and the violence of this debate and expressions of so much and of an aspect so threatening have been used that continued silence on my part would ill become me who had submitted to this house the original proposition while this subject was under debate before the committee of the whole i did not take the floor and i avail myself ox this occasion to acknowledge my obligations to the struggle for slavery my friends mr and mr for the manner in which they supported my at a time when i was unable to partake in the debate i had only on that day returned from a journey long in its extent and painful in its occasion and from an affection of my breast i could not then speak i cannot yet to do justice to the subject but i do hope to say enough to assure my friends that i have not left them in the and to convince the of the measure that their violence has not driven me from the debate sir the hon gentleman from mr scott who has just resumed his seat has told us of he of march and has us to beware of the fate of caesar and of rome another gentleman mr from in addition to other expressions of great warmth has said that if we persist the union will be dissolved and with a look fixed on me has told us we have kindled a fire which all the waters of the ocean cannot put out which seas of blood can only language of this sort has no effect on me my purpose is fixed it is with my existence its is limited with my life it is a great and glorious cause setting bounds to a slavery the most cruel and the world has ever witnessed it is the freedom of man it is the cause of and human beings if a dissolution of the union must take place let it be so if civil war which gentlemen so much threaten must come i can only say let it come my hold on life is probably as frail as that of any man who now hears me but while that hold lasts it shall be devoted to the service of my country � to the freedom of man if blood is necessary to any fire which i have assisted to i can assure gentlemen while i regret the necessity i shall not forbear to contribute my sir the violence to which gentlemen have resorted on this subject will not move my purpose nor drive me from my place i have the fortune and the honor to stand here as the representative of who possess intelligence to know their rights who have the spirit to maintain them whatever might be my own private sentiments on this subject standing here as the representative of no choice is left me i know the will of my and regardless of consequences i will it � as their representative i will proclaim their hatred to slavery in every as their representative here will i hold my stand till this floor with the constitution of my country which it shall sink beneath if i am doomed to fall i shall at least have the painful consolation to believe that i fall as a fragment in the ruins of my country sir the gentleman from virginia mr has accused my honorable friend from new mr of speaking to the galleries and by his language to excite a war and has ended by saying he is no better than and and deserves no better fate when i hear such language uttered upon this floor and within this house am constrained to consider it as hasty and language from the vehemence of debate and not really intending the personal the expressions would seem to indicate mr asked to explain and said he had not distinctly understood mr t mr called on mr c to state the expressions he had used mr c then said he had no explanation to give mr t said he had none to ask � he continued to say he would not believe any gentleman on this floor would commit � o great an against any member or against the dignity of this house as to use expressions really intending the meaning which the words seem to import and which had been uttered against the gentleman from new mr of virginia in the chair called to order and said no personal remarks would be allowed mr t said he rejoiced the chair was at length to a sense of its duties the debate had for several days with violence and all was in order but now when at length this violence on one side is to be resisted the chair discovered it is out of order i rejoice said mr t at the discovery i approve of the while i am proud to say it has no to me it is my boast that i have never uttered an personal remark on this floor but i wish it distinctly understood that the laws of self will justify going to great and that in the future progress of this debate the rights of would be regarded sir has it already come to this that in the of the united states � that in the of republican america the subject of slavery has become a subject of so much of such of such danger that it cannot safely be discussed are members who venture to express their sentiments on this subject to be accused of talking to the galleries with intention to excite a war and of the fate of and are we to be told of the dissolution of the union of civil war and of seas of blood and yet with such awful before us do gentlemen in the same breath insist upon the encouragement of this evil upon the extension of this monstrous of 