The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-03-23


sentiment uttered by any Southern man bear
ing at all against the North; every thing that
is calculated TO exasperate, to ALLEVIATE; and
there are many such things, as every body
will admit from the South or some portion oil
il, which are spread abroad among the read
ing people; and they do exasperate, and a
lienate, and produce a most mischievous eff
feet upon the public mind at the North.
Sir, l would not notice things of this sort
appearing in obscure quarters; but one thing
has occurred in this debate which struck me
very forcibly. An honorable member from
Louisiana addressed US the other day on this
subject. suppose there is not more ami
able and worthy gentleman in this chamber
"a gentleman who would be more slow to
give offence 10 any body, and he did not mean
| in his remarks TO give offence. But what
did he say? Why, sir, he took pains to run
contrast between the slaves of the South
and thu laboring people of the North, giving
the preference in all points of condition, and
comfort and happiness, to the slaves of the
South The Senator doubtless did not sup
pose that he gave any offence, or did any in
Justice. He was merely expressing his
opinion. But does he know how remarks Of
that sort will be received by the laboring peo-
| pie of the North Why, who are laboring
people of the North? They are the North
They are the people who cultivate their own
farms with their own hands; f-eeholders, ed
ucated men, Independent men. Let me say,
sir that fve-sixths of the whole property of
the North is in the hands of the laborers of
the North; they cultivate their farms, they
educate their children, they provide the means
of independence; if they are not freeholders,
they earn wages, these wages accumulate.
are turned into capital, into new freeholds,
and small capitalists are created. That il the
case. And what can these people think when
so respectable and worthy a gentleman as the
member fIom Louisiana undertakes to prove
that the absolute ignorance and the ablect
slavery of the South is more in conformity
with the high purposes of immortal rational,
human beings, than The educated, the indie
pendent freeholders of the North?
Now, sir so far as any of these grievances
have their foundation in matters of law, they
can he redressed; so far as they have their
foundation in matters of opinion, in sentiment.
in mutual elimination and recrimination, all
that we can do is to endeavor to allay and
cultivate better feeling and more fraternal
sentiments between the South and the North.
Mr.. President | should prefer to have
heard from every member on this floor de-
clarations of opinion that this Union should
never be dissolved than the declaration OF
opinion that in any case, under the pressure
Of any circumstances, such dissolution was
possible. hear with PAIN and anguish. and
distress the word secession-especially when
it falls from the lips OF those who are emf
nenty patriotic. and known to the country
and known all over the world, for their polil-
ical services. Secession! Peaceable seces-
sion! Sir, your eyes and mine are never
destined to see that miracle. The dismem-
berment OF this vast country without convul-
sion! The bursting up ofthe fountainssofthe
great deep without ruffling the surface =
Who is so foolish beg every body's pardon
AS to expect to see any such thing ? Sir,
he who sees these States, now revolving in
harmony around common centre, can eX-
pect to see them quit their places and fly off
without CONFUSION, may look at the next
hour to see the heavenly bodies rush from
their spheres and jOstle against each other in
the realms of space without producing crash
IN the universe. There can be no such thing
as pcaceable secession. Peaceable seces
sinn is an utter impossibllity. Is the great
Constitution under which we live here
covering this whole country-is it to be thaw-
cd and melted away by secession, as the SHOWS
on the mountain melt under the influence of
a vernal sun? disappear almost unobserved
and die off2 No, sir No. sir! / will not
state what might produce the disruption the
States; out, sir, see it as plainly as see the
sun in heaven-I see that disruption must pro-
duce such war as l will not describe in its
twofold consequences.
PeaceabIe secession !-peaceables secession!
The concurrent agreement ofall the members
of this great republic 10 separate! A voun-
, tary separation. with alimony on one side and
on the other. Why, what would be the re-
sult2 Where is the line to be drawn? What
States are to secede2 What is to remain
f Americana What am l to be? Where is
the flag of the republic to remain? Where
is the eagle still to tower? or is he to cover
, and shrink and fall to the ground? Why, sir,
our ancestors-our fathers and our grandiath-
ers, those Of them that are yet living amongst
US with prolonged lives would rebuke and
reproach US; and our children and our grand
children would cry out shame upon US, if we
OF this generation should dlshonor these en-
signs Of the power of the Government and
, the harmony of'the Union which isevery day
felt among US with so much Joy and gratitude
What IS to become Of the army2 What is to
become of the navy? What is to become of
4 the public lands2 How is each of the thirty
States TO defend itself? | know, although
the idea has not been stated distinctly. There
{ is to be Southern confederacy, perhaps.
do not mean, when allude to this statement.
that any one seriously contemplates such a
state oil thlngs DO not mean TO say that II
is true, but | have heard it suggested else
where that the idea has originated from de-
sign to separate. am sorry, sir, that it has
ever been thought of, talked Of or dreamed
OF, in the widest flights of human magma
ton But the idea mnst be of separation
including the slave States upon one side and
the free States on the other. Sir. there is not
i may express myself too strongly perhaps
but some things, some moral things, are al
most as impossible as other natural or physi-
cal things; and hold the idea Of separation