The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-04-26

stand upon the broad constitutional platform OF Nos-IN
TERFEREEcEhe only platform on which the nights, Sc
ouy and independence of the States can be maintained
But, Mr. Chairman | will leave this constitutional
point, and ask the attention OF the committee to other
matters connected with the question under consideration
Ii longer sir be disguised that this slavery aga-
ton has now assumed fearful aspect The danger
with which we are threatened is not OF recent origin
has been gradually and steadily approaching for years
past though has been greatly accelerated by recent po
lIca events The Two antagonist elements which were
combined in constitution have been warning against
each other ever since its formation The lime has
now ,es come aD yhsn le danger mus, Ss met face
high and solemn responsibility Of meeting il It
must not be met by palIlatves. by expedients, or
BY any, system Of political quackery known BY the
expedents OF any kind has passed We tried the Mis-.
sour compromise in 1920, and with what success let the
history o the country from that time to the present.
ed with alarming strides The Missouri compromise
opened the door for its agitation certainly did not tend
TO suppress IT, and Il could have had such effect; for
whenever clear constitutional right is surrendered by
compromise, still further surrender will inevitably
be sooner or later demanded. Such has been the
eiiect, Of the Missouri compromise, and such will
be the effect OF all compromises of constitution
al power am opposed, sir. to all compromises
Of this question. am in favor OF meeting it on
broad constitutional grounds. with the solemn declara
ton Of this House that Congress has not the constlu
tonal power 10 legislae in regard to it, Ii such reso
luton could be adopted it would strike at the root Of
the evil at once; and i would relieve the country
rounded with 50 much danger 10 the peace and sta
blity OF the Union No can be insensible OF this
danger. For my own part, ! believe that the peril
s more imminent than has been al any former period
Of our history Dissolution may not this year
the next but does not require the gift OF prophecy to
oete that i will come, later, il these agges
sions upon the domestic institutions OF the South per-
severed IN alneniable fact that the people OF the
North and OF the South, unmindul that they are children
of the same revolutionary parent begin already 10 look
upon each other as enemies and it is equally deplora
Ia faaf thpgfl helx
which the people of both sections of our common coun-
ny but few years ago entertained for this blessed Union
are gradually dying out, and in short time will be
wholly extnguished Sir, here lies the danger know
that the North full OF strength and OF vgor and NAV
compel her weaker broher Of the South to submission
But the first blow that is struck the first blood that is
she'd will seal The doom Of that peaceful and glorious
Union which our fathers bequeathed TO as Sir, this
Union is not iron bound Union, which the hand OF
power and OF violence may maintain No, sir; the tie
which untes us is slken tie il is the tie Of mutual
love and mutual sympathies OF common memories OF a
glorious past, and OF common hopes Of still gor
GUS future When this tie is broken the American Union
will exist no lenger The written bend OF the coniedera
cy may remain. but its vitality will be gone We will
have the crushed and battered body but the sonevery
thing, indeed which gave life and spirit and value to that
body-will have fled forever.
Let no one be deceived in regard to this danger We
are even now passing through the first process Of dis
solution OF the Union This House has been already old
mat the religious union OF two OF the most numerous de-
oil Christians has been dissolved by this sa-
very agitation. The northern member Of those denom
nations will no longer worship his God at the same
altar with his southern brother and have been also
lod that the spirit OF disunon has entered the sane
tuary OF other churches in the North Sir, not only is our
religious union being dissolved, but the political union
which, for than fifty years, united the democrats OF
the North and of the South into great national demo-
cratic party exists but in Sectional jealousy and
sectional aggression have separated the democrat OF the
North from his political brother OF the South, in the
same manner that sectional fanacsm has estranged the
Christian OF the North from his Christian brother Of the
South Sir the proceedings OF this Congress- since the
rst day on which assembled, prove clearly that an
evil spirit is at work, which will ultimately bring, not
only upon our party, but country ruin and disnnion
Why. ask, were We four weeks endeavong to elect
Speaker OF this House, Our candidate was democrat
regularlyoominaied by democratic caucus, unobec-
and 10 his personal fitness for the Office his political
opponents even conceded it, Why, then, il that,
with clear democratic majority in this House, his eIec
lion did not take place the first vote And why
il that the voting prolonged for twenty days before
we succeeded in the election Simply because our
idaie came from southern State; and northern demo-
crats who boased OF their democracy refused to sup
port him. for that reason and that alone This fact is
significant enough OF the progress which sectional feel
ing had made in northern constituencies. before the
Of the democratic party that northern democrat refused
10 support southern democrat because lived norb
and the other south OF Mason and Dxons line and
hope Z will be the last SIR, we would have wholly
u the wings had not in the simplicity Of their hearts
the rule requiring majority OF the votes
elect, and in lis stead substituted the plurality rule and
that result would have been produced because northern
democrats would not vote for southern democrats.
But was there no sectional feeling manifested by the
South, when the election OF Clerk OF the House took
place The one the democratic candidate, resided in the
North and the other, the whg candidate, resied in the
South. Did the southern democrats adhere to the dem
ocrac canddae9 No, sir; they did worse than the
northern democrats, who refused TO vote for southern
democratic Speaker They not only abandoned the dem
ocratic candidate, but they abandoned the democratic
party joined the wings, and by their votes elected the
wing southern Clerk IN opposition 10 the democratic
northern Clerk Col Forney. our candidate, was the Ia
vone OF the democracy OF the North; he had always
and he had coungeousy stood BY the constitution in de-
fence OF southern rights against northern aggression
But still this sectoRaal feeling overpoweed all other
and he was struck down by the South for
the sake OF the South advert Mr.. Chairman TO these
elections with no unkind feelings MY object IS TO
The forerunnef OF disunion, has been carried even
here in the legislative hall OF the nation. But this
feeling has not merely manifested itsef IN these eec
tons Who sir that loves his country can forget the
terrible scene which was exhibited in this chamber on
the 18th OF December last in which the honorable mem
part had but few days before taken my seat as
Of constituency that had always stood
by the Union, and always will stand BY II, come what
may and II thunderbolt had fallen al my feet could
not have been more shocked than was al what then
saw and heard The honorable member did not hesitate
presence of the living God, that II by your legislation
you seek TO drive from the Territories OF California
and New Mexico, purchased by the common blood and
treasure OF the whole people, and to abolish slavery THIS
Distinct thereby attempting 10 fix national degfada-
ton upon half Of the States Of this confedeacy am
maintenance Of my convictions OF right and duty. will
devote all am and all have on earth 10 its consumma-