FREEDOM vs. SLAVERY. 315 



fashioned from the same clay, subject to the same 

 nateral laws, governed by the same reason, possessin' 

 the same instincts, and bound to the same eternity at 

 last ? I'm a poor man, Squire, and I hold my title to 

 my liberty, as I understand it, not by anything IVe 

 done, but because I'm a MAN. I hold it, not on ac- 

 count of what my fathers did, not because they were 

 strong, or rich, or virtuous, or wise, but because God 

 gave me a human form, a face after his own image, 

 and a livin' soul ; and every creeter possessin' them 

 attributes, has just as good a right to his liberty as I 

 have to mine. Strong men may rob me of it, as 

 they've done to millions and millions of men for thou- 

 sands of years, and are doin' every day, but that don't 

 wipe out my right, nor alter the everlastin' fact that 

 I'm entitled, by a charter given to me by God, to be 

 free. 



"And then there's another matter I don't like 

 about it. We talk everlastin'ly about our free insti- 

 tooshuns, and use a wonderful deal of big words, es- 

 pecially about election times, and Independence days, 

 about all men bein' by nater equal, and braggin' about 

 our love of freedom, while we've got, right under our 

 noses, a livin' contradiction of it all. We talk about 



