201


^  TFl,


tionist,  made  a  speech  in  favor  of  American  Eman-
cipation, and  during  his  great  effort,  he  noticed  a
resolution  which  had  been  offered  in  the  House,
charging  liim  with  having  said,  in  England,  that
the  dissolution  of  the  American  Union  was  the
object  to  be  kept  steadily  in  view.  The  venerable
English  Abolitionist,  Mr.  Thompson,  not  only  de-
nied it,  hut  after  he  had  done  so  a  note  was  sent
to  him  signed  by  Mr.  Morris,  who  had  offered  the
resolution,  stating  that  the  authority  upon  which
'be  had  offered  it  was  a  letter,  which  he  ascertained

Twards  had  been  forged.  Among  those  who
heard  this  great  effort  were  the  venerable  Thadde-
us  Stevena,  Joseph  Holt  of  Kentucky,  and  Rever-
dy  Johnson,  of  Maryland,  the  latter  of  whom,  the
very  day  before,  had  made  that  unanswerable
speech  in  favor  of  the  Union,  in  the  Senate  of  the
United  States,  which  deserved  to  be  placed  among
the  best  utterances  of  a  significant  era,  when  hun-
dreds of  thousanda  of  men  of  all  jmrties  clustered
around  the  flag  of  the  Union.  Never  before  did  J
hear  a  more  magnificent  vindication  of  the  princi-
ple of  true  liberty.  I  wrote  in  "  Occasional  "  as
"illows:    "God  bless  Reverdy  Johnson  for  these

'at  words.  "What  Democrat,  what  old  line'
Whig,  what  American  citizen  will  not  take  them
to  luB  heart,  and  store  them  like  priceless  jewels
in  the  casket  of  his  memory  !"

At  the  same  time,  the  Democrats  of  the  House
of  Eepresentative*  in  caucus  assembled,  on  motion


202  LIFE  AND  PUBLIC  CABEEE  OF

of  Hon.  S.  S.  Cox,  of  New  York,  openly  de-
nounced the  attempt  of  Hon.  A.  A.  Long,  the
Democratic  representative  from  the  Cincinnati
district,  to  place  them  in  opposition  to  the  Union.
