Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1836-06-14
Ertract from Mr.. Cazhoun's Speech in the
Senate on lnccndsav Publications..
TUESDAY. April i

TUESDAY, April lG
The Senate having resumed the con-
siderations ofthc bill to prohibit the cir
culation through the mails of incendiary
publications.
Mr.. CALHOUN addressed the Senate.
am aware, (said Mr.. CT how .offen-
sive it is to speak Of oneself; but as the
Senator from Georgia on my right (Mr.
King has thought proper to impufe TO me
improper motives, / feel myself compelled,
in SeIf-defeBee, to state the reasons whieh
have governed my course in reference to
the subject bow under considerations The
Senator Is greatly mistakenip supposiag
that ! was governed by hostisay TO Ger
jackson. So far IS that from being the
fact, that came here at the cesnmessee-
ment Of the Session with fixed and settled
principles on the subject now under dis
cusission, and which, in pursuing the
course that tbe Senator condemns, ] have
but attempted to carry into effect.
AS soon as the subject Of abolition be-
gan TO agitate the South last summer, in
consequence orthe transmission of incen--
diary publications through the mail,' + saw
at once that it would force itself on the
notice Of Congress at the present session;
and that it involved questions efgreat del
icacy and difficulty. I Immediately turn
ed my attention in consequence to the sub
ject, and after due reflection arrived at
the conclusion that Congress should cx@~
ereise no direct power over it, and thatyT
it acted at all, the only mode in which It
could act, consistently with the Constitu-
ton and lthe rights and safety Of the
sIaveholding States, would be ia the man
ner proposed by this bill. also saw
that there was no inconsiderable danger
in the excited state of the feelings Of the
South; that the power, however dangerous
and unconstitutional, might be thought-
lessly yielded to Congress, knowing full
well how apt the weak and timid arer IN
state Of excitement and alarm, to seek
temporary protection in any quarter, re-
gardless Of after consequences, aad how
ready the artful and designing ever are TO
seize on such occasions to extend aud per-
petrate their power.
With these impressions I arrived here
at the beginning of the sessieH. The
Presidents message was not caleaIated to
remove my apprehensioRs. Ne assum-
ed for Congress direct pewer over the sub
iect, and that or the bToadest, most unqual-
flied, and dangerous principles. Know
ing the influence Of his nsme- by reason
of his great patronage and the rigid dis
cipIinc of party, with large portion ofthe
country, who had scarcely any other stan
dard of constitution, politics, and morals,
| saw the full extent of the danger OF bav-
ing these dangerous principles reduced to
practice, and determines at once to use
every effort to prevent it. The Senator
from Georgia will, of course, understand
that do not include him in this subser-
Went portion of his party. So fas fem It.
/ have always considered him as one OF
the most independent. 1t has been Our
fortune to concur in opinion in relation to
most Of the important measures which
have been agitated since he became a
member Of this body, two years ago, at
the commencement of the session, during
which the deposite question was asitatedi
On that important question. if mesake
not, the Senator, and myself eoacurred n
opinion, at least as to its inexpediency, and
the dangerous consequences to which n
would probably lead. II my memory
serves me, we also agreed in opinion Of
the connected subject Of the. currency,
which was then incidentally discussed.
We agreed too, on the question OF ra'sng
the value Of gold to its present standard,
and in opposition to the bill for the distr'-
ton Of the proceeds Of the public lands.
introducedby the Senator from Kentucky
| (Mr. Clay.) In recurring 10 the events
of,ha. interesting session, can remem-