Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-01-12


cannot be violated without degree of moral denquency
and while carrying warfare, pless and mercless in
deed against Institutions you yet acknowledge that there
barriers which cannot be broken down, and restraints
which be respected The Senator from New York has
enancpated himself from the hradom of all such unmany
Pejudice and finds IN the virtue of the people, and in the
Dirne commandments, his apology and his justification.
Hear him. and blush for your own feeble and mid adyo-
OF which has awakened such emotions and called
forth such sentiments:
''Slavery the sin of of the States only
but OF them all OF nation only but of all nations Ii
perverted and corrupted the moral Of mankind deeply
universally and this corruption became universal habit
1t is written in the constitution of the United
States that FIVE slaves shall count equal to three eemen
basis of and is written, Also violation
the Dn ary that shall surrender the fugitive slave who
takes refuge al our resdes from his relentless pursuer
familiar ou i,r, as i household worlds What them yon
say nothing be done for freedom because the public
be donesayery be limited its present bounds-t
be ameorated-it be and must be abolished, and you
and can and must do a."
There is no evasion here. All is open, bold and undis
gused We misunderstood this language, and trust
that no one hereafter will ask believe that any thing
short Of total abolition will satisfy Northern agitators.
"But begin deeper and lower than in the compo
son combination of factions ard parties wherein the
strength and security of slavery e You that lies
the constitution Of the United States and the constitutions
and laws of the slayeholding States. Not at all.'
''Not at all" And yet the Senator has into this
chamber and taken oath support and defend that very
constitution which he had deliberately declared be in vio
aon the Divine law and which he had openly avowed his
purpose to trampe under foot.
at the sentiment of the American people
Constitutions and laws rise above the virtue of
the people than the lmpd stream climb above its native
spring nculcate the love Of freedom and the equal
under the paternal root See that they taught
Ertend cordial eelcoe to the fugitive who lays has zpeary
limbs at your door, and defend him you Mould tatenal
gods. Correct yo that slavery has any constil
oal guarantees hich not be released and ought 10 be
eaqaaahed Say to slavery when shows its bond and de-
mands pound OF flesh, draws drop of blood its life
shall pay the orfet.' @.- -s"
If these Were the only opinions Of VIM. H. Seward, |
should not have thought it necessary to trouble the Senate
with what might then have been regarded very harmless
have stamped them with Importance they could have
derived from him. He has since that period been clothed
with Senatorial robes by the Empire State. He has been
elected to the office he holds with reference this very
matter and bound believe he truly reflects the will
of the people whose representative he is With him, there
fore, have nothing to do The responsibility has
passed from his shoulders that of potent endosers
And let ask you, sir, in all sincerity, what respect you
entertain for the intellect of the South whep with all
these evidences hand you yet think possible deceive
If with speeches like these before us and knowledge of the
wards which have followed them had been awakened
the magnitude Of the coming danger, should have de-
served to bear the chains have been forging for
have threats to makethey out oftime and place
but tell you, more in than in anger, not only that
you must pause but that you must reace your steps, The
guarantees of the constitution must be respected and lis pro-
IN
State in part represent would your alliance, and shat
ter your conederacy Indeed do not know but what
too late and that this Unon which you have preached
much and about which many eloquent sentences have
been framed is already end Certainly you have
cred many of its strongest ties, and but little remains
besides that formal separation which embered feelings
render necessity You did enough to dissolve when
you commenced organized robberes of propery-when
you murdered czens-when you violated consti
tuono obligation, and forgot every tie which bound us to-
gether people Reserve, then, your denuncatons of
disunon for yourselves. is your act and you say
nothing of each other so harsh to be unjust.
Often, sir, have stood in valley and watched the
it descended behind the mountains A. morning anda noon
the whole earth was bathed flood of glorious light but
the great umnay of day travelled westward his Journey
shadow after shadow began to steal along The mountain side
As he sunk lower and oer the shade gathered deeper and
ieepe unulthe whole valley covered with gloom and
not solitary beam lighted up the thick darkness which settled
upon it. Even has been with this Republic. Its earlier
lays blessed with the glad light Of glorious prosperity
rails and faculties like clouds rapidly melted away
loss Of invaders, in all the dread panopy of war; landed
lpon shores, but they swept off like insects by the
wing of The tempest Every thing around brightness
md security. After while the great arch enemy of man
evoked the spirit Of abolition and then slowly but surely
he shadow of the night began creep the land
have watched it as have watched the shade on the
mountain What it has once gained it has lost. The
spot that has grown dark has remained dark forever
Steadily and continually has increased and deepened until
has spread above pail like that which hung Jeu
salem when the denounced by the prophets about
o be fulfilled And am to be told that must neglect
Ill the warnings written the of the past, mady
away from the contemplation Of the future and permit
myself be lued into fatal security by siren songs in favor
If the Union However much may have loved that Union
love the Liberties of my native land far more, and you have
aught that they might become antagonists that the ex
stence Of the might be incompatible with the other The
conviction but slowly for it not without its bitter
less. AS boy looked upon the Union holy thing,
md worshpped it. As man have gone through that in its
efence which would have sveed thousands of the wetched
ilkwoms who, in peaceful times, cheap reputation
patriotism by protesting unbounded love for the Union
Sven am not unmindfu of all tie glorious memories
hat we have in do forget that there has come
Town to rich inheritance of glory which is incapable of
vislon know that side by side the North and the South
ugged through the Revolutions that side by side their bloody
footprints tracked the of ValleyFoge that side by
ide they crossed the pillows of the Delaware and snached
fate the victory Of Trenton remember all the story
he times that tried mems souls and feel the full strength OF all
he bonds has around If they have been fearuy
If they about to snap asunde the and
he folly belongs not but those who have forced US to
hoose between chains and nfamy the hand equal
ty aud independence the other We not the assa
ns but the assacd and does become him who main
aims just cause to calculate the consequences.
The Senator from Vermont (Mr PHELPs) has undertaken
assert in substance that the whole world looked upon US
With abhoence and that upholdng the institution of sa
we have placed ourselves beyond the pale Of civilization
hen the people OF his State and their representatives
and elsewhere give extraordinary evidences ofuncommon
morality and christianity, may listen with patience to lee
ure from him but do understand that the case
must be permitted say that the who could utter such
harges against whole people only reckless of what
due to the body of which he member, but gives the
ghest evidence that he is utterly ignorant of all the coue
les OF fe and entirely beyond the pale of that civilization
which he speaks. ... ...
hope have satisfied the Senator from Ohio that our com.
lants are not altogether causeess have but little more
DID, There two classes Of who have brought this
government which now stapi-act,, tod