“And if my memory is not greatly at fault, you are the first
Member of Congress who has entered the penetralia of the
Pandemonium, and fully exposed the diabolical character of the
system, and the true character of its supporters. Such efforts
are telling.
“The efforts of many noble patriots have been manly,
self-denying, and praiseworthy, and should not be disparaged;
and yet I know of no one who has taken the high moral ground
on this subject which you have from the first. This, during
your whole Senatorial career, has made you the hope of the
reliable Antislavery men in America; and your last effort will
increase not a little their reliance on and their affection for
you. It is a godlike effort, a stunning blow, a blow in the
right direction and upon the right spot, which has inflicted a
fearful, if not a deadly wound.… I pray God that you may live,
and retain your place, to pronounce the funeral oration of
Slavery, and to receive the exultant blessings of the millions
to be set free.”