The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-06-06
3lts,e.
IWl0H 81 CALIFORNIA.
Mr. lillian said

the strongest Anti-slavery districts Ia the Unior
4 feel caifed upon 20 express, as neariy as may b
the viewsand feelings Of my constituents, in rel
erence TO the exciting and painfully -interestin
question Of slavery. | am not vain enough to sur
pose that anything | may say will influence tn
action Of this Committee; yet should heresfte
reproach myself were | to sit here day after day
and week after week, till the close Of the session
listening to the monstrous heresies, and | ar
tempted TO say the impudent buster, Of Southern
gentlemen without confronting them on this foo
with becoming protest in the name Of the peo
pie have the honor to represent Sir, what-i
the language with which these gentlemen hsv
greeted our ears for some months past Tn
gentleman from North Carolina Mr.. CLNeMAN
tells u.s. that lees pauperism and crime abound II
the South than in the North, and that there neve
has existed higher state Of civilization than il
now exhibited by the slaveholding States of thi
Union and 30 in love is he with his "peeel}iar in
sttution,n which thus promotes the growth o
aiviljIstjen BY, tarning taoee 'oO);ons q hupar
beings into ssvsges, and prevents them from be
coming paupers by converting them into bEntes
that he gives out the threat doubtless in behalf
of his Southern friends, that unless they are per
mitted, under national sanction, TO extend theil
accNrsed system over the virgin soil of our Ter
6ff1fies, they will block the wheels of Govern
L
involve this nation in the horrors Of civil war
Nay he goes farther, and anticipating the tri
umph of Northern arms, and comparing the van.
pushed "chivalIyo to the Spartans at Their
mopyls, he kindly furnishes the future historian
with the epitaph which is to tell posterity the sad
story of slaveholding valor: Z" Here iued and died
as noble race as the sun eper sho~ upon," fighting
fhe should have added for the extension and per-
petuation of human bondage!
The gentleman from Mississippi MIR Brown
manifests an equal devotion to the controlling in
terest of the South He declares that he ere.
CARDS slavery as great moral social, POLITICAL and
religious blessing-a blessing to the slave and q
blessing to the master" The celebrated John
Wesley was so "fanaticsln as to declare that
+" slavery is the sum Of all villanies" Had he
lived in this enlightened age and Christian land
he would have learned that on the contrary, II il
the sum Of all blessings. He would have been
told that even the Bible sanctions il as Divine
institution. Southern gentlemen remind US that
it EXISTED in the tents of the Patriarchs and in
the households of His own chosen people !" that
ait was established by decree Of Almighty God, y
and ais sanctioned in the Bible-in both Tesla
Genesis to Revelation" and 80 sa-
credly is it to be cherished that we in the North
are not allowed TO give utterance to our deepest
moral convictions respecting it. My friend from
S%s sa. we'll think 10
but keep yoar thoughts TO yowsslpesn Thus in the
imperative mood and Characteristic style of slave.
driver are we to be silenced. In this freest ma
ton on earth,n our thoughts must be suppressed
by this slaveholding inquisition. We must,
suppose, make bonfire of the writings of Whit.
tier, and expurgate our best literature. Indeed
to be consistent and in order to eradicate every
trace of "fanatcismn from the minds of the people
we must blot out the history of the American
Revolution, and "keep our liberty secret" lest
we should give offence to the immaculate institu.
ton of the South. OF other institutions OF 30
ciety we may speak with the utmost freedom
We may talk of Northern labor and Northern
pauperism We may advocate with tongue and
pen the most radical schemes of reform and thus
assail every existing form of civilization We may
discourse freely Of things even the most sacred,
as the Supreme Being, His attributes and proyi.
dence-yes, in this boosted land of free speech,
we may deny his existence, or blaspheme his
name by invoking his sanction Of the most
Heaven -daring crimes but Anlerican slavery is
an institution 30 precious, 80 benefcent, 30 exalt-
ed among the ordinances Of God, 80 sanctioned
and sanciifed by the legislation of two hundred
years. that Northern men are not permitted to
breathe an honest whisper against it. We must
hold our tongues and seal our lips before the
majesty of this Southern Moloch, lest he should
lose some of the victims which otherwise his
worshippers might sacrifice upon his blood
stained altar Oh the devouriug loneliness the
enrapturing beauties, the unspeakable bedtundes
of the apatriarchal institution And what
blessed thing 1t must be to live in the pure atmos
phere and under the clear sky of the South,
feasting upon philosophy and reason, far removed
from the folly and I" Janaticism" Of the North
And the gentleman from Mississippi, like his
friend from North Carolina is In favor of extend
ing the blessings of slavery at all hazards. The
South mill not submit to be girdled round by free
soil ; and if we dare to thwart her purpose, we are
reminded of the struggle Of our fathers against
British tyranny Southern gentlemen point US
10 the battle fields of our Revolution and bid as
beware. A Northern man, especially II disposed
TO be Il fanatical,n would suppose that our South
ern brethren would avoid such illusions. Our
fathers it is true resisted the aggreseions OF the
mother country cat oil hazards, and to the last
extremity y but their resistance was not IN be-
half of slavery, but freedom. Mr.. Madison de-
clared, in 1883, that cit was the boast and prit
of America that the rights for which she contend
ed we're the rights Of human nature" ANA Mr.
Jefferson said, that /" one hour" Of this American
slavery. which has been 30 recently TRANSPORTED
into ali blessedncss, +" is fraught with more misery
than ages Of that which we rose in rebellion 70
oppose In speaking of an apprehended struggle
Of the blacks to rid themselves OF their bondage
he affirmed that I" the Almighty has no attribute
which can take sides with us in such contest
Yet Southern gentlemen appeal to our kevoiu
tiouary history as a warning to us, and justin
cation of war on their part, not for the es'
tablishment but for the mbperNon OF heer'y
and the destruction Of the rights Of human ma
ture.D by the indefinite extension over free land'
of that system Of bondage which the very soul o.
Jefferson abhorred All this to Northern mel
seems strange As Ia specimen Of Southern PHI
losophy it may be very credtable to Politician
from that quarter, and 1t may appeal powerIu'i,
TO their patriotism, but we cannot comprehend II
Nothing short Of the serene understanding ane
upcloudsd vision of a Shareholder can penefrat
into the marrow of such arguments In defence
the South.
The gentleman from Virginia Mr.. MORTON
makes war upon the ballot-box. lie says II In
become sectional - and distinguished gentle
man in the other end Of the Capitol after chargin
1t with being the parent Of the snti-slavery sgita
ton and It's spprchended disasters TO the country
pronounces IL q worse than Psndora's box" W
IN the North have been taught that consaitu
uonsl majority should rule. We believe TIL
principle lies at the foundation Of our free syster
OF Government. We have been no "fanaticai
as 70 regard the ballot-box as the palladium
our liberty. But our slaveholding brethren hav
discovered that this supposed safeguard Of free
eom 10 In fact an engine of mischief II is tn
Srosoed INSTRUMENT by which this Union Is to b
broken Into fragments How we should g
along IN Democratic Government without 1t,
am not able TO explain and regret that South
ern gentlemen, whose minds are free from an
sfanstical" influence, have not seen At to en-
tighten Us on that subject.
The gentleman from Georgia lMr. WELLBoRs
assAils the dogma that " men are created equal
he styles IL a mystical postulate, p although gu
fathers regarded II as self-svidsnt truth. Tbsy