The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-10-03

bOuhult UlON tuue 10 btTuCk 10 ue6tQ 10 All their
hopes that then the United States strong In N
rights and strong in her physical power, would
put justice to the line and judgment to the plum
met and there would be an end Of their golden
dreams.
But we are advised that only settle this one
diffculty-the boundary of Texas-and all will be
quiet notification will become obsolete, and trea-
son and Nashville Conventions will forever cease
to be the order of the day. And who would not
give ten millions and few acres Of barren rock
for lasting peace7 Sir it is not in the nature OF
man to be at peace; he is naturally FESTIVE and
uneasy; and there will even be some cause OF agi-
tation-sometimes the removal Of the Georgia In
dians-sometimes the high taxes on Governor
Hamilton's sugar-sometimes the conquest OF
Texas-sometimes the conquest of Cuba. Slight
causes will produce excitement enough to induce
our people to talk treason and disunion and the
orators and the excitement will not decrease II
you pay premium on treason
The notification compromise produced exactly
that which the nullifers desired. We, in effect,
repealed the tariff to which they objected, and
ruined the manufacturing interests. Had the
Government then taken its stand, and maintained
its own dignity and self-respect, we should have
had no trouble with Texas.
Representatives of the free North, and, in an
especial manner, Representatives of the great
State of New York, the eyes of our constituents
are turned on US nothing doubling that, with
courage and coDstancy, and unwayer;Es Sdelity,
we shall truly represent them in all things, and
in aD especial manner upon the great questions
of human freedom. The unusual length of our
session. the fervor Of our debates, the melancholy
events which have attended US step by step in our
slow progress, have fixed the eyes of the world
upon US. Every action will be scrutinized, and
judgment, stern, severe, but just, will be passed
oh IN an1 . ka apAf tav nta will 10
scend to posterity. 1t is of some Importance to
ourselves, of more to our constituents, and of i'm
measurable consequence to the vast regions
for which we are legslating, that the laws
we pass should be just and wise, marked with
forecast and distinguished by humanity and pa
rental love
Let US one and all remember that it is for the
Territories and their especial good, that we are
making laws-the Territories that, with strong
and bloody hands we have forced into this Union
that policy and humanity demand that we should
| obliterate from the minds Of those we have con-
| quered, the memory Of wrongs done and suffer
ngs endured, and that we should show to the
world that we are magnanimous in peace, as we
are strong in war.
On the result of our deliberations depends in
no small degree the wealth, and power, and hap
pinass ofstssse yas. TarrisNres fer ages to come
1t is beneath the dignity and degrading to the
wisdom and humanity of either North or South
to impose these Territories laws offensive and
injurious to them, because they may be beneficial
90 u.s. We found these Territories free-no
slaves foot pressed their wide-e1tended domain
If slavery is blessing, we should confer that
blessing on them if a curse, our duty is plain
Is not the deleterous Influence Of slavery written
with pencil of light, in almost every page Of our
history Let one of the most accomplished ora
tors of the South, one of her sonndest statesman,
speak Do we not all feel honored that he now
holds O seat in this Hall
awe know that the blessings Of position, and soil
and climate are BY the apathy of our public
counsels and by exclusive reliance upon involuntary
labor Our interests and senses proclaim the progress
decline and experience attest that ss
very il lite principal Do not contemplate Virginia
Justly when regard her meager haggard and enfee
bed with decreptude stealing her limbs given
leanness and npotency and as Wasting under ns
fatal institution which she che'shes and chershes
mother who will hazard her life rather than part
with the offspring that aiicts berf IL
am Judge from the of debate and from the
cessions all hands expressed there is not man In this
body perhaps that represented here who
would have thanked the generations that have be
fore IT, acting public men, they had brought this
bondage close who would not have thanked them, If
acting private men, private motives they had rein
qnshed the property which their mistaken kindness has
dev0lved upon In this investigation there is Difficult
y nothing has been left to speculation or inquiry for
widely gentlemen have differed upon the
the justice OF touching this property they have yet unitee
in testimony to its character. has been frankie
Of this e6afe 6y the most decided of abohfio,
eselpes, ueH by Others, that This property is o'
1 eru y that 1t is a dangerous property"
These are the sentiments of an orator, states
man, philanthropist They were uttered on
| most interesting occasion, in the bosom of hi
| friends, celebrating ON their own Constitution
| in the Capitol Of his own beloved Virginia. lie
| the North listen, withhold her own opinions, lie
4 her adopt those of statesmen Who see, feel, anC
| know the present effeots and future consequence
| Of slavery.
Cannot, will not the South disabuse herself o
| the opinion that the North desires to interfere
with slavery where it exists by law We a
the North are accused of being cold calculating
penny wise, and Of approving or condemning a
we find the balance OF profit or loss. We are GER
tsinly calculating and thrifty people, and W,
live in obedience to the law--and above all othel
laws, we love, honor, and obey our glorious Con
stitution We know We have no power to inter
fere with slavery in the States, and we do not de
sire to furnish the ardent South with an apolog,
for dishonoring that sacred charter.
Were we at the North guided and controlle,
by the cold, calculating and venal motives whic
are ascribed to US; were we sectional-nOt inhu
enced by an enlarged philanthropy which EN-
braced every part of this Union and looked to it
present and future good-you would hear no wor
uttered against the institution of slavery. For
is easy to prove that slavery relatively increase
the political power of the North, and positivel
| dimnishes that of the South.
We have in this Hall about twenty three Rep
resentatives predicated on slaves Emancipat
those slaves to-day-count them, as they must b
| counted, as freemen, and the next Congress woul
show forty Representatives predicated on tn
same black men, and elected by the same whit
men. The abolition of slavery would not increas
IL q. loN Al.
trary. Neither would it advance those immediat
pecuniary interests which it is alleged exercis
| such unbounded control over US.
We at the North and East are mercantile
maritime and manufacturing You at the Soutl
are of necessity agricultural and must always re
main so, so long as African slavery prevails. Yo'
are our best customers. The agricultural inter
est is ever in debt to the mercantile and manuf fac
turing. That is your condition. Your crop o
tobacco, rice and cotton, is due to the North be
fore the seed is planted. Abolish slavery, AM
that debt never would be paid. You would for
| while at least be unable to buy our production
and maritime interest would shrink; and both tn
j North and the South would suffer. In process o
| time you would manufacture for yourselves Ia
| Dor would become honorable; you would becom
your own factors, agents ship-bnilders; you woul'
| divide with us the coasting trade and the fisher,
bountes and you would catch your own fish
seals, and whales. Doyou gentlemen at the Soutl
imagine that the thrifty industrious, pans-takinI
Yankee wishes to see the Southern fishing smacl
on the coast of Labrador, or the sealing vessel OF
the Pacific, or whaling ship fitted from the Della
ware, Chesapeake, or the Mississippi No, no
The whole blue ocean is none too large, all tn
way 70 the north pole, and all the way to thu
| south pole for the sports Of the soaking Of th'
| North He wants no competition there. Th
Yankee wants, and expect to catch all the seals
and skin them all the fish, and dry them and al
the whales, and try them; and he desires mo
nopoly Of ali our coastng trade, which, if it it il
not now, shortly will be- the greatest in the world
| ;sh al IN la nor ;ts ;ty a ~