The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-06-19
The Compromise Bill.
SPEECH OF GEN. A. C. DODGE OF low.
GU. 8. SENATE-MAY %.

Mr.. DODGE, of Iowa: The senator could not
properly have inclined Michigan, nor did l hear
him pronounce the name of Delaware; but that is
not material l rose, Mr. President, to say, as
we'll to my constituents as to the Senate, that
am one of those senators from free state who
choose not to march under the 0rifamme, or
serve in the army commanded by the gentleman
from New Hampshire. want that to 90 out to
nv constituents, sir; and there are some other
gentlemen upon that side of the chamber, in his
vicinity, (alluding to Mr.. Seward,) who have ad
vanced certain congenial doctrines with those of
the senator from New Hampshire, touching the
institutions ofths government and the great mat
tiers which have divided the people ofthis nation,
which want my constituents, each and all eve
ry man of them, to know that oppose, here and
elsewhere. not only have no sympathy with
these new hedged doctrines the senators al
luded to, but | intend to fight them, here and
every where else, as long as have voice or a
vote.
The time, in my humble judgment, has come
when the representatives and people from the
free states, if they wish to preserve the union of
these states, must take stand, bold and deter
mined stand, against the fell spirit of abolition
ism. Encouraged by it's temporary triumphs
growing out of the annexation of Texas and the
war with Mexico, it now everywhere unmasks
ITSELF and seeks audaciously to control the voices
this Union, and thus the whole Union Now, sir,
1 take my stand against it, and shall vote against
the famous Wilmot Provso; not that it is fairly
to be considered an abolition measure, but be-
cause it is used as mask from behind which abo-
lton seeks to destroy the constitution, and as an
inevitable result, the Union. Nor will be de-
tered, Mr.. President, from the performance ola
high duty which I think | owe my country, by
any denunciations that am the advocate or sup
porter of slavery. No man is more opposed to it,
in the abstract than 1 am bnt, Just as far as it
forms portion of the constitution of my country,
will supportt.
Sir: the Senator speaks of the beauties and glo-
RES Of the ordinance fJ7e7, and wonders how,
at this day of progress and enlightenment, there
should be such determined opposition to its re-
enactment. think can tell him Sir, when
the immortal Jefferson first draughted that ordin-
ance, and the great men of Virginia, like him,
were working to get rid of the evils Of slavery,
there were then no intcrmeddling Abolitionists
to check and stop them from doing what they
believed to be the best for mankind; for had
there been, we can plainly see, from Mr. JEFF
terson' S letter in 1920, upon the subject of the
Missouri controversy, how different his course
would have been; or, in other words, how soon
he would have been driven, as hundreds and
thousands of other philanthropc and ar-seeing
statesmen in the South have been, to take a
stand for state rights and the rights of property.
The carly action of the government and the great
men of the South would have been what it now
is, apprehend, under sense Of wrong. Had
the spirit Of treason, in the shape of the orgna.
"Wilmot,' shown itself in the Congress at that
early, day by way of amendment to war ard
supply bills, for the purpose of striking down
the right arm of the country during the exits
ence of a bloody war; and, if not intended, most
certainly in effect driving from the battle field
those gallant men from the South who were
facing the commons mouth to close in glory that
war; and treason, l say, then show itself with
this measure, intended to cripple and disgrace
our government and to drive our armies in 9lor-
ously from the battle field, think the early &C
ton of the government would have correspond
cd with its recent action
Sir, the Democracy Of Iowa took their stand
against the Wi mot Proviso during that war, and
have triumphantly maintained it to the present
day. She boldly confronted this terrific engine
of demagogues during the late presidential cleo
tlon--meetlng ii at every stage and in every phase
which it has assumed with oppositon whilst the
wing party, who were supporting and cndeavor-
ing to elevate the present President of the United
States to the high place which he now occupies.
were every where singing hosannas and p;rans
OF praise III behalf Of the glories Of this Justly
celebrated proviso. We went for national
democracy and common platform; and this we
knew we could never have unless this firc-brand
was extinguishcd. We declared against any,
thing Of that sort, inclined, as we knew it was,
to divide and ruin the great democratic party,
if not the country, and advocated by men in
many of the States for the purpose Of riding in
to power and place upon a miserable sectional
hobby. And am to be called upon, sir in de-
tiance OF the dying words Of Washington, to
minister to this sectional strife, this local anmos
lty, to vote tor some aboltionist as President of
this great republic, simply because he is one,
and has mounted this tree-sol hobby No. sir
no; | think hazard but little when say that
young and patriotic Iowa will enlist under on
such banner, and do battle in such cause We
are democrats, and believe that the people of the
territories are capable of selEgovernmenr, and
will take care OF themselves, without conditions
or restrictions being fastened on them by Con
gress.
The Senator from New Hampshicr chooses,
MIR. President, to travel off from the amend.
ment under discussion, to denouncc the different
measures before the Senate intended to pacify
the country. He hits the fugitive slave bill, and
every thing else connected with this discussion
Sir, the course of this Senator mr. HALEY and
others, shows me that it is not the Wimot Pro.
viso, or the ordinance, or the good government
of the people of the territories, that troubles
them. 1t is time that the honest hearted people
OF this country should know that this slavery
question has been seized upon by some persons
to ride into high places, by taking the most
ultra ground, and such as must destroy the Union
ifthose persons be sustained. 1t is not oues
ton now, if it ever was of the extension of slave
ry, but is question verging to the worst conse-
quenccs, an alienation of feeling and brotherlv
love between members of the same great nation.
Sir, hope not only to see the Constitution pre-
served, but the government administered under
it in the same spirit in which it was formed, and
that's the real question. But, whilst the Sena-
tor from New Hampshire and others affect to
tight under the popular banner of the ordinance
OF 81, the whole movement is disguised attack
upon the institution ofslavery at every assaila-
Bile point, the States included
Now, MIR. President, repeating what l before
said, that am opposed to slavery in every shape
and form, yet just so far as slavery is a part of
the Constitution of my country, l 20 for it here
and elsewhere. D, More than that, sir, hope that
scout the idea that any man who now owns, or
has ever owned negro, is to be rendered nfa-
nous. This new-fangled doctrine would desc
crate the graves Of the illustrious dead Of our
America, and therefore l could never tolerate it.
AS for this compromise, will vote for it because
l wish to get the subject from before u.s. am