Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-02-07
SPEECH or MIR. MARSHALL.
Or KksruckI.
IN support Of his Resolutions 20 eensurs M .fdau
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FRipAr, January 2s.h, 1919.
fcoNTINuEp

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
FRiDAr, January 2s.h, 1919.
CONTINUED
Now, il is not here said that the drawing up o
this petition act Of treason; nor that the ohor
ing OF the petition here Is treason; nor even tha
the en,ctinc OF the statute FOR which the petition
prays would he treason; but declares that the
excepting Of those s,i,u,es, in the actual dssolu-
ton OF the Unon, would necessarily be attended
by the commission ut treason.
mir Adams That begs tho question:
Mr. VI. I beg nothing OF you, sir; nothing. But
am told that must correct the position here taken
because the memorial asks for a peaccabie dssolu-
ton OF the Union. A peaccable dissolution of TIE
Unionl 1t cannot be. Before the bonds are broken,
,y,r nus be made IL will be made for the Union
ON one side and against il on the other; and ma
king war against the Government Is treason. A
peaceable dissolution How will you go about it 7
The petition implies, and the gentleman maintains
that il can be done only by Congress. | put 1t,
then, to my colleagues to sly II We have II in our
power to 90 any such thing. But the gentleman
says that II cannot then the right OF the people
IS nusa,ory because the thing cannot peaceably be
done IN any other way. l lay it down philo
sophcal and political truth, that Union like
be dissolved, save by universal assent or
by force Of arms L lay it down that the Govern
men, of this country is Government essentially,
and that the United States Is body polite. |, as
a citizen, am part Of the United States, and have
part in this Government and the Federal Con
S,jtution, and my share Of protection under it,
s,iiute my bitthri sht You may dissolve the Union
God, in his mercy, foEefend tina; you should !;
but you will never do il but by force. Never; ne
yer. say that the very idea of executing &C, Of
Congress providing tor such purpose, could the
day arrive when such an act should plss, does
involve treason because II could not he executed but
by force OF arms. And that the very passage OF
the does involve perjury, because we have
support the Constitution. Suppose 90 so
much violence to our imasinaions as TO conceive
that such an act has been passed, how will il wcrkl
II will come TO Kentucky, and II will tell the people
Of that State that there IS 20 United States mo
American Constitution That there is no Federal
Government, and no State Government; that soci-
ETY. IS resolved into its orig nal elements saw there
are no State Governments, because ii the Federal
Government is destroyed there is no longer any
Government armed with the attributes of sovereign
". The State Governments cannot make peace or
war; they cannot own navy; they cannot coin
money! mean good money-and therefore say
the dissolution OF the Union dissolves The State
Governments. and viii any gentleman tel me
that. IN a iuncture ike this, under attemp; TO
dissolve the national compact and throw all civil
and social ties 20 the elements OF Heaven, that I
who have sworn again and again TO support the Fe
deral Constitution will have no right to draw the
SWORD VIII any man that knows Kentucky be-
iiove that Kentucky will not do III Most assured.
ly she will.
L. IS SELDOM worth while TO discuss n mere nb-
s'rsct prcpos ton, but when you some to such
proposition the right dissolve this Union the
proposition IS abstract no longer; 1t becomes prao-
~
the Union. Ies, throw Kentucky back upon her.
self region FIR IN the interior, lying buried in the
far Wes', ba'k Of s0me empire which these
descendants at the regicdcs shall have established
on the Atlantic coast-lay us under their overshad.
owing powell mike Us tho subsorvisnt dependents
OF New York, and Of Virginia and South Caro.ina
And then tel me that this he done without, force
that IS all TO be effected under the mild the bland
the pacific, the nmiable reasoning Of the gentleman
from Mass No, sir; can It never will he So
effected. Come that day when it will il will be
bloody, 1t wi. be horrible. Ii must be, and II vii
he 50, AZ any time, or under any circumstances; but
period ike this, and under q state OF society
like ours having People of such characteristics
and such means, the convulson must be followed
by horrors for which history has no parallel. Cool
Heaven! # we cannot live In peace while we ere
united together by all manner Of ties, obligations
and Interests most assUredly we never shall when
all these ties are broken, and State is sundered from
State, and ol. are left TO a general contest OF un.
restrained, unbrdled selhshness and ambition.
