Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-03-31
Speech Of Gov. Mcdowell, Of Va.
AN ELOQUENT APPEAL FOR COMPROMISE
ON THE SLAVE QUESTION.


delivered during the late session Of Congress,
was that of Gov. Mcdowell, of Virginia, on
the bill to form one or more states out ofthe
territories of California and New Mexico.
His appeals for compromise and concilia-
tion on the slave question electrified the
House, and even drew tears from many of
the members. The whole speech is pub
lished in the Washington Globe, and occu-
pies nine and half closely printed col
umns. We regret that we have room only
for the concluding portion, which is as
follows:
As the powers of this Government, and,
therefore to a great extent, the destinies of
this country, are intrusted officially to our
hands, it is our duty to give all vigilance of
ear and eye and thooght-to everything
that can affect them. 1t is for us, then, to
be warned by that voice that comes from all
the records of all the past, and comes to
admonish us that lost republics are lost for
ever; that though their spirit never dies,
but abides upon the earth to enlighten, to
improve, and to bless it, yet that it never re-
wives to regenerate themselves. Look at
the reptile and the tiger, as they have dwelt
for ages in the inhabitations of the Holy
City look at despotism, worse than either,
as it has nestled and brooded with its raven
wing upon the very bosom of buried repub-
lies, and be warned of that mysterious doom,
that evident ordination from on high, which
connects, in eternal fellowship, the privi-
leges with the punishments Of nations, and
never allots the highest blessings but side
by side, with the heaviest woes. Let us
be warned by this iated conjunction to put
away all passion, and prejudice, and parri-
cide-unacknowledged latent parricide-
from amongst us, to gather round and press
to the side of our country; to heal the cha
fings and wounds of her spirit by the unity
and fervor of our own; TO be ready our
selves to sacrifice and suffer, if need be, that
she may never sorrow or perish: and If
there is a curse in all our borders, let it
abide for the overwhelming of him who
coming not up in the hour of trouble to
succor, to defend, and to save ;-yes, for the
overwhelming of him and such as him; for
where, under Providence, but upon the
heart-the constant and devoted heart
where but upon the patriotism and the vir-
tue of her sons in the country to rely in the
moment of adversely, or at any time to rely
against the perversion of her own mighty
elements of. good into mighty engines of
evil!
Give us but part of that devotion
which glowed in the heart of the younger
Pitt, and of our own elder Adams, who in
the midst of their agonies, forgot not the
countries that they had lived for, but ming
led with the spasms of their dying hour a
last and imploring appeal to the Parent Of
all Mercies that he would remember, in
eternal blessings, the land of their birth
give us their devotion-give us that of the
young enthusiast of Paris, who, listening to
Mirabeau in one of his surprising vindica-
tions of human rights, and seeing him fall
from his stand, dying las physician pro-
claimed,) for the want of blood, rushed to
the spot, and as he bent over the expiring
man, barred his arm for the lancet, and cried
again, with impassioned voice-"Here take
it-oh! take from me let me die, SO that
Nlirabeau and the liberties Of my country
may not perish!"
Give us something only of such spirit al
this-something only of such a love Of
country, and we are safe, forever safe the
troubles which shadow over and oppress III
now, will pass away as summer cloud
No measure of allowable wrong, no mea'
sure of unconquerable disagreement viii
be pressed upon us here. The fatal ele
ment of all our discord will be taken iron
amongst us. Let gentlemen be entreatet
to remove it, as the only and solitary OBJ
stacle to our perfect peace. Let them b.
adiured by the veal of this and comm:
ages--by our own and our children's goot
by all that we love or look for in tn
progress and the glories of our land, t.
leave the entire subject of slavery, will
every accountability it may impose, ever.
remedy it may require, every accumulation
of difficulty or of pressure It may reach-t'
leave it all to the interest, to the wisdom
and to the conscience of those upon whor
the providence of God and the Constitutio
Of their country have cast it. Leave it I
them, now and forever, and stop, while
, is vet possible to stop, the furious and bin
| headway of that wild and mad philanthrc
py, which is lighting up for the Nation i
! self the fires Of the stake, and which isrust
ing on, stride after stride, to an intestin
struggle that may bury us all under hare
er, and wickeder, and more incurable slave
, ry, than any it would extingush.
' Nothing but aggravation of heart and {
lot have been brought upon the poor slav
by the rash and unwarrantable efforts whic
have been put forth to relieve him. The
have broken down the footing he had reacf
; ed, crushed the. sympathies he had wol
embarrassed and accursed the fortunes the
a were intended to control. The generol
1 and elevating influence of our free instit,
!, tions was relaxing his bondage, betterin
> his conditions, lifting up his character, turr
ing upon him the public anxieties and th
public counsels, as fit and deserving ot
5 iect of provident and public provision
: was changing, at all points, the aspect I
Q his fate. when the spirit of Abolitionisn
political and fanatic, came from abroad
scosrra him with a damon yisitati0n.