Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-03-02

if aby symptom of senslblIity be manifest ed
by US. 1t is thought strange, and indeed
,eprehenslble in us to use the words incen>
diary, fanatic, &c, while the known mode.
ration and good temper Of the senators from
Vernon, are NOT a, all shocked by The Ian
yuaGc applied to Us IN this memorial Mr..
President, the jus,ice, The policy, the cour.
tesy, and bad ulmos; said The humanity Of
of this body should not suffer lis to be thus
calumnia cd and vll6ed. We cannot stand
it, we ought not, you degrade the body
bv listening To such attacks, and you force
upon us the mc'ancholy truth that our
rights and feelings being dlsrcgardcd here,
we must look 10 ourselves for protection
and am compelled TO say. that my delibe-
rate conviction Is, tina, the South must pro-
tect herself ~ this matter oi abolition by
her own separate aud sectional action.
Mr.. President. do not ihuk tina, this
legislative libel should be recorded on your
journals. lfnoihlng else should deter yon
from poluing the records Of The Senate by
this foul a.pcrslon of SO many citizens and
so many states. let the Senate reflect that
it makes itself party to 'he libel by in
sctibng it upon the journals and pcrpetu
ates an account Of large portion of this
nation which is a'Iog untrue; for, sir,
must be permitted TO tell you, that there
is not one word Of truth IN this de'aUa
ton On the contrary. for honesty and
honor, for private and public faith, for NOR
ais and religion, for good order, and obcdI-
cnco 10 the laws, neither this nor Onv other
ago or country has surpassed tho southern
states. There has not been within their
borders as much blood and burning. either
from scrvllc Instruction or popular frenzy,
as disgraced the peaceful city Of Boston in
one night, and 10 their whole history, all
the irregularities put together, have not
eQualled the frenzy and violence which at
this instant trampIes down all law. human
and divine, along the whole Canadian line
ofVcrmont.
Mr.. WHITE, Ct Tennessee, made some
remarks ofthe same tenor.
Mr.. PRENTIss said, that in strictness,
lhe resolutions only could be considered AS
the proper acts of the Legislature. The
Legislature Is not responsible for every III
guarded term, If there are any such, used
in the report Of its conmIttee. II, on sc.
we're scrutiny, on nice verbal criticism, it
may be discovered that the report contains
some exceptlonabe phraseology, it is suffi-
cient to say, that the Legislature is not
answerable for every expression which
the fervor of the committee may have led
them to adopt. 1t cannot be supposed that
the Legislature Of any State, in any of its
proceedings. would intend to treat with
'dlsrespect any portion OF the Union. The
presumption is. and should be, the other
way. But, CONTINUED Mr.. ~ can see
nothing in the report at all npeachiug, or
intending to lmpeach in the slightest de
gree, the general character of the South,
either for virtue, intelligence, or patriotism.
1t speaks, to be sure, o! the evils of slavery,
and notices, in somewhat emphatic terms.
some instances Of lawess violence and out.
rage as growing on, of it, but it does not
mention these outrages as general charge
against the People, or urge them as at all
Characteristic of the iSou'h.
do not feel myself called upon (said
Mr.. p to defend any Of the propositions
contained IN the resolutions. If they need
any defence, which am by no means will
ling to admit, i, would be quite useless 10
enter into any discussion of their truth or
correctness at THIS time and particularly of
the proposition winch asserts the power of
That question was fully argued and debat-
ed here two or three years since. | then
delivered my opinion upon II at length and
/ have no inclination to argue it now, es-
peclaly as the sense of this body was ex
pressed in favor OF the power by very de
cided vote.
Sir, gentlemen have chosen TO rcpca,
their uncourteous remarks. Though |
NAV lament this. shall neither complain,
nor allow myself to make any uncourteOus
reply. But | mus, be permitted to say,
that if all are fanatics, aud deserve to be so
called, who hold principles and entertain
opinions adverse TO slavery, you must mum
Der among this Condemned, repudlated,
and cast off class men some at the sounhcst
heads and pureSt hearts ~ every cv>Iiz ID
county. England, with all her boasted
fame for learning, with oil her high renown
for literature and science, is, according to
the conceptions Of gentlemen, the very sent
of ignorance and tanallcsm. Her poets,
aud orators. aud philosophers, and dvInes,
with her long and luminous list of enIlghl.
ered jurlsts and sagacious statesmen, are.
after all, but ignorant fanatics, miserable
agitators. Nay, more. Europe, most of
the entire Christian world, cannot escape
condemnation. Even the people Of this
slavch ldlng District are not exempt from
che impuiar'on. They. too must come IN
ior their share of dcnuncla,lon, as gentle
men will see from document to which
will for a moment ask their attention. The
document Is nothing more or less ,ban
petition 10 Congress from citizens Of the
District Of Columbia, presented in 1928.
praying Tor the abolition of slavery IN the
District. The petitioners, after promising
chat they beg leave to call the attention Of
Congress "to an evil o, serious magnitude.
which greatly mpairs the prosperity and
happiness of the District. md casts the re-
proach Of inconsistency upon the free lnst.