The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-16

late at all IL can legslate ON the subject of slavery
and therefore he denies the conclusion and the pre-
misses, and is in the condition Of the man who de-
MED future state OF punishment; and when be was
told that this was compatible with the justice Of
God. he denied that there was any God at ALL If
Congress has power 10 leglslate for the Terrific
ries how is it that the three Territories California,
New Mexico, and Deseret, can have their difficult
ties settled, and the boundaries arranged between
them? We cannot settle these at all, according to
that doctrine.
Gentlemen had complained that they could not
carry their slaves with them to the territories. The
laws which tolerate the institution are local. When
they leave their States, they leave their laws
behind them. They do not carry with them the
systems OF education, nor the laws 10 prohibit lot
teries and gaming. As to the prohibition to carry
slaves thither there can be no insult where none is
| intended. In the intercourse with gentlemen, If
one says that he did not intend insult. it is not
| looked on just cause of offence. This is the
case with the North; they tell the South that they
intend no insult by the passage Of the Wilnot pro-
viso. II only asserted the great right of mankind
| He did not know what southern gentlemen meant
by saying that they used no threats and menace;
but if they tell northern gentlemen, if you do such
and such, certain contingencies will follow, it is
threat and menace, or there ia no meaning in the
terms 1t is fixed and settled purpose OF the North
that there shall be more slave territory slave
States. Suppose pursue this course, and the south
crn convention is held, does any suppose that
they will pass act for the of the Union,
and naturcs II would be like drawing man
asunder with a yoke of horses Overt acts must be
taken to carry It into effect. Business at the
TOM houses and post Offices must be arrested; the
arsenals and magazines, under the command of
officers Of the United States, must be abolished, or
their officers Withdrawn from the places where they
are Does any man suppose that this can be done
support the Constitution, and to see that the laws
faithfully administered, and he will, if such
measures are taken, come into conflict with the
newly constituted power, and this will fan in the
country the flame of civil war. II would destroy,
at once, all glory of future prosperity of this
try, and the effect of institutions in the world
for future generations. The resistance must be
arrested and put down. He could not contemplate
| the consequences without shudder.
I If the day come, it would be with thunderings
| above, and earthquakes below, and darkness
around; and when the darkness is lifted up they
would see the country sundered, and the deep and
profound gulf between the two sections filled with
the SCARED bodies of the combatants and ourselves,
on the return OF consciousness, find our hands and
garments red with fratricidal blood. We can stand
before posterty and say such an event to pass
because it determined to carry slavery into the
Territories where it did not exist-to retrograde to
the condition Of the dark ageswhlc all the world is
looking But this is to take place at any and every
hazard! II such event s to befal the country we
cannot but see the probable consequences which
will be developed. In the first place, all the OBJ
jects for which the great event is confronted
on the part Of the South, will be lost How
could fugitive slaves then be reclaimed? The mo-
| ment that the slave then reached free State, he
4 would be free himself (Mr. M Instead
of slaves having to travel five hundred miles
to Canada, there would be nothing but an ideal
line to cross. The law Of 1893 would be at an end
in this particular. Thousands would escape where
one docs now. Who does not zee that there is only
a frontier Of thousand miles north, and mari
time frontier of from twelve to fifteen hundred
miles south and east? Who does not sec the facility
with which this species Of property could escape?
And in addition to the old adage that "wealth has
WINGS" it would be found TO have legs also.
Where would the new territory falR II party
secedes, he leaves the territory behind him. and
that which is now commended for--the right to
into the territory with savcs-would be at once at
an end unless the property acquired there be taken
! by force.
1t has been charged on the North. and the charge
is unjust and made on feeble grounds, that, under
the present state of things they instgate slaves
| escape from the South But if a separation should
ensue, how much more would this be done than
| now? There two things with regard to the
North which are not appreciated by the South: one
Is, the intense feeling with which they look the
evil and wrong of this institution; and they
| strained by the law from not carrying out what
they desire 1t is owing to their adherence to the
laws, for they law-abiding people. II this
feeling which restraints them should be withdrawn,
who could answer for what must be the conse-
qucnces? II is said that the South must be benefit
| ted by dissolution, because she enter into a
treaty of trade and friendly alliance with Great
Britain, sending Great Britain her products, and
receiving in return all she can desire. Are there
one compared TO this country; and il nm
alliance be formed, under the belief that England
would be more faithful than the North, never was
greater faacy conceived in. the mind of man.
The law OF 1893 would never be extended over rcai
Britain, nor would the cause.in the Constitution
relative TO the recapture of fugitves. The South
exists at the North. The change will be from one
neghboE to another greatly to the detriment of the
| institution for the sake of which they would make
The change. One half of thssavcs Of the South lie
xttfh httRf r.d ..xf{
be no hindrsnce to their escape, while God sends
night in the world. In few years thousand OF
| slaves would escape across the Isthmus of Darien
Would the consequences of escape be 30 formidable
that the North would prevent R II is said that there
are three millions of slaves After those who were
not too old or too young escaped, not half the
Der would remain, and slavery would melt away.
IL is inevitably liked as law Of nature, and there
would be left nothing but nucleus not worth
preserving. Let such a state of things come, and
the slaves would find il Star in the East, and
they would look at il with more than Chadcar
homage. Should such a state Of things come to
pass, not only would not the North agree TO any
plan for the delivery OF the fugitives, but the pur
suitand capture OF the fugitive her Territory
be considered as kidnapping or felony, much &C
as the slave trade the African coast is declared
piracy. And who would suppose that state of peace
could exist II war, then what inducement is there
to 60 deeper into this institution? If war were
| raging between the North and the South and ar
mics passed 10 and fro the frontier, who sup
pose that when those of the North found them
selves In the cnemy's country, they would not be
joined by the slaves, who would regard the in
vaders as their friends and allies' Who can sup
pose, in the present state of things that this Is not
known on every plantation And who can sup.
pose that with this knowledge it would be possible
to keep that class Of people under subjectionl
Such state Of things never before existed where
slavery existed. When slavery existed in Greece
there was no free and civilized territory around IT,
So when IL existed in Rome. There was no oppor.
tunity for the slaves to escape, without passing
among the barbarians. Not 80 here. There were
only thousand miles of north land frontier, and
fifteen hundred miles Of maritime frontier which
enabled slaves to escape by land sea, without the
possibility OF being captured Ifpursued, and over
taken, other means Of escape cannot be prevented
The be executed for this offence there is end Of
the slave. In the examination ofthe southern code,
il was not likely that the masters, to crafty re.
vcnge, would, like Cleopatra, melt their pearls and
swallow them at draught. While pearls were
worth five hundred dollars apiece, it Is not likely
that many would be melted and swallowed
Mr. billiard propoundcd several questions "a
Mr.. MANN, the purport Of which we could not hear
with disiinctness.
Mr.. MANN resumed. He was understood 10 cay
that the North did not desire TO have the blacks
transferred 20 her soil he was speakinq of the in