The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-03-23
SPEECH OF
HON. WILLIAM II. BISSELL,
or Illinois,
In the House Of Representatives.


Standing Committees, Mr. Bissell said;
Mr. Chairman Our discussions in this Commit
zee nave already produced a profound and painful
sensation throughout the Union. The public minc
i has become agitated and anxious and i,nnrocso,
with apprehensions of impending calamity Tbi,
state OF things sir, ought not 10 continue or AZ
any rate that uncertainty which makes the f,tur,
more terrible, than would perhaps the realization
oi our worst fears, ought to be removed If tbi.
Government OF ours is really SO near its end n.
Behtiehen here declare it 10 be or if its lonye,
continuance depends upon contingencies SO mn
CERTAIN II were well that We knew il now-tba,
we might make timely preparation. If, on the
other hand the apprehensions have spoken Of
are groundless, the people ought in mercy TO b,
undeceived. They ought to be undeceiyed n,
once SIR, IN order that they may have that reposc
ana conscious security to which they are entitled
under government created and sustained bv
their own hands.
Reluctant as am to add t. the public anxiety
yet do not feel ut liberty to Withhold the OK.
preston OF my own opinion upon the absorbing
Ipe o, 'his discussion and of the day And |
y" not hesitate to declare, rs my settled convic.
uoil, That, unless representatives who have os.
sumcd to speak for the slaveholdinp states have
greatly mistaken the purposes and intentions of
the people Of those states war and blooI.bol
consequent upon an attempt to overthrow the
Government, are inevitable This declaration |
neslre should go forth 10 the country; and with
W ~ 'Hc reason upon which my opinion is based.
i"esc reasons are found in the extracts which [
TiHii quote, hrst from the speech Of the honora-
T5e gentleman from Mississippi, LMr Brown. |
Here are the extracts
whist You have been heaping outrage upon
outrage, adding insslt to insult our people have
Ih 0eeh calmly calculating the value of the Union
ihe question has been considered in all its bear
ihgs, and our minds are made upn
We owe 1t To you, to ourselves, 10 orr com.
mon country, to the friends Of freedom throurb
out the world to warn You that we intend to sub
NIT no longer"
:. Long years Of outrage upon our feelings and
u'>frsafu oi our rights have awakened in every
southern heart feeling Of stern resistance. Think
what YOU will, say what YOU will perpetrate
again and again if YOU will these acts of iawless
! tyranny; the day and tie hour is at hand when
every southern son VIII rise in rebellion. when
every tongue will say give us justice, or give Us
death"
GO home AMI tell your people the issue i,
made up they must now choose between non.in.
tcrlereace vlth southern rights on the one side
AMI dissolution Of the Union on the o,horo
-, ~ you imcy that our devotion to the Union
VIII Keep us in the Union, You are mistaken
our love for the Union ceases with tine i,I.t.. of
The Union We cannot love oppression nor Lu,,
tyranny 20 our bosoms"
tell yon caniiily, we have calculated the
toit Yoaf;' oppression iustidcs iae today in dis.
cl,yiqaS, lbe yRue q the Uni"" aH. laosg ir-eir
""' le''r'rS'lN' Your press, Your people, and
your pulpit, may donounce this - ire. son. be it .
50. You may sing hoAunls to the tnion--it is /
we'll British lords called it treason in our faith .
ers when they resisted British tyrlnny. British
orators were eloquent in their eulogilms on the |
British crown Our fathers felt the oppression.
they saw the hand that aimed the blow, and re-
solved to resist The result is before the world |.
We Will resist, and trust TO God AMI our own
stout hearts for the consequences
The South afraid of dissolying the Union
why should we fear What is there to alarm us
or awaken our apprehensionsi Are we not able
u maintain ourselves Shall eight millions of
feeman, with more than one hundred millions of
annual exports, fear to take their position among
the nations OF the earth' With our cotton. su- |
gar, rice, aud tobacco, products Of southern soil
yielding US annually more than a hundred mil !
lions Of dollars need we fear the frowns of the
worldE
Have we any reason TO fear dissolution of
the union' Look at the question dispas,ionately, |.
aud answer to yourselves the important inquiry |
Can anything be expected from the fears Of the !
southern people! Do not deceive yourselves
look at things as they really are. For mvself, /
can say with clear conscience, we do not fear |
1t; we are not appalled, at the prospect before lis
we deprecate dls-union, but we do not fear il,
we know our position too well for that"
Have We anything to fear from YOU in the |
event Of dissolutioni 4 little gasconadc and
sometimes threat or two"
:" As to their being any conflict of arms grow.
my out OF dissolution, have not thought il at
probable. You complain of YOUR association
with slaves in tho Union. We propose to take .
them out of the Union-to dissolve the unpleas.
ant ASSOCIATION Will YOU seek battle field TO
renew, amid blood and carnage, this loathsome
association! take it for granted that YOU will .
MOI But if you should, we point you to the re. ,
cord OF the past, and warn YOU by it blood stained
pages that we shall be ready to meet you'
These extracts from the speech of the gentle. .
man from Mississippi Mr.. Brown are sufficient
Tor our present purpose.
The gentleman from y, Carolina, Mr. Cling |
man tells us wtm is the ricic presented in pros.
p'c 10 many Of the highest intsllects of the
South, and 1t il subs,aniau this that aa "A
separate coniederacy the slaveholding states
might cNpcnd rs much as the United States
- ''' ~ WV N'iS VI lN'1NN uI w tit utIIlUNlH
ot Gen Jacksons administration, and still have
on hand twenty-five millions Of dollars to devote
to the making of railroads, opening harbors and
rivers, aud for other domestic purposes" The
same gentleman has thus disposed in advance of
some dWe matters pertaining to the interior reg
ulatlons of the southern confcdcrncy' to be
The northern tier Of counties in Kentucky" SAYS
he would perhaps be obliged to remove their
slaves to the South. But there would he To her
advantages in the change similar to uiosc of
Maryland. Kentucky supplies the South with
live stock to n great extent, but she has to en-.
counter the opposition of Ohio and other north.
western states, II the production Of these states
Wcrs subject 10 a d,ty, she might for a while have
a monopoly in the trade" l doubt not, sir that
u will astonish tho people of the great West and
Northwest 10 find that the fathers of the "south.
ern cogtrhrdcy" have disposed of the navigation
of the Mississippi with such CELEBRITY as much as
II will the people Of Kentucky to learn that their
slaves are to be removed south-insiead of north !
The same gentleman Mr. Clingman hes divulg.
ed his plan for rsmoving--though not quite so
gently--all those in Kentucky and the other
snvehodng states who hesitate about swearing
allegenco to the southern cOniedcrncy" He
lntimatcs that it will not take is long to hang
them as II did the Tories in the Revolution
Al ~ g