The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1849-09-04
SPEECH OF HON. S. P. CHASE
SENATOR FROM OHIO,
!" ChdrlestOton, Monday Eeensng, Aug. ~.
[Repored for he TrayeIer, BY Henry NJ Parkhdisll

ical speeches. | came as professional man,
upon professional business and upon buiness OF
character which has absorbed all my thought
and attention since | have been amoung you, so
that have had neither time nor inclination to
prepare anything which could be especially
adapted TO an occasion OF this sort. Yet, as
yielded TO similar invitation the other evening,
| thought could do no less, when was invited
to appear before you this evening, than to accept
that invitation also, with the resolution on my
part, however, that until could put off the law
yer | would not again play the public speak
err
We are here, fellow citizens, to contemplate,
as understand it, what manner of men we are,
and what is the nature OF the faith that is in US
We find for the first time IN the history of this
country, the people resolving themselves into
three great political parties. There have been
two political parties from the commencement;
but will in the last eight or hne years we have
seen third political party come into existence,
and gradually develop itself until the principles
oil that party may say that they are modI-
fed in some degree are now the principles OF
vast majority OF the people OF the free States, and
there is among the people of the free States be
yond all question, powerful minority, rapidly
spreading into majority, which espouses those
principles, and not merely espouses them, but
makes them the basis of its political action.
Why is this Why is it that in the history OF
our country we have had two g. eat parties, divi
ded by broad questions, and why is it that we
have, late in time, this new party, rising and
planting itself upon different set of principles !?
| believe the reason to be-and you are as capa.
BILE oil Judging OF it as | am--that early in the his
tory OF the country our fathers departed from the
maxims upon which they had constructed the
Government, and that these maXims, for long
period of years, were almost wholly lost sight Of
:,
question it is TO which advert there is ques
ton which has been by the arts OF politicians
kept out of sight, almost entirely, in this coun-
try
The great question of human rights; the great
question OF slavery, has been almost entirely kept
out of sight by the political parties in their re-
spective organizations, almost from the very com.
mencement OF the Government, up TO this time
But was it kept out of sight at the commence
meDt of the Government? Look at the debates
at the time of the formation of the Constitution;
look at the original draft OF the Declaration of In
dependence itself; look at all the early docu-
ments of our country, and you find that this very
question OF slavery, so far from being question
which was passed in silence, was a question
which entered more largely than any other ques.
ton whatever, except the single question of our
independence OF Great Britain itself, into the de-
alterations OF our fathers. And they were not
as we are. They held opinions upon this ques.
ton which they did not scruple TO avow and pro.
mulgate; and think | may assert without run
ming much risk OF contradiction, certainly among
intelligent men, that the settled opinion and de-
iberate faith OF our fathers was that the Govern.
ment which they created should not be at all re-
sponsibe for the existence of slavery in this
country; that wherever the influence OF the Gov.
eminent which they created should extend, that
influence should be felt as favorable to fire edom
| might go on to multiply facts, proving this as
sertion beyond all contr adiction but will content
myself with referring to the single fact which
with the people of my own State, and of its con-
federate states, possesses the most Significance
| mean the ordinance OF 1877.
That ordinance, as you know, excluded slavery
from the entire territory OF the United States, as
it then existed. You know that prior TO the pas.
sage OF that ordinance, Jefferson had proposed to
pass provision by which all the territory which
the United States then possessed, or might there
after acquire, should remain free This was in
1884. In the year 1887, when the practical ques-
ton OF the ordinance was before the Convention,
they decided TO leave it TO the future, and TO those
States which should afterwards be admitted to
settle the question as TO after. acquired territory;
but they decreed the perpetual exclusion of sla.
very fom the territory OF the United States then
possessed by the nation
Well, 1t we want to know what mans prin
ciples are, we look at his acts II we want to
see mans original principles, look at his
original acts. So with nation; ii we want to
ascertain its original principles, its original line
OF policy, we 90 back to its commencement, and
see how it started, in what direction, and with
what views. have said already that its policy
was changed; and why was it changed?
| know of no reason so significant, for its
change, SO fully satisfactory to my mind, as the
single fact that when the Con tituton of the Uni
ted States came 10 be framed, although its fra.
mers carefully excluded from the Constitution it.
sell all recognition OF the rightulness OF slavery
and oil control over the subject of slavery by the
national government; but on the contrary, SO
careful were they, that the people of that day,
not content with the original constitutions put in.
TO 1t an amendment which forever prohibits Con.
gress from being instrumental in the enslaving of
anybody; notwithstanding this, we find that i'm
medately after the ordinance OF 1887 was adopt.
ed, when the Constitution OF the United States
was promulg ated, II contained provision giving
TO the Shareholders the right to be repre- sci ted
for their property in slaves, FIVE slaves to be
counted as three freemen, and the rights of these
three ireemen to be vested in the master of the
slaves, to be exercised politically. This of course
united the slavehoding interest not merely by
the pecuniary tie, which is strong enough, but
also by the political tie, which is infinitely strong
err. -.t
The aristocracy Of England, for example, is not
held together SO much by its great possessions,
as by its great political power. Our American
aristocracy is held together and made unit, not
so much by its property in slaves, as by the po-