The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-03-10
CONGRESSIONAL.
sprECH OF MIR. BROCKENBROUGI

of OF FLORIDA,
he Il, House of Representatives., February -, lsi7OI
ed ~ the three million bill.
ND r following proviso being under consideration:
lar Sec 2 And be further snacfed. That there shall b,
~, sayeryor involuntary servude in any territory
70; nnen OF America which shall hereafter be acquired
ast annexed TO- the United States by virtue OF this APP
aalon or in any other manner whatever except 70
e. whereof the party shall have been duly convicted
@ fam whom labor or service is lawfully claimed il
one Of United STATES. such fugitive may be lawful
Iamed and conveyed out of said territory the per
Il claiming his or her labor service"
In BROCKENBlsOUGH rose and said
Mr. CHAIRMAN: have no fears for the Union--nont
er III. institution OF slavery. This from stubborn
vi .inacv too sanguine temperament or wfu blind
ne 10 passing evens but is the result of careful
~ mnaon and calm reflection 1t will require deer
!. grevous practical wrong to tear the Union from the
ars Of the people The impractcable dreams of vision
e., LEGISLATORS will not suffice Slavery will its due
frse and end lie allotted time, and fictitious hea
a storm or legiaatsd public opinion will hasten is
Of Enr Laws laying down lines and channels for public
ve @non in advance, mpoent. Artificial, arbitrary
Xxi imaginary legislative barriers set up to control the
% tren OF popular WILL interfere with the genius dis.
kton nature, or necessities OF the people, Will remain
Int Head upon the statute book
You yainy endeavored to prevent the intercourse Of
IT. Indians and whites in time of peace upon extended
Lne You idly essayed to hold back your teemlng pop
no Raton from overlooking and settling upon your vast
o Ionters OF public domain. An effort as unwise as II
io las unsuccessful You endeavored to hold back settle
w. Hen, and cultivation for the benefit of speculation for
he government and all the advantage accrued to the pri
nt ate speclaor You are now satisfied that the efforts
Dr. the pioneer, sanctioned and systematZed by law, will
p. kablsh wiser well generous policy, than
- specializing plan which st5maZes INN as a "ues-
M laser and land-r0bber."
The will OF the people, wiser than the Senate annexed
teyas In every Sate-egislaton succumbs every day
- public opinion when yalny seeks to guide and reg
Iae instead of following it.
-, Even in Mexico where the slavery of inferior
kas premaiurey abolished, there at establish
u egalzed and regulated servitude of poor debtors OF
II tho, INV ltahl IN mast
less comfortable TO the slave Subjectng all to the chance
IS degradation by misfortune, and giving to mere wealth
tver all the poor more than the power, without the feel
Ings sympathes, and interests of the master.
ANY legislation at this time, requiring lands to be
buried from Mexico to be open to the people and insttu
IONS Of half the Union to the exclusion OF the other
fust be noperatve because portion OF the American
!. ope other than few fanacs) would require sane
Ion such legislation, if they understood its nature and
contemplated object; because not only unjust and unwse
ITSELF but adverse to the whole spirit of the constu-
ion and the Union and chiefly because p0wer could
force such Legislation
Mr. Chairman, from the foundation OF the republic, the
Oh and south have been marching with giant strides
nd equal footsteps towards the west Every step, a
ne OF these two mighty floods Of population you pro-
er overflow and swell til fills not only its own
hcu would abruptly terminate Upon that long line Of
-demess, from Missouri to the Rio Grande you would
like Canute, vanly order the tide to roll back.
p1 No acquainted with the history character OF
9 people can believe this TO be physical or political
y possibility. When and where have they recoled at the
= bidding Of master' Does the Saxon go back
Z our law would be unnatural, and therefore vain
were the laws OF Texas and Coahuila, which abolish
negro slavery and systematzed the peonasm of
he white and red man. Our people carried with them
nlder slavery.
! In this mighty march of parallel republics you could
never have enforced arbitrary line, had you not placed
the natural limit beyond which, to the north,
lave labor would never seek to extend itself. Had it
been for the interests of the American people, either Of
north the south, that slavery should exist north of
deg 80 minutes your Missouri compromise line would
pave been idle Paper barriers will be mpoten to stay the
avalanche of the American people from Missouri to the Rio
fiande. They will go over with their institutions and
with their rifles and you disann them. That
question raised at Concord and Lexington and final
J j decided at San Jacinto What then will YOU do |?
l you refuse legsate for them and withdraw your
Parental and countenance' Will you declare them
falaws7 The American pioneer will laugh at your in
bgnaton, and establish an independent republic He
thinks mother countries generally step -moersand
always when by force they seek to regulate the colony
Entirely for their own interest. He work without
pentceshp and Texas, and Oregon and the States Of
Union, before the revolution and before they had
elera government, all teach that the American
govern himself. Your outlaws will be independent; they
NSl increase in strength they will make treaties with
Pher powers; they will admit manufactures OF ether
tons cheaper than yours The scales will fall from be-
fore your eyes; you will your interest, and you will
Y and beg to reannex the United States to them, and it
By re done Slavery will not be mentioned south of SO
{esrees, 30 minutes
You adj itted Texas in the same way under more diff
{ut circum stances-when she was still claimed by a
Ireign power at the hazard OF war not only with
Mexico, but the danger of European interference and
Nghen your great Oregon question was still unsettled
ou admitted her because il to your interest to admit
lersaves and ALL You admitted her for the rea
1son that you united with Virginia and Carollna-the
same reason that you admitted Vermont and Mssis-
fppi-because it to your interest You now boast
fo 1t great boon-some great favor to the south
(which should put US under eternal obligations, and
force us TO submit blindly to your will in future
No. sir. 1t was not as boon to the south. How long
would the south pray in vain for such boon II was
because to your interesthe interest OF the whole
mon In modern times, calico and cotton enter as large
into political mercantile speculations. Neither the
WHMor proviso nor any other legislation will defeat the
result The gentleman from New York (Mr. RATHBuN1
has frightened and alarmed with the account Of terri
|te storm and tornado, accompanied with violent thun
fer, which was to arise in New York and overwhem all
ho did not vote as he does on this subject and invoked
power specially upon the devoted head of saunch
|,nd patriotic friend who stands by alone from that
State upon this question: and fearessy and successfully
defends himself from all the preliminary storm his col
eagues can raise here | aude TO Judge STEPHEN
STRONG But does the gentleman think that the New York
storm will reach the prares and mountains and rivers
west OF Arkansas and IeXas' Never, sir. One-half
the Union prevent the growth of the other half
II every man you have was soldier Injured to arms
with more prowess than the proudesi Roman egons in
their brightest days OF goryif Napoleon Ghould lead
your armies--you could not keep back upon that long
ne the heaying, swelling, resistless of American
population II the southern people stood still appalled,
your hostile array, and the interest of the people Of
The country that slaves should be therehere they would
go; and northern men would carry them. They are
not more pious in this respsct than the Pilgrim
fathers, their ancestors OF the revolution They
brought slaves to us TO sell from Afnca-the modern
phrase they "Soie' them-such ia the language OF the
from Vermont, Mr.. DuLINsHAM,l-fo sell.
Yes sir, they received the money, and now cast doubts
upon the title No southern ships brought slaves We
had no ships have never heard of but two attempts
10 violate the, African slave trade acts and they
L shar.x IL, rttau