Worcester daily spy., 1850-10-07

sFet teTIlorleS might De acquired by the arms or by
the wealth Of this Union. They looked upon the
acquisitions that had been made from Mexico They
looked forward prospectively to acquisitions to be
made hereafter IN the sunny South, the continent
and among the islands ofthe ocean, and they required
that wherever the arms of the United States should
60, or the power of the United States extend there
also should be found market for the human beings
whom they reared for seryitude, and of whom they
were accustomed to make merchandise They de-
manded that nasmuch as freemen could 20 TO
the territories, to California, to New Mexico, and
wherever the authority of the government extended,
and dispose Of their horses and cattle, they too
should be allowed to CO. to dispose of their stock, of
their wealth In human beings, whose prices were as
well ascertained and known in the market, as the
prices of horses and cattle in the North. And, from
this antagoniste force from the opposition Of slavery
to freedom, sprung all the difficulties attending the
acquisition of the territories to the United States
The STAKEHOLDER threatened that he would dissolve
the Union, that he would disregard your laws and
your government, and oyerturn the institutions
which had been formed by your fathers, if you de-
MED him the privilege Of going with his slaves into
any of the territories of the United States Asa
matter of compromise, measure of condescen-
SION on his part, he would consent to divide with
you, the territory which had thus been acquired He
would consent to give to freedom portion, retain
ing to slavery, another portion, and that the lions
share. He would give you the mountains and the
/
where freemen might toll if they pleased. But he
demanded for himself the SUMMER cline, the more
fruitful soil, the land Of easy culture where he might
go with his slaves and live in luxurious repose upon
the fruits of their abors. But he demanded, as
right, the liberty of going wherever he pleased, and
with as many slaves as he pleased, all the terrific
ries acquired or owned by the United States
| Now my friends, in this state of high feeling in
every part of the Union, it was apparent that
something must be done for the protection of the
territories, for the preservation OF order for the good
of our common country. Under these circumstances
| the councils of the nation were assembled at
Washington. 1t was their business to aay, if DOS
slbe, the angry feelings that existed and to enact
laws which should promote, not the present merely,
but the permanent welfare of the country.
| They saw on the one hand Freedom that Freedom
which their fathers priced, contendng for territory
that had been Freedoms for long series of years
demanding that its soil, free now, should not be pol
luted by the foot of slave. TWAS maintained that
this demand on the part of freemen was in perfect
consistency with the institutions under which we
llve-n conformity with the character of the Consti-
tuition under which the nation had long prospered
Your rulers must have seen that the spirit which
demanded freedom in the territories, Mas i4s 9s
in the days of the revolution They must have seen
too, that the sentiment which prevailed throughout
the free states, and with the vast majority Of the
country was not confined to this Union, broad as it
, 49, ney saw lHdL IL WAS u SeHlHIeIl WHICH DdQ
spread itself throughout the civilized world, which
had gone beyond civilization itself, and had inspired
the counsels of some, whom we call barbarans, and
induced them to proclaim freedom to the captive
They saw that this sentiment the sentiment Of
the world, the civilized world, OF the intelligent
world already, and was fast becoming the sentiment
and principle of man. [Cheers.
They could not but see, for the footprints were
visible on every part of this globe, that Liberty
advancing with majestic strides-advancing to her f.
nal conquest over the world ITSELF Prolonged ap--
| plause.
And now, my fiiends what should wise men do,
who meet together and constitute the councils of the
nation, under circumstances like these Not what
should office seekers do? Not what should demagogues
do? Not what should mere politicians do' But
what should statesmen do? How should they leg.
islate! Should they not legislate for the present
and the future, rather than for the past
Should they not Iegslate in accordance with, instead
of legislating in opposition to- the spirit OF the times,
and the spirit Of the age' Could they hope to
pour oil upon the troubled waters to produce peace
where there was contention, and order where confu-
sion reigned, by disregarding the spirit Of the age
and the opinions CT mankind, contemning opinions
which were in harmony with the principles of JUS
tice, with the throbbings of the human heart and
with the religion 10 which that heart bowed in hom
age
Gould they hope by retrograde movement, by car
rying back legislation and conforming it to the leg
islation Of darker perod-could they hope thus
to procure peace thus TO send the nation forward on
its proud career Judge ye You do not profess to
be statesmen of assume to ourselves so lofty
, a title. But am sure, as men of sense, you can
Judge what statesmen ought to do in such crcum-
stances, and appeal to you, to say what course Of
legislation sound philosophy, not less than sense
ofduty, would dictate, the right course to be pur-
sued.
But your wise men came to a conclusion, to which
neither philosophy nor justice carried them. lney
chose to legislate in conformity with the humors,
the interests and the Wishes of the 25O,Ooo slave
holders who are supposed to control the votes OF
some fifteen states. They dsregarded all consider
atons it seems me, but the consideration OF per-
sonal and immediate advantage. They looked for
ward to the FUTURE only to calculate the chances OF
the election of this man Of that man, and dlsre-
parding those considerations which should have been
before their minds, shining upon them day by day
like the light Of the sun, disregarding all those con-
alterations, they shaped their measures to suit the
few and not the many, suit the past and not the
present or the future, to suit the oppressor and not
the friends of man. (s'Shame shame ''] Foolish
men Tor however they may have been the idols Of
the people or however they may have heen extolled
for talent, or learning, knowledge, venture 10
call them, in reference TO this scheme ofthers foolish
and inconsiderate men.
What did they seek to do? Instead Of taking the
course which was plain and straight before them, in
stead Of hooking forward and going forward with the
age tse instead Of percciving the footsteps Of Liberty
and following her in her onward progress, what did
they do They, in their arrogance, not only com
maaded the of liberty to stand still on Gibeop, but
Il -