The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-05-23

upon the compromises OF Ine Iohsh'u'iO"' - 20
upon this ground that stand content and pas
sionless, and if know myself shall continue 10
do so. Sir, NJ good can result from this discus
sion. shall vute against the reception OF the
bill at this time And why "a Because L think
that the occasion which is selected Tor It's INTRO
duction is a very unhappy one IL seems 10
grow out of the occurrence of al unwaHantable
trespass recently committed upon me rights OF
the citizens of this District, without penS direct
ed to the prevention of such aggresslons IN iuture
but on the contrary having for its object the sup
preston of the manifestations of the feelings of
Indignation which such facts naturally create.
We, who are the only legislators for the District
OF Columbia, are not informed OF their wants and
wishes in regard TO the legislation upon TINS sub
ject If the people of this District require any
other laws than they already have, Tor the pur-
pose of protecting their property against nnlaw-
full violence, let them indicate to us their wishes
and shall be ready to lend a willing ear to their
request, and to aid in passing such a law as IN
my judgment may be necessary for their protec-
ton If on the other hand, the citizens of this
District, should require other and more penal laws
for the purpose OF protecting their slave
property, shall be as ready to vote for
bill for that purpose.-But shall never
vote for one nor the other, when l find
them pressed forward by gentlemen of ex>
IRENE opinions-gentIemen from remote
portions of the Union, having few feelings
in common with the citizens of the Dis
trict. Sir, upon these subjects l am &C.
customed to look to the silent operation
of the law for the protection Of all our
rights. In the state from which come
there is no excitement in regard to these
subjects.-If know anything ofihe char
acter of that loyal, steady, fixed and mode
rate State, there is no State, in the Union
which will hold to her principles and her
rights with more firmness than that State.
But we appeal to the silent operation Of
the law; we know nothing Of mob law or
! of lynch law; we know nothing of excess
ses of this description. Although have
lived TO be an old man, and most of the
time in North Carolina. have never seen
anything in that State approximating even
TO a spirit of popular tumult
Mr.. Douglass Of Illinois then took the
floor
have listened to this debate with a
good deal of interest. But while have
seen considerable excitement exhibited on
the part Of a few gentlemen around me,
i confess thatI have not been able 10 work
myself into anything like passion. l
think that probably the Senator from New
Hampshire has done much to accomplish
his object. His bill is very harmless
thing in itself; but being brought forward
at this time and under the present cir
cumstances, it has created good deal of
excitement among gentlemen on this side
of the chamber.
In the first place. l must congratulate
the Senator from New Hampshire on the
great triumph he has achieved He stands
very prominently before the American
people, and as l believe, the only man
who has a national nomination for the
Presidency. firmly believe that on this
floor to-day. by the side Of the Senator
from South Carolina, and the Senator
frsm Mississippi, he has more than doub-
led his vote at the Presidential Election,
and every man in this Chamber from a
Free State knows it looked on with
amazement for time, tn see whether
there could be an understanding between
the Senator from New Hampshire and his
Southern friends, calculated to give him
encouragement, strength and power in
the contest. But know that those DIS
tinguished Senators from the South, to
whom l have referred, are incapable Of
such an undertaking, yet tell them if
they had gone into caucus with the SEN
ator from New Hampshire, and after a
nights study and deliberation, had devised
the best means to manufacture abolition>
ism and abolition votes in the North, they
would have fallen upon precisely the same
kind OF procedure whichthey have adopt
ed to-day-A few such exciting scenes
were sufficient to send that Senator here.
l mean no disrespect to him personally.
but | say with his sentiments, with his
principles, he could never have represent
ed free State of this Union on this floor
but for the aid of Southern speeches. 1t
is the speeches of Southern men, repre-
senting Slave States. going to an extreme;
breathing fanaticism as wild and as reck-
less as that of the Senator from New
Hampshire, which creates Abolitionism
in the North. The extremes meet. 1t is
no other than Southern Senators acting
in concert, and yet without design, that
produces abolition.
MIR. Foote.-If the effect of my remarks
will be TO give to that Sen ator all the Abb
clifton votes, he is fairly entitled to them.
Had the Senator from Illinois lived
where have resided--had he seen insurs
rection exhibiting its fiery front in the
midst of the men,. women and children of
the COMMUNICATED he had reasen to be-
lieve that the machinery of Instruction
was at such time in readiness for purpo>
ses of the most deadly character, involving
life, and that dearer than life, TO every
Southern man-had he witnessed such
scenes, and believed that movements like
that OF this morning were calculated to en-
gender feelings out of which were to A.
rise fire, blood, and desolation, the de-
struction finally of the South, he would
regard himself as traitor to the best sem
tlments Of the human heart, if he did not