The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-01-07

marks upon the general condition OF the country,
in which they now found il to be placed Without
intending to cast any or reproach upon those
who stood opposed to hun in politics, TO
speak for those who agreed with him, he would
endeayor 10 state his own views frankly and fully,
what was their present conditonwhat to be their
future course These the questions which demand
ed the thoughtful consideration of the House and of the
country Gentlemen should not spend their time and
eoquence In abusing what had been done. Rather let
them direct their attention to the circumstances in
which the country was now placed and the con-
sderahon OF the duties which those circumsan-
ceS demanded he had no sympathy with those who
talked OF the Mexicans as poor feeble and nsignih
kind, and that knowledge led him to believe that even
tne DarDaran-even the poor savage to whom they ap
Piled the term cowardly would, when his hut in
vaded turn upon his assaant and give battle TO the last
gasp. They had invaded Mexico and where were there
any indications that Mexico would not resist to the last
extremity The contest, them not to be of trihing
character What else was in therpresen condition which
demanded the attention OF the calm and wise statesman
II was not now denied that it war to acquire terri
tory They had an army IN foreign countryther
sury exhausted and of course the object was the &c
QUESTION OF territory That brought with it another con
sderatlon vastly more important, what terms was the
territory to be admitted 1t presented that question the
Union They should fear far than the war; for
the consequences would be of the most ghtfu chaac-
ter They could retreat from Mexico but not from that
question He intended to say word on that subject and
perhaps would not take the course which his friends
would suppose. He would call his friends at the
north-lf friends they were--to give full weight to
what he said, il perchance he gave utterance
~ exist The slaves came from Africa, through
the means of England and their northern friends 1t was
the hand OF Providence that placed them in the south,
where they were now concentrating What sprung from
slavery Were the men of the south the exclusive ben
efciaries By no means What it that fed and
clothed millions in IMPOVERISHED Europe' The articles
raised by slave labor. The slave labor built
up their northern cities and gave food and the comforts
Of life to the northern people. He said these
things were permitted by an overrulng Providence,
whose judgment was not to be impeached there If it
not in accordance with the omniscience of the AL
mighty. would such a state of things exist The
evils Of this condition of things was borne and
felt by the south alone The north relieved from all
the danger and evil. There were some who imagined
they had commission from Heaven to burst the bonds
of the slave Their banner had much in it
that of Peter the Hermit which bore goose and goat
Omnscience permitted that condition of things Why
not let that condition of things remain till, in his own
manner, the Almighty, by his wisdom, terminated it,
Force not condition OF things which might burst the
bonds The slave had risen in the scale of intelligence
and the comforts OF life and rational happiness, by
his transportation from Africa But disregarding
these views and seeing desire at least, as he thought
1t was, of the administration to get more territory
was the resolution of the north to have none but free
territory Were they then to stand still What then
would be their condition twenty-five years hence If
there was one OF their northern friends that would abide
by the Missouri line, would be Of great pleas
ure to have it declared Was there one No. not one
That compromise they would now disregard and not one
OF them would stand up and recognise itnow
Mr.. VlNTON here rose and said: AS understand the
Missouri compromise il has been fully adhered to- and
executed by the north That compromise, in express
TERMS was confined to the territory coded by France
the United States The compromise had reference to the
country as It then was and had no reference to that
which might be afterwards acquired.
MIR. DARGAN proceeded The south did not so I'M
dersand it. But would they renew it for the purpose of
peace and harmony and the preservation of the Union
He had not seen the first from the south but what
was willing to stand by the compromise There was not
one man in the south but was willing to renew the
nant with their bretheren OF the north and faithfully to
tulh It, But the men OF the north were determined
an acquisition OF territory and yet announced deter
minaton that would dissolve the Union Did he then
attach too much Importance to this crisis?
Mr.. DOUGLASS here rose, and said: am not willing
to have supposed that no man is willing to abide by the
Missouri compromise recognised il in the Texas reso
luton, and was prepared at all times to recognise it, for
the purpose Of avoiding this distactng and dangerous
questions and believe that there are many Others In this
House who are ready to recognise 1t at all times GCres
Mr. DARGAN was glad to hear it He called on all
to cease abusing the President and to look to the cond
early in life TO follow his own guidance, but he
had never followed party dictates implicitly In that
spirit he called on gentlemen to seek the gui-
dance OF their own Judgment, and not party feeling
He believed that they had ample cause of war and that
il was forced upon them. No man regretted its exist
ence more than he; He foresaw that Il would be the
GREETED that the army crossed the Rio Grande not because
he thought they had right to do it, that it was not
wise TO DO it, yet he would not have given the orders to
cross But they had crossed, and what were they to
do? Perhaps they might might not acquire territory
What them Some might perhaps, in their ambition,
dream of revealing in the halls of the Montezumas but
unless necessary for the purpose of peace, he would
not go there He would make a boundary line
and declare that he was compelled to go to war to
fix il, and he would abide by it at all risks All
that might be wrong, but he saw no good likely TO
arise from the war. Yet he cast whatever on
those engaged in the prosecution Of the war Where the
but thing he asked, Should they take any more terri
tory Were the gaan! sons OF the south to be told that
they were to fight tor territory which would be source
OF grevols annoyance to their own honest That thing
should be settled As cool man-which he had always
been considerable would state what he believed would
be the result of the acquisition OF territory south of SO
deg. 80 MN, excluding slavery Ii would lead to the
most deplorable results The Union was intended
for their peace and welfare. 1t was formed in a
spirit of compromise Let the same spirit be man
now prevail The flag of their country might then wave
proudly forever But if they disregarded such spirit of
compromise and pressed them to the WALL let them take
the admonon OF one who would never be there again
they would destroy that government and all the enemies
OF freedom would rejoice the downfall of the repb
lie Moderation should always lead and govern them
They should believe that they had any commission
from Providence TO produce result which he did not
choose TO bring about in that generation He invoked
the spirit OF compromise which had heretofore prevailed
For one, he said that soon as that spirit was denied
he would not consent to the continuance OF the Union
another day. He might be wrong, but he man
from the south who did not give in his views of this mat
ter Wings and democrats should lay aside their animos
tiles and exhibit to the Executive those considerations so
that he might fix upon policy which would relieve the
army and the country from the dangers which threatened
them.
Mr. seldom then obtained the floor and dressed
animation of the bill offered by the gentleman from New
York Mr. p KING,] and the speech which that gentle
man had made under the cloak OF ''persona eypapa
tom; and conended that the ground assumed BY that