The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-13

elect the very worthy and intelligent gentleman
who represented the Detroit district in Congress
last year. So much for tie weight OF their q eat
names.
| But we are told that we must not doubt that the
! Fugitive slave bill will he faithfully executed.
What are the facts on thus point! Ihere nave
been -four attempts to execute this law Two
Georgians went to Massachusetts 10 claim their
property, underthe Constltutlon-under the Com
promise. What was their fate They were three
times arrested, put under bonds for Slo,U OO, and
finally compelled 20 leave the State without their
slaves This is certainly peculiar mode or exc
cutting the Compromise, and manlfesting devotion
to the Constitution. AT Detroit, TOO, an effort
was made by a slave-owner to avail himself OF
this law. He was pursued by mobs. TIN eatened,
put in great peril, and finally compelled to take
! $500 for his slave; he would have taken much
less am sure to get out Of the scrape he was IN
There was also a case in Pennsy vania. An
owner showed his tit etO Il slave, RAINING through
three generations. II was decided that the title
was not established. In another case, IN New
York, three persons came forward anu swore the
man who claimed the slave had been guilty OF
perjury.
And these. f.IIow-citizens, are the evidences Of
the good feeling with which are assured the
North will carry out that bill which constitutes our
chief conversation for The concessions Of the
Compromise Let me read again from the New
York Express, that conservative wing journal:
bitter as now, between the two opposing elements
Of which we speak The South Is soured by los
ing all political power in our vast Mexican ncqul-
sItions, and by seeing the admnlstra ION or the
Government virtually pass from lis hands. The
North, epen amidst its greatest victory ersr yet ICON
slavery, in the eIcluSion IF Sldpery from Calt
frna, and its piriual limitation TO the places Where
mug is, yet refuses TO carry out its solemn compact
TO surrender fugitive SLAVES; for is but cheat for US
10 say re are opposed TO the details Of The Fugitive
saUe ia,o as zoe are opposed 10 the PRINCIPLE useJ
The stipulation in The Federal compact is odious, in
erecuiabie yei and zoe are nulifers in spirit and
in fact Freenen ,oiH nor be :" SLAVE carchers," IRE
daily tod in responsible organs ofhe public press
SLAVE CATCHING is unpopular; and TO be popular
zee must turn nufers not only Of the laos, but Of
The Constitution ITSELF"
And thus you find the whole North procaiming
that the passage Of these ills has killed slavery
forever, and yet we, who proclaimed thatsuch was
the purpose and object of these measures, and
therefore opposed them, are branded as traitors
How did the Louisiana delegation stand on
these bills, As regards the California bill, the
delegation voted unanimously against 1t. My
colleague and myself then stood together. We
voted together, Also for the Utah and New Mex
leo bulls. | voted against the bill selling the boun-
dairy Of Texas, as could not conceive how we
could, with honor, not on suffer ourselves to be
excluded from the new territory, but also and fur
Their. be mul.ted in damages to the full amount Of
ten millions. My colleague was sick, and did not
vote on that question. {" How would he have
voted;") understand that he said in Baton
Rouge, he would have voted for it. He voted
against the abolition of the slave trade in the Dis.
trct OF Columba-so did |. He voted for the
Fugitive slave biII--so did |. SO we were to-
geher on all the questions upon which we voted.
But, because we do not counsel quiet subms-
sion to these wrongs and grievances, we are brand
ed as traitors and dsunionists A certain party,
distinguished for its ingenuity in concelving, and
facility IN changing names, has created ne"
party, to lie called the National Union party; and
others, not of that party, have caught the bait,
and fallen into the ranks under this new banner.
Well, we will see after awhile to whose benefit
this new combination will enure! We must take
care lest this new name may be adopted by some
Of our own party, as a cover under which to desert
to the enemy.
On this question, however, would sink all
party feeling-fOrget all party distinctions-here
there should be no Democrats. Cloud cheers
We are all brothers and co-lahorers, fighting for
common RIG hts and interests. Let us advance all
to our ranks, Of whatever political shade. | view
with strong disapproval any attempts to make
political capltul out of this Suhlec,.
And now | come to the important question /:
What is the remedy for these wrongs and griev-
anres' Shall quietly submit, or shall we sever
our connection with the North ? will answer
frankly. This Union WAS founded on the equality
Of the soveregna composing It this IL it's essential
vual,ty, without such equality it is not worth pre-
serving with las long MS our rights are respect
ed IA long az it continues to he the Union es,ah.
IiShed by the fathers Of the republi | am for
standing by il to the last drop " my blood. Bur
If The time should come when our rights are out
ragged, when our dignity is derded, our honor
lrampled on, and these Southern States become
mere league Of submissive colonies and dependant,
Oh then, how great soever the sacrifice though
IN doing so, tear asunder my hear-s,rin LEI it
90 ! let it GO! came here from a country where
the hand Of oppression pressed down the minds
and bodies Of men, came here of nv own
choice. This glorious land became the country Of
my adoption. entered it under the Constitution
which | swore to obey, and owe allegiance only
to the Union which derives its existence from that
Constitution. have heard as the nobest o. all
the lessons Of republican duty, that to deserve the
name and character OF freemen, we must be ready
to maintain our ri hts manlully, and at all sacr-
fees.
But oh the violence ofthe denouncers Of those
who stand Ivy the rights Of the Souh-where vii!
it end, when it seeks to trampIe such men as
Quitn,an and Davis in the DUST These men who
have illustrated your national character by gori-
Gus exhibitions Of courage, heroism and patriot.
isn who led the youth Of your country to victory
on the fields Of Monterey, Buena Vista, Cheru-
busco and epultepec--hese are denounced as
traitors by the very men who during the in
vited the MeXirans to aceicome them ,ch bloody
hands and hoSpiiabie grGpeS-he latter are the pr
tros-the former traitors. Loud cheers. All
between such traitors and such patriots, | shall
never hesitate am with the traitors Long
appause-nany voices: "We are with them
too ~
But, fellow-citzens, have already detained
You too long. Cries of no Go on 60 on :,
This cry Of Union--of the National Union par
ty, is cunnngly devised ne-a ret thrown over
us by our political adversaries, to catch and hold
US. 1t will only catch those who want to be
caught. On this question there can he but two
parties, Northern aud Southern parry. What
is the Union this new party wants? They seem
lose sight Of the Constitution altogether; il is a
dead letter to them; the word il not to be found
in their vocabulary. Union! Union is their only
word. Disunlon diSunon their only curse! |
will answer them if they mean the Union under
the Constitution, we are all for it; if they mean
Union out Of the Constitution, |, for one, am
against it. Who disunionsts Cry 90 the
Wings and some con'ns'on.l Are those dis
unonsts who aie for the Constitution and the
equal rights Of the States-who Observe the noble
principle Of asking nothing bat 'rhdt is right, and
submitting 10 nothing that is Trong.
They speak of traitors There has been two
great traitors who are lmmortalzed in our history
the one an Immortality of glory, the other m
Immortality Of infamy. The one was George
" v..aI.. l., 4