II ! wander from tho subject, | wander irom il in
pursuit Of the gentleman from Massachusetts,, who
has led the way. That gentleman objects to his
triers. He tells us that gentlemen from the South
orenot competent TO try him the charge OF bring
lng forward O proposition to dissolve this Union
The South may well thank the gentleman from
Massachusetts,. II Is q glorious compliment he has
paid her, and this testimony alone, coming from
such high authority ought TO be sufficient IN Use f,c
wipe from her escutcheon any shade OF past rest
lessness or rashness that may bedim its brightness
The day of those errors has now gone by. and the
gentleman from Massachusetts, himself being iudge
the OF the South in this Hall are so deeply so
irrevocnbly, so unaerabiy, so hopeessy attached
to this Union, that they not fit 10 try a man On
the charge Of bringing forward proposal 10 Dissolve
IT. According TO the gentleman, Northern men are
hi they can Judge having no such bias in their
way. Will Northern gentlemen here acquesce in
that statement When the question cones. Is such
course worthy Of censure2 will Northern gentle
men here declare that II is not censurable7 VIII
they endorse this petition, and the reasoning by
.tIr oh ~ &c tIo,, IL.
People that the people of Nassachuseits have RIGHT
10 dissolve their Unonl That 10 pray for such
dissolution jus,habs, and that thev are ready TO
endorse the movement Oh, sir, if they will how
few years must have changed them, how must
Massachusetts herself havtl changed since the memo
rabe era Of l79s, when the South were ready 10
dissolve the Union and Massachusetts was first
among the champions TO defend IL Do gentlemen
reco'Ieci the short and pthy answer given by her
to the resolutions Of 1898, and which extorted from
James Madison mis- famous report, as the means Of
extracting the dagger which Massachusetts had
plunged into the vltas OF his southern fcelinr7 On
all the great points OF our glorious Constitution she
was then as sound roach. How was she
changed When the question to be decided SHAH
be, has portion OF the people Of the United States
right 10 abolish the Constitution and Union of
the United States, and Is Congress a necessary or
gn To effect that purpose, Tho, without It's action
the right IS nugatory, will Massachusetts be found
voting ay while the South votes MOI
All, nut there's reason for 1t. IL is the detesta
"A
Zionist And it is the love OF the North for boil
uon that has brought her in favor OF dissolution
The North has avowed that slavery shall cease md
she : 91tts 70 dissolution the means TO ofee, II,
while the South e equally resolved that slavery
shall lie main'on,l, and therefore she rallies under
the Constitution 20 support II: and nv coespus
over he WY lMr Underwo od) declares that n ,b.
Union is dissolved slavery will be abolished So
for he ard the gentleman from Massachusetts per-
tectIy agree. Now all know, or may know vic
read hat the institution OF slavery is guarantee
by the institution, aud placed exclusively unde,
me control Of the States And oh vito know In,
facts Of the know that the people OF the Soul
are falsely charged, when ihey are accused Of az.
tempting 10 iuuOduco slavery into the free States
" under the provision which gives Congress pow.
or no rogUilio commerce between tho States Con
grcs ccu interfere with the transportation OF slave
as lruc cs # commerce, then, under the provision
ofthc slne Constitution which declares that Their
shall bC 20 let hndrance tO The free circulation O
goods 1nd merchandise among the States, md t,,
Congress ran prohibit articles Of barter from b,in,
exchanged, Il is equally true tina Congress carro
prohibit tho transportation ofslnvcs. Ohio, Tor e.
nup.c, conuot prohibit The Introduction within he
borders Of he beef or thc hogs or the corn OF Kon
iu,kY, yet she has prohibited the introduction o.
claws. Butt ihc argument from the commercial
power te g. sound one, then Ohio has violated the
Constitution.
DO not gent smsn perceive that their own nrgu.
mtnt would admit The introduction u slaves m,
Ivory FREQ State iu this Union. But iti fd.euiou