The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-02-20

It's CllIthS denounced as 'Sounern
tators disunioniss," and TRAITORS" seeking sever
ance of the Union!
Mr. President the whole history of this country stamps
all these accusations with alsehoed Before and since
the adoption OF the federal constitution the Southern States
have shown their devotion TO the Unon Their SACRIFICES
IN the revolutionary struggle at least equal to those
of the other sections Her sons though shareholders,
were not aggards in that contest There is not battle
field IN that war; from Maine TO Georgia, but was moist
ened with the blood of some of her In the councils
OF that era her sages were among the wlsest and rmest
patriots. And how II after our Independence was
gained! Virginia, North Carolina South Carolina, and
Georgia voluntarily restricted their respective western
boundaries and gave to their sister States as common
fund.-, their vast domain, extending westward TO the Mis-
sisspp Virginia gave the Northwest Territory before
the constitution was ratified AAtat region was tributary
TO her acs and under them slavery existed there In the
establishment OF the government Tor that territory 1t
provided that should be what is called free
SOIL" She did not resist the usurpation OF power Six
-sayehodng States have grown up under the resrc-
ZION thus imposed Virginia in that cesslon, had no
degrading Jealousy; the South not Influenced by any
ptful sectional feeling in the other cessons have refer
red to And how has the confidence and generosity Of
ousy, abuse, and attempted outrage. The gilt made
by Virginia OF the Northwest Territory, and her not re-
sislng the restriction upon as to slavery, have been
made pretext for assang her institutions as rcvong to
the spirit of the age" Her voluntary cession and ac-
quiescence in the restriction of the ordinance OF 1857
has been advanced an "admisson," and urged as a
precedent to sustain the exclusion now threatened as to
California and New Mexico.
Mr.. President in her devotion to the Union the South
has, since the constitution was formed IN l7S7 sub
mitted again and again TO the partial and sectional egs-
aon of Congress to advance the interests of the eastern
and middle States; and with but one exception, without
any attempt TO resort to the rghtfu remedies reserved TO
the States against federal usurpalion aggression or
injustice, and often without murmur.
Congress since 1857 has repeatedly enacted laws for
the protection OF the navigation interests OF New England
and New York The South has yielded to the navigation
States OF the East and Middle sections all her carrying
trade; Those sections enjoy It exclusively Have
selfish feelings, influenced The South in this The
! nIvt nnfIrn ctinHf trade hA
given to the navigating States upon an old and 0bso-
ete principle of the restrictive policy of Europe Have
the South sought to be allowed to employ foreign vessels
in their domestic coasng trade claimed the advant-
are OF their competition with the vessels OF the Eastern
and Middle States So far from it, sir at this very time
of Compression the benefit of Northern vessel own
ers obge the Southern States whose citizens have little
navigating interest," to procure the products OF Cuba and
Porto Rico they consume via the Northern Atlantic cities
My State and Georgia get thirds OF what they
use of the products Of those islands from the North.
though we are within short distance from both islands.
Under the operation OF your navigation laws, and laws
respecting commerce, Eastern ships monopoI!ze the
carrying of most of foreign cotton trade. Few for
eign vessels visit Southern ports, though they can
generally carry freight prohtaby Tor prices below what
vessels of the United States obtain The South has sub
miited to all this
Look at your fishing bounty laws for the benefit OF the
eastern States 1t would be instructive lesson "a to
the value OF the Union to those States and the pecuaary
profit it has been to them as mere speculation, to nave
statement Of the ammenseyes, sir, the tnmenSe-sums
annually paid for many years under these shinz bounty
laws.
And, sir all the difficulties we have had with foreign
powers have been chiefly account of interests OF the
citizens OF the eastern States. That with France at
the commencement of this century; those with the
Barbary powers, about the same time; the war with
England of 1912; the quarrel with Algiers, and the
difficulty with France since, mostly originated in the eff.
forts of this government 10 protect the commercial and
navigating interests of New England and New York and
Philadelphia Eight tenhs OF all the claims for foreign
spoliaons from those cities and New England Why,
sir learn six tenhs of the claims on Mexico are from
he nm
refusal by Mexico 10 pay was urged by the President as
Just cause OF War
and civil are chiefly in the Middle and East. Look at
your Notifications, navyyards, docks arsanas, light
houses, and your public custom houses in the Middle
and Eastern States and then look at those in the South
OF your local officers of any consequence, in number and
in amount of enoument, eghttenths are TO be found IN
New England and including as far south as Pennsylva
MA You even deny the frontier southern and western
States the small prestige of neighbohood mails i ii oc
casions few dollars of expense; while millions are
spent for the benefit of Atlantic cities, ana to carry on
intercourse between them and foreign countries.
will not recur in detail to the iniQuitous tariff laws
that you have in past times imposed upon tue South TOR
the protection OF the manufactures OF the eastern and
middle States and by the effect and operation OF which
the South were compelled TO bear the chief burden of all
the taxes on imports With your federal bank engine
former times and your laws respecting the currency
and affecting exchanges trade, and commerce in the ten
thousand ways well understood by shrewd CONNER
cal men, you have done than natural causes to &C.
cason a concentration of business in New York-make
agricultural interests of the country generally tributary
to it, After the explosion of the federal bank, (and
General Jackson was aided in his movements against
the bank by New York. as it was then located
in Philadelphia the effects | have mentioned were
produced as much by the administration Of the laws
+ by the powers here as otherwise, until that was
checked in degree by the subtreasury act though
still the entire power of the federal government is con-
nualy exercised for the benefit of the Atlantic cities OF
the eastern and middle States, TO the prejudice OF the
other sections know this cannot always be the case.
In few years New Orleans will oustrip even the en-
pire city, and, if Canada is Annexed the opening
of the ST. Lawrence to the OF the Northwest
and West will up another formidable rival to her
the shores of that river
will not on this occasion recapulate the OF
the East with respect to slavery Some OF that course is
detailed in document recently published in this city by
southern members Of Congress, in the form OF an ad
dress the South but in my judgment, much OF out
rage has been omitted in that detail
The Missouri compromise act as it is called is in my
opinion the leading aggression and 1t Is scarcely noticed
in that paper and certainly not IN terms OF becoming rep
rehenson and denunciaion Nor are the subsequent
parodies of that outrage, called compromise In my
Judgment, properly condemned The agency OF some IN
the eastern States causing the attempts to revolt by
the slaves in Charleston, South Carolina within two
years after the Missouri agitation and the fact that the
Instruction in Southampton, Virginia, some ten years
afterwards, occasoned by lncendlary abolition pub
LEGATIONS made in Boston and candestiney circulated
among the slaves and speeches IN Congress from
lsl9o the session preceding tue outbreak, Is entirely
unnoced in that address The evidence OF the truth OF
what state be facts is in the books the desk be-
fore have before alluded to it in this chamber.
So, too the of the federal government with
spec to foreign governments on the SUBJECT OF slavery
has not been fair Just to the South Il has not
cised its constitutional powers fulfilled its constitution
foreign government IRON peiudices respecting slaves and
slavery | alude to the case of EAmlsad and to the