The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-31
SyNOPSIS or Mr.. CLINGMiNS DlSUNlON
SPEECH

The House having resolved itself into the
Committee of the Whole for the purpose oil reier-
ring the Presidents annual message TO the appro-
priate committees Mr. Clingman Of North Caro-
lima obtained the floor
He had great confidence in the judgment, IN
tegrty, and patriotism, of the President anu ne
admitted fully the right of the cltzens OF eaoh
State to settle for themselves questions oil uou'eS
tic policy referred TO in the message ihere was
no difference of opinion between himself ana the
gentleman from Georgia Mr.. Toombs upon ,he
questions which now agitste the country lie oe-
lieyed that collision with the North was lneVi-
table and the sooner il on the better TOT All
parties The South would be sufficiently united 70
successfully repel the aggressions OF the Nor'h,
He had voted against the gag rule, ana h'Oreu
many compromises for the sake OF peace out all 10
no purpose.
The force of the auti-ssvery sentiment Of the
North is not understood at the South. lie had
supposed that TO make California and New Mex
leo free would allay the excitement bat he was
now convinced that this would only he regarded
as a triumph and accelerate the general move
ment against us. To prohibit slavery in all the
Territories of the United States to abolish 1t in
the District of Columbia in forts aud arsenals
or wherever we have jurisdiction, and to abolish
the coastiDg slave trade, and that carried on be-
tween the States, is the object OF the North.
This need not argue is at with the Con-
siitution. He MIR G. was opposed to the idea
that the people of Caiforni aud New Mexico
should give laws to their conquerors. lt was
preposterous. That people would doubtless be
glad to exclude not only slaveholders but all
other Americans if allowed TO do so by simple
vote. The anti-savery agitation had prevented
Southern men from taking their slaves into that
Territory but for that our slaves would have
been taken there in great numbers to work the
mines
This anti-savery agitation operates seriously
upon us by way of heavy losses in our proper
ty. Great numbers of slaves are daily escaping
to the North, and, though pursued, they are sell
dom captured, by reason Of the conniyance OF
the free negroes and abolitionists.
"Tbe extent of the loss to the South may be I'M
derstood from the fact that the number of runa-
way slaves now in the North is stated as being
thirty thousand worth, at present prices, little
short Of fifteen millions of dollars. Suppose that
amount Of property taken away from the
North by the Southern States acting against the
Constitution what complaint would there not be
what memorials, remonstrances, and legislative
resolutions would come down upon US! How
would this Hall be filled with lobby members
coming here to press their claims upon Con
gress Why, sir, many of the border counties in
the slaveholding States have been obliged to give
= up :lseir-slaves ALMOST entirely.
: that a few counties named in MARYLAND. had By
the Efforts OF the abolitionsts within Six months
upon computation, lost one hundred thousand dol
lars worth of slaves A gentleman of the highest
standing, from Delaware, assured me the other
day. that that little State lost each year at least
that value of such property in the same way. \
hundred thousand dollars is heavy tax to bC
levied on single congressional district by the
abolitionistsn
sla has vila NJ off nd e
North. The slave trade has benefited the North
As well as the South waste lands at the South
have been improved, and the prices of our staple
= articles have been brought down from very high
rates to the present low rate. The negroes can nc
more exist in state of freedom out of the tropica
, regions than the horse They have never any
= where when left to themselves, attained to a re
spectablsstate of barbarism IL you except the
, foreign population of the North it will be found
that the white population of all the slaveholdine
States has increased much faster than the FIRE,
Suites.
{ We are in advance of the North in wealth ever
if we do not count our slaves property. The
slave States are much richer than the free States
: in proportion to their population We have also
vastly less pauperism and crime in the slave States
than In the free States Looking therefore, at al
these different elements viz: greater increase Of
population, more wealth, and less poverty anc
porous and happy. No higher state ofciviizatior
erias than in the slavehodng States. Much il
said of our slave population but. sir, il will com
pare with any Of the white laborDg population o
the North.
Said Mr. c., not only will California, Oregon
New Mexico, Deseret, and Minnesota, come il
soon as free States but are to be hemmed in az
0verpowered in both branches OF the Nltiona
Legislature , no that, ere long, the abolition o
slavery ia the States, either by change in tn
Constitution or otherwise will be strongly urge
and effected The North ever openly avows tina
slavery shall be kept within its present limits, 81
that we shall soon become like ireland, or, by tn
increase of the negro population and the decreas
of the whites, like St Domingo
There are those now living who would probabl
see this state of things, hut it would be certain &
Overtake our children or grandchildren Thes
facts are staring us in the face as distinctly tn
sun in the heavens at MONDAY Northern mel
not only admit it, but constantly. in their pub
speeches avow it TO be their purpose to produc
this very state Of things. If we express alarm "A
the prospect. they seek to amuse us with eu0gie
on the blessings Of the Federal Union, and ask u
TO be still for a time They do well, for il is tru
that communities have usually been destroyed by
moy ements which, in the beginning, inflicted M
immediate injury and which were therefore &C
quesced in till they had progressed too far to b
the conduct of brute animals, that do not struggle
against evils until they begin to feel pain. The,
are doubtless, too, encouraged to hope for ou
submission on account Of our acqui scence unde
their former wrongs They know that the evil
already inflicted on US to which have referred
greatly exceed in amount any irjary that Grea
Britain attempted when she drove the colonies int
resistance Besides sir, their aggrcssons have in
fniely less show Of constitutional right or color o
natural justice. But what they now propose il
too palpable even for our Southern generosity. Ii
after having been free for seventy years, tbs
Southern States were to consent to be thus de
graded and enslaved, instead of the pity, they
would meet the scorn and contempt of the uni
verse The msa of this generation who would b
responsible, ought to be whipped through the
fields by their own negroes. thank God tina
there is no one in my district that ! think 81
mesny of ny to believe that he would not readily
come into whatever movement might be necessary
for the protection Of our rights and liberty. tel
Northern gentlemen, who are in hopes that thu
South will be divided, that we shall not have bal
as many traitors to hang as we did Tories in thu
Resolution
Mr. G.. proceeded next to show that our revenu,
system worked disadvantageously to the South
that the revenue system was burdensome to al
the Southern States, while the North rcaped th'
benefit. lie also calculated the cost of dissolu
ton and argued that il would be advantageous Il
the slave States in n commercial moral, social
and especially in political point of view. Bal
timore Charleston Mobile, New Orleans, an'
all the commercial cities of the slave States woulC
abstract large portion of the trade of New York
Boston, and the commercial cities of the fire.
States The South would grow up in wealth
while the North would retrograde. The South
he said were willing for fair settlement of thi