5 s titntion o f the State, w a s a political party organized for t he overthrow of slavery i n a legal w a y ; and i n the most p opulous city i n the c o m m o n w e a l t h a candidate w a s a n nounced, ready to fight the battle upon the stump. A c onvention of the friends of emancipation w a s proposed t o be held on the fourth day of J u l y , 1846, and met the a pproval o f m a n y able and patriotic citizens. T h e p r i n cipal m overs i n this cause were slaveholders ; so also w ere a majority of the readers of the T r u e A m e r i c a n ; a nd t he great mass of laborers, w h o are not h a b i t u a l r eaders of newspapers, began to hear   to c o n s i d e r     a n d to learn their rights, and w e r e preparing to m a i n t a i n them ; so that a l l things m o v i n g steadily towards the same glorious e nd, p roclaimed, t hat K E N T U C K Y M U S T B E F R E E .

P r e v i o u s to the i s s u i n g of the n i n t h n umber of the T r u e A m e r i c a n , I w a s t a k e n sick w i t h t he T y p h o i d fever. A f e w friends edited the paper t ill t he e l e v e n t h number w a s i n press, i n w h i c h was a leading article w r i t t e n b y a s laveholder, and the f o l l o w i n g editorial w r i t t e n by m y self: " W e are called once more to onr hard and responsible task,' from a bed of long and painful illness. Tho inquiry has been frequently made, we are told, whether we were l iving 01 dead, w ith hopes for the worst in the bosoms of s ome: we are proud to say that the man does not l ive, w hom we would, if we could effect i t by the mere exertion of the w ill, cause one moment's p ain; far less compass i n desire his death. To freemen, the disgrace attending our misconduct is, in my opinion, the most urgent necessity. 'Is P hilip dead ?' N o, but in great danger.' H ow are you concerned in these rumors'? Suppose he should meet some fatal stroke : you would soon raise up another P hilip, i f your interests are thus regarded.' It is the weakness and disease in the State that has forced us into our present position: and i f we should perish, the same causes would raise up many more, and abler than we, to vindicate the same cause. W e had hoped to see on this continent the great axiom that m an is capable of self-government amply vindicated: we had no objections to the peaceable and honorable extension of empire over the whole continent, if equal freedom expanded w ith the bounds of the nation: gladly would we have seen untold m illions of freemen, enjoying liberty of c onscience and pursuit, of resting under their own vine and fig tree w ith none to make them afraid, standing upon a sacred and inviolate constitution at home, and just towards all nations;   such was the vision of the
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