The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1849-05-08
a"f 14 SPEECH
OF Mr.. Jas. mcdowell, Of virginia.

OF MIR. Jas. MCDOWELL, Of Virginia,
On the formation OF Governments for Califor-
mia and New Mexico, delivered in the House
Of Representatives, February 90, 1s49.
...aa [CoNcLUDEp.] - s ....-3+. .
Gentlemen, Representatives of Massa chu-
sets, what say you? Arc YOU agreed7 Your
equals before the Revolution began-your e.
quals when it did begin-confederate as your
, equals in 1777-unted us such in l7S7-co.
operating with you as such in the administra-
ton OF our common country from the dcclara-
ton Of Independence to the present hour, and
so conslderated. united, and cooperating with
you with all the local rig hts and institutions
which are obj ccted to us now--are YOU agreed
that what we were and are, and ought to be,
and must be, we shall always continue to be,
your equals--inviolably your equals still? Arc
you agreed to this? If SO, then, in the sight
Of Heaven and of man, we shall renew this day
a compact, fot Of peace onIy-no, no; not on.
ly of peace, grateful as that alone would be-
but compact of immortality for our country
AS the powers of this Government, and,
| therefore, TO a great extent, the destinics of
this country are intlusted officially to our
hands, it is our duty to give all vigilance Of
ear ard eye and that-to everything that can
| affect them. II is for us, then, to be warned
by that voice that comes from all the records
lost republics lost forever; that though
their spirit never dies, but abides upon the
earth to cnghtcn, to improve, and to bless it,
yet that 1t never revivcs to regenerate them
| selves. Look at tho reptile and the tiger, u 9
they have dwelt for ages in the Indications Of
the Holy City; look al despotism, worse than
! either, as it has nestled and broodcd with its
raven wing upon the very bosom Of buried re-
publics, land be warned of that IN Mysterious doom,
evident fro, hirt cob; oh,
connects, in eternal fellowship. the privileges
with the punishments OF nations. and never al
lots the highest blessings but side by side with
the heaviest woes. Let US be warned by this
(ated I'M junction to put away all passion, and
prejudice, and parricIde-unac knowl, dyed but
latent parricide-from amongst us, to gather
around and press to the side of our country; to
heal the chahngs and wounds Of her spirit by
thu unity and fervor Of our own; to be ready
ourselves to sacrifice and suffr:. if need be-
that she may never sorrow or perish; and if
there is a curse in all our borders, let it ab,de
for the overwhelming Of him who cometh not
up in the hour Of trouble to succor, to Defend
aud to snvc;-ycs, for the overwhelming Of
him and such him; for where under provi.
dcnce, but upon the heart-thc constant and
de voted hcart--wherc but upon the patriotism
and the virtue Of ner sons is the country to re-
ly in the moment of adversely, or at any time
to rely against the pcrycrsion Of her wn nigh
ty 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 agonics, forgot not the countries they
had lived for, but mingled with the s,,asrns Of
their dying hour last and imporing appeal
TO the Parent CT all Mercics that he would re
member, in eternal blessings. the land of their
birth: give us their devotion--gve us that Of
tho young enthusiast Of Paris, who, listening
to Mirabeau in one of his surprising vindica-
tons of human gifts and seeing him ia II from
his stand, dying, as physician proclaimed. for
the want Of blood rushed to the spot, and as
h" bent over the expiring man, barred his arm
! for the lancet, and cried again and again, with
lmpassiencd voicc--''llerc, take ii--take it
oh! take it from me; let me die, so that Mira
beau and the liberties Of my country may mol
perish! '-Give us som 2thing only Of such a
spirit rs this--somethng only Of such love of
country, and we are slfe, forever safe the
troubles which shadow over and Cypress us
now, will pass away as 4 summer cloud. No
measure Of unbelievable wrong, no measure Of
unconquerabe disagreea mcnt, will be pressed
upon us he:e. The fata! element of all our
discord will be taken from amongst us. Let
gentlemen be cntreatcd to remove it. as the
only and solitary obstacle to our perfect peace
Let them be ad ured by the veal Of this and Of
coming ages--by our own and our chidren's
good by all that we love or That we look fer
in the progress and the glorios Of our land, to
leave the entire subject Of slavery, with every
accountability it may impose, every remedy it
may require, every accumulation Of difficulty
or Of pressure it may rcach-to leave it all to
the interest. to the wisdom, and to the con
science Of those upon whom The providence of
God and the Constitution Of their country have
cast H.. Leave it to them, no,o and foreuer,
and stop, whilst it is yet possible to stop. tho
furious and blind Roadway Of that wild and
mad philanthropy, which is lighting I'D for the
Nation itself the fires Of the stake, and which
is rushing on, stride after stride, to an mites
tine struggle that may bury US all under har
der, and wickcder, and more lncurable slavery
than any it would extinguish
Nothing but aggravation of heart and of lot
have been brought upon the poor slave by the
rash and unWarranted efforts which hav G been
put forth to relieve him. They have broken
down the footing he had reached, crushed the
symP:thies he had won, embarrassed and ac
cursed the fortunes they were intended to con-
troll The generous and elevating influence OF
our free institutions was relaxing hi honda &C,
lettering his condition, lifting his chara cter,
turning upon him the public anAieties and the
public counsels, fit and deserving object
of providcnt and public provsion--was chang
ing, at II points, the aspects Of his fate, when
the spirit of Abolitionism, political and fanat.
ic, came from abroad to scourge him with de
mon visitation, 10 wrench him from the arms
of his only true and only apablc ben efacto
to throw him back again upon the earth a
thousandfold more suspected. separate, and
forlorn than ever; riveting upon him every fet.
ter it would loosen, poisoning every blessing it
would below; and so filling his whole case with
elements Of hopelessncss. explosion, and evil, |
that the heart shudders whilst it weeps to look
upon it. What are they who cherish and di.
rect this spirit? Friends of the slave? They
are robbing him Of every ,estige Of liberty he |
has left Friends Of humanity? They are sta. |
king it. ruthless y stalking it, ruthessy stalk
ing it, upon the issue Of ma ssacre and onyul. |
sion Friends Of the country? They arc rap.
idly becoming its iron homicidcs, cIeaving |
down its Constitution with numerous arm, !
and tearing it limb from limb.
Should it ever happen, as the result Of any |
interference and action here, that some insur
gent ebullition Of the slave will break out a.
mongst us, that the blood Of our people will be |
made to stream in our dwellings, and ooze up
from the bosom Of the soil that feeds US, it will |
cry aloud, like that Of Abel, for vengeance a.
gainst the brothers hand that shed It ;and ven-
gcance would be had, though every drop that
was left should be poured out in one angnished
nd dtSr a{J, ~. ctf - Nj .-.AI