The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-11-30

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hand note from the committee Of arrangements of THU
meeting which received Yesterday, inviting " Il
nesl them punctually al O'Clock al faneni Hail. and L
nske short address, hays interpreted this 10 NEAR
that il II would exceed fifteen minutes You would lis
en 70 me; and will endeayor not TO exceed the t"e
. Ia rising dIess you upon this important occasion,
feel oppressed by Of The responsibility nave as
uned sad must row yss ennie slpn aod
and Blindness Tier the poiopnd spn'eo anu eioqush,
addresses To- WHICH you have LISTENED rom .ne ealned
and talented gentlemen who basepeeeaen me, y would
be ptesumpuous on my part 10 enter upon constlu.
tional argument or 10 attempt than glance al the
interesting subjects which have been discussed. am
hui have noi come here 10 day as democrat or whg
or as belonging any party organization whatever but
as an American citizen, % take part and act IN concert
with good and OF any and every party TO sustain
me Union. the constitution and the laws rejoice 10
See before such large number OF my fellow czeus
have come forward and filled this vast hall to overflow.
ing II cannot be any ordinary which has pro.
duced such gathering This. 1t reminds OF days
with Great Britain, and the ships 81 the enemy almost
within our harbor, the people accustomed 10
up here 2 lake counsel together for The safety and well
fare oil the republic The country, thank God is not
attacked by any foreign foe We al peace with all
the world, so far our foreign relations concerned
very midst that has destroyed the peace and happiness Of
more nations than foreign pestlence, Or famine and
that is the spirit OF dsunon and INSTRUMENTATION to the
The country is prosperous beyond all former prece-
dent; labor is well paid The people are employed our
commerce is upon every sea we have passed the Rocky
OF the Pacific All Europe is looking upon our progress
and growth, institutions and laws with admiration
and envy and yet, strange say there persons
amongst us-and reg 10 add, American citizens, too
who 10 place value upon all these blessings and
who doing all they can e destroy our glorious Union.
10 which we isdsbted Tor all these privileges.
They would enter the temple OF liberty raised by the
hands OF our ioeiahers. after many year, OF labor
ana sacrifice, throw down the pillars which support it,
and cali nc Z. 4 i
And why, permit me 10 ask, must the constitutions the
charter OF our beres-the work OF Washington, Frank
lin, Adams, Jefferson, and the other uslrous states
men and sages who iomed t-be destroyed The
is, BECAUSE according to them, it contains article OPP
posed to what = called, n me Inc cant q the day. Inc
10 his master and owner OF fugitive slave We have
been living under this article OF the constitution, and
der the law Of 1898 made to enforce it, and signed by
Washington, fly -ssven years. and until very recently
have heard OF complaint against IL; but now, all
once the cry is raised by persons that il is
sutiona and must be resisted unto blood, aud
the dissolution OF the Union. Where, let inquire,
have these fanatics with such tender conscences
living during all this long period Have they like Rip
Van Winke, been asleep the Kalski mountains, not
twenty but yseven years and have they Just awoke
the eve OF the recent eeconsl have remarked
former occasions that the quams OF their con sciences
have been perodca-as Kean, the actor said The
taste for Shakespeare Boston-and that they
always most distressing short time previous to the
But have they read the fugitive slave bill of the last
session. and compared il with that OF 1893 II they will
w,
with the addition oil certain needu amendments than
new one II not passed hastily, some have as
serted but discussed in the Senate during foar long
summer days, from the l9lh TO the 23d OF August
ton by section, and received the OF OF the
greatest and best in the nation The yeas and nays
were many times called for and The latter seldom ex.
ceeded eleven whilst the former double treble
that number The opposition TO in the Senate, far
as.one Judge BY report Of the speeches. q do not
say il invidiously was feeble and inefficient The i'm
preston left upon the mind Of the reader that the gen
uemep who spoke against il were acting under re-
sran perhaps imposed by the legislatures Of the States
ate" to use the words Of Mr. Clay, was hardy enough
to maintain that fugitive slave ought not to be returned
to his owner and lawful master"
Should any be Of opinion that parts of the fugitive
bill Of 1850 more stringent than that Of 1893 he
should remember lis enactment would have been called
for had the old law been enforced in accordance with its
true spirit, and as Washington, who signed it, intended
IT should be. Do you, can you believe Tor moment that
il would have been sustained by MIR. Clay Gen. Cass,
Mr. Fooie, and by the other distinguished statesmen
in The Senate who advocated il, had they believed il un
constitutional unjust' VINO does not kaow that the
law OF 1893 has been pronounced constitutional by Chief
Justice fancy, by Mr. Justice Story, and by many other
profound jursts who might be named And as respects
the ball OF 1850, Mr. Webster who long since pro
claimed the defender OF the constitution" and has now
acquired, and justly too, the honorable title OF cham
plon OF the Unon," has not only declared 10 be
siutonal. but has also said that whose opinen
was worth regarding has pronounced otherwise" The
opinion has been gwen by the distinguished
sellor, Mr. Curtis, TO whom we have all had the pleasure
OF listening to-day anu who, every citizen OF Boston
He must be bold man who would venture to oppose his
individual opinion to such authority this But then
The objection is made that, il the fugveslave bill be
constitutional, II Is, after ALL opposed TO what's called the
"higher.law" This phrase .'hgber law, perverted as
il has been by fanatics, is fast becoming byword Its
real meaning notification, repudlaton aboonism
and we all know what these words But may not
a law be too high
remember TO have seen IN conspicuous place ID
Florence. in Italy, elevated column surmounted by
figure of Justice with the scales and also remember
that citizen OF Florence passing by il, and seeing
foreigner gazing al IT, ~ said to have remarked 10 him that
Justice high Florence that could reach
az The same charge, strongly suspect, may be made
against the highsr iaU" OF the nuers and abolition.
sls II above justcefo II refuses return the prop.
perry OF brethren OF the South when found within
precincts. Well what then, fellow citizens, is %
be done 10 this crisis OF public aiirsl Does any
believe that the Souih will continue 10 remain in the
Union unless the fugitive bill be carried into effect accord
ing TO its true SPIRIT Can we expect Or should
respect brethren in the South they remain
different spectators OF the violation OF the law II must
then be carried into eectpesceably il we can-forcibly
IL we must the Union will be dissolved and the nation
will be plunged into all the horrors Of anarchy and
probably OF civil war Can IL be that we have those
amongst US, and American citizens too, who would
raise their parrcidal hands against the blessed Union
the work oil our foreahes, and the foundation OF that
noble structure erected upon 1.-THE United States oil
Amencaf II rs difficult to realize IL, or at any rate
that they be found in Mas sachusets, The Stat,
in l773 But II II be otherwise, and the spirit OF dis.
union and fanallcism cannot be exinguisbed in any
other way, all remember VIII II done in 1889 ~
that hero, patriot, and statesman, President Jackson do.
ring crisis in some respects resembling the present,
and how noby The country supported him, both wings