Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-04-07

have So understood him. Of all the things WHICH
had happened to HIM, III MS whole lie; OF all the
most mOrtIfying occurrences when ne ma" en-
counterpd in that Hall, this was the most So
When he had abored.& with but little Ut strength
or life hanging about him, To be perfectly under
stood nv the gentlemen of the South, and when
he would be the first man to bring the waters OF
the ocean upon the earliest fash Of flame which
tho demon OF discOrd might kinde to destroy the
peace Of flourishing and happy land, then to be
thus openly accused ofreproachng the South with
the slavery which existed there! lie had said 1t
was curse; he should ever consider it as a curse
and he would go as far as any man living, in
conformity with the wishes OF the South. to re-
leve them from it, hut never would he take
step IN such design against their will As to
the threatening language which the gentleman
from South Corona had thought fit to use, he
would have the gentleman to understand that all
which could be threatened would have no man
ner Of effect upon him. He did not come OF
race which was to be put down by being bulied
He might be drawn BY Irvine Of thread, but could
not be driven bv the club of Hercules. MIR. b.
concluded BY saying, if the gentleman from Vlr-
sinia, (Mr. Mercer) was really desirous OF with
drawing the memorial, Mr.. BIS motion should
not stand in IN, way. IL the gentleman would
assure him that such was his wish, he would with
draw his nation for the reading OF the memorial.
( Mr.. BLAIR said he was DESTROYS of saying few
words TO the ore ntleman from Rhode Island That
gentleman seemed to think Mr.. b. had intended
to insult his feelings. He had had no such pur-
pose. The gentleman from Rhode Island. he
was happy to find, had disclaimed al Intention
of reproaching the South Reflections injurious
! to that quarter of the Union were so frequent IN
| that House. that it was natural Mr.. Is. should
put such an Interpretation upon his language, es-
pecialy as he knew him to be one of those inge-
NOUS gentlemen who knew how to convey the
keenest censure. while they appeared to praise
! Tie well knew how to
Damn Nth FAINT praise, assent with civil leer,
"Aad without Sncering, teach III rest to sneer
The gentleman denied that there was any ground
for the superstition that the factories of the North
were founded on " the tears aud groans OF wretch
ed Africans" To that expression used by MIR.
! B. the gentleman had added" the blood" OF that
unfortunate race. Mr.. b. had said nothing about
their blood. bu, perhaps the gentleman from Rhode
Island knew more than he did about the tOunda-
ton Of those factories Possibly, If he had him
self added their blood, he might have been more
correct. He would, however. say to the gentle.
! man from Rhode Island, that representative
from that State above all the States in this Union,
ought to remember that the less was said about
African slavery the better. The gentleman SEEM
! ed Ia have forgotten tnat some Ot his most dis
tinyuishsd constituents had had no small share IN
the slave trade. Could the gentleman have tor.
gotten that a Senator from that State. a man
of immense fortune, was openly charged on
the floor of the Senate not only with having
been engaged in this traffic but with having
thrown into the sea living African In state
of disease. for fear the small pox should spread
to the rest of his cargo. That most horrible
act had been charged home upon the Senator
y, his face, and he dared not deny 1t. That
Senator vas now a large proprietor IN manu-
factures-~as he not then justified in saving that
the factories of the North had been founded on
the sroans and tears of miserable Africans! the
gentleman had added blnud-be it so-Mr. B.
should not retract one word. The gentleman
had arrogated great self possession in not
feeling any dread of the club Of Hercules
he could assure tie gentleman he did not pretend
to be Hercules in any respect He mad made
no threats. nor d,d he regard any He should
be un~o rthy representative indeed OF the South,
should he come and vauut and vapor on that floor,
or think To intmidate any gentleman by adopting
clustering manner. Nnthing was farther from
the character of the SOuth-nothing was farther
from his own character: he had merely iQean to
warn gentlemen thar it the question OF abolish
inv slavery should be seriously raised. the issue
would not be settled in that place. He repeated
the a>sertion-not with any purpose OF menace,
but he desired to give the most distinct warning
that that question would he settled in the manner
he had referred to. Surely the House had al
ready before it sufliciency of subjects. preg-
nant with angry discussion. nor had any gentle
man IN that House had greater agency in intro
ducing such questions than the gentleman from
Virginia, Mr. Mercer) His tariff question. and
internal improvement questions, and education
questions. aud colonization questions, were al
ready shaking this Union to ITS foundation. MIR.
B had made himself the subject of all manner
of obloquy at the South, BY endeavtr'ng to re.
press the extreme excitement which prevailed
there with respect to the tariff, but if the Govern
ment was going still farther, and, in addition to
all. the South must be threatened with the negro
question, and with having their threats cut it they
attempted TO resist, he would ask on whose side
was the biiuyins? If gentlemen would drive
them to desperation, by introducing agitating