Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-03-16
Speech Of John c. Calhoun.


Mr.. CALuouS, after long and severe illness,
appeared in the Senate last Monday week. He
was reduced to mere skeleton, and being too
feeble to deliver his views on the Territorial
Question, his speech was read by Mr.. Mason of
Virginia. 1t is described as q weak effort. The
correspondent of the Pittsburgh Gazette says
speak in all candor, when declare that II
was the weakest effort that have known any
man of high reputation in the Senate make. 1t
was, for the most part, the old story that Mr.
Calhoun and a hundred others have told doz-
cn times before, OF tho rise and progress of abo-
litonism, the wrongs Of the South, &C., &C., ad
nauseam. So far, which was nearly to the end
of the speech, oil that Mr.. Calhoun said was
very old, and therefore not so very mischicvous,
but towards the close, we had something not
so old, but thousand times worse.
Indeed, TO be brief, the closing portion of this
address was plea fol. disunion, and rccomncn-
daton of secession. Mr.. C., like all Southern
men who think with him on this topic spoke
upon contingencies and hypothesis, but tho
purpose and tho wish were these, open, palpa-
bic, apparent. The purport OF his remarks was,
that the evils under which the South suffered
were incurablc, except by such means as the
North would not consent to. They were not
even durable under the Constitution, if carried
out in its true spirit and in perfect good faith-
Therefore the South must sccodc unless the
North would do this, and that among other
things, would consent to amendments to the
Constitution which would give now privileges
to Slavery. This is a startling proposition, and
do not doubt that many Of your readers will
incline to doubt whether any Senator of the u
nted States, one too, of the class who have
been so long and 50 loudly prating of the "com-
promises Of the Constitution" could have the
hardihood to rise in his place aud deliberately
repudiatc the Constitution, and insist upon its
amendment as a condition to remaining in tho
Union. But upon examination, it will be found
that this is the construction that must be put
upon Mr.. Calhoun's remarks on this head.
These arc The words of Mr.. Calhoun, in which
he tells the North what she must do to propiti-
ate the Shareholders
The North has only to will it to accomplish
tito do justice by conccding to the South an
equal right in the acquired territory, and to do
her duty by causing the stpulations relative 80
fugitive slaves to be faithfully hdhllcd-to cease
the agitation of the slave question, and TO pro-
vide for the insertion of a provision in the Con-
stit,ltion, by an amendment, which will restore
to the South in substance the power she pos
sossed Of protecting herself, before the cluilib-
rum between the SC tions was destroyed by the
3 iNtiNA tliiH OOftAlil4tltts A44taG Na4A ~ 40
difficulty in dcvising such provision. Ono that
will protect the South, and which, at tho same
time, will improve and strengthen the Govern
mentJ instead of impairing and weakening it.
1t is time, Senators, that there should DC an
open and manly avowal on all sides, as to what
is intended to be done. Ifthc question is not now
settled, IL is uncertain whether it ever can here
after be; and VIC, as the Representatives Of the
States of this Union, regarded rs governments,
should como to distinct understanding as to
our respective views in order to ascertain wheth-
or the great questions at issue can be settled OF
not. II you, who represent the stronger por-
tion, cannot agree to settle them on the broad
! principle of justice and duty, say so and let
tho States wo both represent agree to separate
1 and part in peace. Ii You are unwilling wo
/ should part in peace tell MS so, and wo shall
know what to do, when you reduce the qucs-
tion 20 submission or resistance. II YOU remain
silent, you will compel us to infer what you in
| tend. In that case, California will become tho
test question. If you admit her under all the
difficulties that oppose her admission, YOU COM
\ pei Us to infer that You intend TO exclude us
from the whole Of tho acquired territories, with
| the intention of destroying irrctrievably tho
! equilibrium between the two sections. We
/ would be blind not 10 perceive, in that case,
| that your real objects are power and aggran-
dizement, and infatuated not to ect accordingly,
Mr.. Calhouns claim for an alteration Of the
Constitution was not backed up by the South
crn party, who see clearly enough that this is
only running the thing into the ground. On
the following day, Mr.. Footc solcmnly disclaim-
cd all responsibility for this proposition and
declared that the South was satisfied with tho
Constitution as it is, and would not demand tho
alteration alluded to by Mr.. Calhoun. This dis
cl0imcr led to a sharp discussion, in which it i
agreed that Calhoun came off second best.