare；〃　as　the　〃opprobrium　of　infidel　powers；〃　and

as　〃a　cruel　war　against　human　nature。　　＇Applause。＇　All　agreed　on

this　except　South　Carolina　and　Georgia；　and　in　order　to　preserve

harmony；　and　from　the　necessity　of　the　case；　these　expressions

were　omitted。　　Indeed；　abolition　societies　existed　as　far　south

as　Virginia；　and　it　is　a　well…known　fact　that　Washington；

Jefferson；　Madison；　Lee；　Henry；　Mason；　and　Pendleton　were

qualified　abolitionists；　and　much　more　radical　on　that　subject

than　we　of　the　Whig　and　Democratic　parties　claim　to　be　to…day。

On　March　1；　1784；　Virginia　ceded　to　the　confederation　all　its

lands　lying　northwest　of　the　Ohio　River。　　Jefferson；　Chase　of

Maryland；　and　Howell　of　Rhode　Island；　as　a　committee　on　that　and

territory　thereafter　to　be　ceded；　reported　that　no　slavery　should

exist　after　the　year　1800。　　Had　this　report　been　adopted；　not

only　the　Northwest；　but　Kentucky；　Tennessee；　Alabama；　and

Mississippi　also　would　have　been　free；　but　it　required　the　assent

of　nine　States　to　ratify　it。　　North　Carolina　was　divided；　and

thus　its　vote　was　lost；　and　Delaware；　Georgia；　and　New　Jersey

refused　to　vote。　　In　point　of　fact；　as　it　was；　it　was　assented　to

by　six　States。　　Three　years　later　on　a　square　vote　to　exclude

slavery　from　the　Northwest；　only　one　vote；　and　that　from　New

York；　was　against　it。　　And　yet；　thirty…seven　years　later；　five

thousand　citizens　of　Illinois；　out　of　a　voting　mass　of　less　than

twelve　thousand；　deliberately；　after　a　long　and　heated　contest；

voted　to　introduce　slavery　in　Illinois；　and；　to…day；　a　large

party　in　the　free　State　of　Illinois　are　willing　to　vote　to　fasten

the　shackles　of　slavery　on　the　fair　domain　of　Kansas；

notwithstanding　it　received　the　dowry　of　freedom　long　before　its

birth　as　a　political　community。　　I　repeat；　therefore；　the

question：　Is　it　not　plain　in　what　direction　we　are　tending？

＇Sensation。＇　In　the　colonial　time；　Mason；　Pendleton；　and

Jefferson　were　as　hostile　to　slavery　in　Virginia　as　Otis；　Ames；

and　the　Adamses　were　in　Massachusetts；　and　Virginia　made　as

earnest　an　effort　to　get　rid　of　it　as　old　Massachusetts　did。　　But

circumstances　were　against　them　and　they　failed；　but　not　that　the

good　will　of　its　leading　men　was　lacking。　　Yet　within　less　than

fifty　years　Virginia　changed　its　tune；　and　made　negro…breeding

for　the　cotton　and　sugar　States　one　of　its　leading　industries。

＇Laughter　and　applause。＇



In　the　Constitutional　Convention；　George　Mason　of　Virginia　made　a

more　violent　abolition　speech　than　my　friends　Lovejoy　or　Codding

would　desire　to　make　here　to…daya　speech　which　could　not　be

safely　repeated　anywhere　on　Southern　soil　in　this　enlightened

year。　　But；　while　there　were　some　differences　of　opinion　on　this

subject　even　then；　discussion　was　allowed；　but　as　you　see　by　the

Kansas　slave　code；　which；　as　you　know；　is　the　Missouri　slave

code；　merely　ferried　across　the　river；　it　is　a　felony　to　even

express　an　opinion　hostile　to　that　foul　blot　in　the　land　of

Washington　and　the　Declaration　of　Independence。　　＇Sensation。＇



In　Kentuckymy　Statein　1849；　on　a　test　vote；　the　mighty

influence　of　Henry　Clay　and　many　other　good　then　there　could　not

get　a　symptom　of　expression　in　favor　of　gradual　emancipation　on　a

plain　issue　of　marching　toward　the　light　of　civilization　with

Ohio　and　Illinois；　but　the　State　of　Boone　and　Hardin　and　Henry

Clay；　with　a　nigger　under　each　arm；　took　the　black　trail　toward

the　deadly　swamps　of　barbarism。　　Is　therecan　there　beany

doubt　about　this　thing？　　And　is　there　any　doubt　that　we　must　all

lay　aside　our　prejudices　and　march；　shoulder　to　shoulder；　in　the

great　army　of　Freedom？　　＇Applause。＇



Every　Fourth　of　July　our　young　orators　all　proclaim　this　to　be

〃the　land　of　the　free　and　the　home　of　the　brave！〃　Well；　now；　when

you　orators　get　that　off　next　year；　and；　may　be；　this　very　year；

how　would　you　like　some　old　grizzled　farmer　to　get　up　in　the

grove　and　deny　it？　　＇Laughter。＇　How　would　you　like　that？　　But

suppose　Kansas　comes　in　as　a　slave　State；　and　all　the　〃border

ruffians〃　have　barbecues　about　it；　and　free…State　men　come

trailing　back　to　the　dishonored　North；　like　whipped　dogs　with

their　tails　between　their　legs；　it　isain't　it　？evident　that

this　is　no　more　the　〃land　of　the　free〃；　and　if　we　let　it　go　so；

we　won't　dare　to　say　〃home　of　the　brave〃　out　loud。　　＇Sensation

and　confus