The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-06-27
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CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGER

the heather. There are fanatics in superstition.
But there can be no fanatics however warm their
zeal, in true religion, even although you sell your
goods, and bestow your money on the poor, and
20 aud follow your Master There may be, and |
every hour shows around me, fanatics in the cause
Of false liberty-that Infamous liberty which JUS
titles hum IN bondage; that liberty whose corner |
stone is slavery But there can be no fanati- |
cism, however high the enthusiasm, in the cause
Of rational universal Liberty-the liberty of the
Declaration Of independence
This is the same censure which the Egyptian
tyrant cast upon those old abolitionsts, Moses
and Aaron, when they "agitatedn for freedom,
and, in obedience to the command Of God, babe
him let the people CO.
But we are told by these pretended advocates
of Liberty in both branches Of Congress- that
those who preach Freedom here and elsewhere
are the slaves worst enemies; that it makes the
stakeholder increase their burdens, and tighten
their chains that more cruel laws are enacted
since this agitation began in 1885 Sir, ! am not
satisfied that this is the fact ! will send to the
Clerk, and ask him to read a law of Virginia,
began It is to be found in the 9th volume of
Hcniug's Gtutes at Large Of Virginia, pub
ished in 1919, pursuant to an 0et of fhe General
assembly Of Iugmia, PGSsed on The 5h dag Of
February, lSOs"
v. III
tOrioaSly gully Of going aJrO0d in the night, or
running dway and laying out and cannot Be reclaimed
from such disoyderiy courses By common methods of
punishment, Il shall be lamjd JT The County Court,
upon complaint and proof thereof 10 them made By the
Of such SlaUe 10 Order and direct such ytiish
msm By DIsMEMBERING, or any Other nay, NOT touch
Jag life, as The Court shall TANK ~. Aad J such
sldOs shall DE By means Of such REMEMBERING, no
forfeiture or punishment shaltbsfhs,eby incurred"
have had that law read, to see if any gentle
man can turn me to any more cruel laws passed
since the agitation did not read it myself,
though found on the pages of Old Virginia's law
books, lest it should make the modest gentleman
from Virginia Mr. MmLsoNl and the gentle
man from North Carolina Mr.. STANLY and his
gray-headed negro, blush
Mr.. BAYLY of Virginia. That law is repealed,
or not now in force
Mr.. STEVENS. Then am glad that the agita-
ton has produced some amelioration Of your laws,
although ] still tnd it on your statute books
But suppose it were true that the masters had
becasn E"l1-'' FAvgrRc $H-}f Jscf h-@B So With ty
rants in every age7 The nearer the oppressed Is
to freedom, and the more hopeful his struggles,
the tighter the master riyets his chains Moses
and Aaron urged the emancipation of the en-
shaved Jews Their mater hardened his heart
Those fanatical abolidonsts guided by Heaven,
agitated anew. Pharaoh increased the burden
Of the slaves. He required the same quantity
Of brick from them without straw, as when the
straw had been found them. They were seen
dispersed and wandering to gather stubble TO
make out their task They failed, and were
beaten with stripes Moses was their worst enc
my, according to these philanthropic gentlemen.
Did the Lord think So and command him to de-
sist, lest he should injure them? No; he directed
him to agitate again, and demand the abolition
of slavery from the King himself That great
STAKEHOLDER still hardened his heart, and refused
The Lord visited him with successive plaques
lice frogs, lCcusts thick darkness--until rs the
agitation grew higher, aud the chains were tighter
drawn he smote the frst-bnrn Of every house in
Egypt; nor did the stakeholder relax the grasp
on his victims, until there was wailing through
out the whole land, over one dead in every fam
lily, from the King that sat OF the throne to the
captive in the dungeon. So | fear it will be in
this land of wicked slavery. You have already
among you what is equivalent to the lice and the
lOcusts, that wther up every green thing where
the foot Of slavery treads. Beware Of the final
plague. And you, in the midst Of slavery, who
are willing to do justice TO the people, take care
that your works testify to the purity Of your in
tentions even at some cost Take care that your
door-posts are sprinkled with the blood of sacr-
fee, that when the destroying angel goes forth, as
90 forth he will, he may pass you by.
will never consent 10 the admission of another
slave State into the Union unless bound to do 30
by some constitutional compact, and | know Of
none such,) on account Of the injustice Of slave
representation. By the Constitution, not only the
States now in the Union, but all that may here
after be admitted are entitled to have their slaves
represented in Congress- five slaves being counted
equal TO three white freemeD. This is unjust to
the free States, unless you allow them repre-
,s,t 10 81. oynH
property. There are twenty five gentlemen on
this floor who are virtually the representatives Of
slaves alone, having not one free constituent
This is an outrage on every representative prin-
ciple, which supposes that representatives have
constituents, whose will they are bound to obey,
and whose interest they protect.
The slave representation should not be in
creased, for it already possesses power danger
ous to the Constitution In the Senate, slavery
has the power to reject all nominations to office
who are not obedient to the institution. That
power is exercised The real leader of that body
Senator from Mississippi, not long since, frank
ly declared in debate that he would vote for no
nominee who was tinctured with anti-savery doc
trines or who had active friends that were This
power was VIGOROUSLY and successfully brought
to bear several years since against distinguish
ed and worthy gentleman, who was nominated TO
an Office far below his merits, because he had
spoken evil of the " dark spirit of slavery" Thus
are Northern men held in duress
This power dsmnads from Congress "compro-
misses which shall increase its influence Sir this
word compromise" when applied to human
rights and constitutional rights, | abhor We
are not asked, but commanded, to compromise
away the Constitution IL is we'll known that,
when Congress assembled here, large majority
of its members, as we'll as q large majority of the
people, were in favor of prohibiting slavery in all
the Territories, and admitting no slave States
into the Union. 1t is vital principle of the Con-
stitution that the will Of majority shall govern.
But terror, treason, threats are used to compel
the majority to yield to turbulent minority.
The violence Of passion, the recklessness of am
bitOn, and the corruption of party are all used to
bring about this compromise" Of constitutional
right. He who regards his oath TO support the
Constitution cannot thus surrender
shall not now particularly refer to the fea-
lures of the most extraordinary conspiracy
against liberty in the Senate, called the ComprO.
mise bill II it should survive its puerperal fever,
we shall have another opportunity of knocking
the monster in the head pass over what Is f.
miliarly known rs the "ten million bribe,o which
was evidently inserted for no other purpose than
to create public opinion on change and carry the
bill
But it is proposed to propitate Virginia by
giving her 5000 600 900 out of the public Treas
ury, the proceeds of the public lands II this
sum were 10 be given for the purpose of purchas-
ing the freedom of her slaves, large il ia, IL
should Is,-ayspv hearty support 1t is, think q
least fifty millions G3SEe- In - would pay for them
all at a fair market price. But it is designed for
no purpose of emancipation. The cOol-hesded
cool-hearted philosophic author had no such
"transcendental" object. 1t is to be specifically
appropriated to exile her free people of color,
and transport them from the land of their birth
to the land of the stranger Sir, this is propo-
sition not ft TO be made"
Mr.. AvERETT of Virginia here asked, Did not
New England sell slaves
Mr.. STEVENS. Yes, she sold, she imported