The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-07

pied them under foot A. Was there no "aggres-
sion u in refusing our people the exercise oil tha'
sacred right
A colleague Of mine, now upon this floor, Mr.
GrDDrses, was sent here to represent as intelli-
gent and as patriotic people as is to be found In
the whole land He presented, in the discharge
of his official duty series of resolutions against
slavery and the slave trade They were obnox-
ious TO the South and with the aid of Northern
dougbfsces, who are fast finding their level, you
expelled him from this Hall, and attempted to dig
grace him. Yet, during this session, we find that
before we perfect an organization, proposition is
boldly made to dissoire The Union, by members
from Southern States in the event that the peoples
representatives pass particular law; yet moth
ing like cenuue is proposed by those lately 80
sensitive.
Who has been oppressed in dividing the
honors and emoluments Of oflice2 The poor,
down-troddeu South She has almost monopo-
lied the important offices since the formation of
the Government Let those who wish TO have
official evidence of her wrongs in this regard, ex-
anime the Blue Book. Virginia suffers There
are still few of the I" first families " unprovided
for, and it is an act of unparalleled aggression
Why, sir, craving is her thirst for these honors
that see in one town fall the whites having been
provided for, suppose) they procure the appoint
ment of a negro as Postmaster!
How much did we agrees in organizing this
House? And who gave the strongest evidence of
desire to organize by geographical tests? We
always found on this side of the House, Southern
Wigs enough to hold the balance of power, who
preferred the election of a Southern Democrot to
Northern Wing. On the other side, Southern
neyacrafa anonob. tn elect a .SoyiISyn Whig in
preference 10 n Northern Democrat. And If, in the
course of our efforts to organise, any candidate
of either party was suspected of having ever seen
the city of Buffalo, his fate was sealed.
But, Mr.. Chairman, am consuming too much
of the brief hour allotted to in detailing this
account Of aggression.
What has the North done to produce this loud
and continual chatter about aggression ~ Bear
in mind, an net of aggression must be an act of
,crong SO long as we act for the promotion of
! that which is morally right, we cannot agrees.
Much complaint is made about negroes running
off to the free States. suppose they do sometimes
stray away. But if you viii keep property that
will run off is it our fault 2 We do not turn out
to catch runaway negroes There is reason for
that. The farmer, in that beautiful valley which
have the honor to represent in part has no slave
to till his soil. His family depend upon the labor
of their own hands for support lie cannot, be
will not, abandon his plough and his fields, mount
| his horse when he hears that negro has been
snon in the neighborhood, and follow in pursuit,
@suspicion that he may be the slave of some
I member of Congress from Virginia. He has ex-
amined the Constitution, and finds nothing there
which makes this his duty The village mechanic in
| Ohio, who drives the jack-plane, and earns his
bread by the sweat of his brow, will not abandon
his honest pursuits, when he sees man pass ia
the street with skin somewhat darker than his
own, and budget on his back, follow him. knock
him down and tie him, because there is posi-
bilty that Mississippi planter may hold a mort
gage on his bones, flesh, and sinews Our fair
countrywomen, yielding to the tender sympathies
which always adorn their sex, when inquired of
by disconsoate passer by of their own sex, who
perhaps may carry in her arms an infant slightly
tnged, may point out the nearest and best road to
! Canada. Is there anything wrong in this! Point
it out.
On this point let me remark, that whilst the
great mass of all parties in my State dsclaim all
| design TO interfere with your peculiar insttu-
ton in States where it constitutionally exists,
they remember, and will never forget. that they,
too, have an institution the operations of WHICH
are some,. nat "pecuiar,D which they call Free.
tom! They have tasted its blessings, and they
will throw no obstacles in the way of all who may
strive to obtain them. IL our Southern brethren,
then will have slaves and these slaves will off
to Ohio they must capture them themselves.
But we agrees on the South because our poti-
cal power increases more rapidly than hers. That
is the result of an increase in population. We
cannot help it if there are peculisrities about
institution which produce this result, 1t is Ger,
tainly not wrong if we obey that injunction of
Holy Writ Multiply and replenish the earth
! This complaint comes with poor grace, espec-
! ally from the gentleman from North Carolina, M.
CLrNcMAN who has, as yet, withheld from his
country his aid in removing this source Of inc
quality
But we are charged with designing or threaten
ing to agrees by the passage of the Proviso in
tend to vote for the admission Of California as a
State with this clause in her Constitution, and for
Territorial law for New Mexico embracing it
We are told that it excludes the South from fan
sha'e of the territory acquired by common blood
and common treasure and that it weakens the
title to their property, and prevents them from
removing II thitber. This Is not true That
Proviso is and has been in full force in the State
of Ohio and the Northwestern Territory for sixty
! years. A large portion Of her best citizens are
from the South. The district which Immediately
represent embraces large body Of the lands OF
the Virginia military district, TO which Virginans
J and North Carolnans emigratei With their prop.
} erty Some took slaves with them, to whom their
families were attached, although they knew tina,
the moment the foot Of the slave touched that soil
with the masters consent, one of the peculiarites
of our institution made him free man. And here
J let me say that the most thoroughgoing Free-Soi
men, and the most violent Abolitionists there are
, those furnished us by North Carolina and Vir-
ginia. | would be entirely safe in allowing my
action here to he governed on this subject by the
views of those in my district who came from slave
States. Their warmth in favor of Free Soil may
suppose, be attributed to that same principle Of
human action which makes the reformed drunk.
ard the most ardent in pressing onward the cause
Of temperance; or the converted sinner the cause
} of Christianity These men had been eye-wit-
nesses TO the evil effects Of slavery not the least
of which is its tendency to reduce to the level Of
the degraded slave the free labor of the poor
white man where it exists II the Proviso is ap-
piled to these Mexican Territories, the Southern
) man as we'll as the Northern man may take his
: property there; he may take his negroes if he
; chooses but If he takes them, they cease to be
property or things, and are make persons onlV
The honorable member from Mississippi Mr.
BRowNl takes a bold position, if he il sincere
and will not question II, Notwithstanding his
prcposterous assertion. read from his printed
speech. MIR. c. here read from Mr. BRowN's
speech
For myself, REGARD SLAVERY As GREAT MORAL
SOCIAL, POLITICAL, Asp RELIGIOUS BLEssINGA BLESSING
To THR SLAVE AND BLESSING To TIE MAsrRR.n
The honorable gentleman proceeds with ar.
guments to prove that great blessings are con-
ferred upon the African by making him slave
! Now, sir if the gentleman can make this position
good by sound argument, and II the honorable
member from North Carolina Mr.. CLINeMAN
can make good his declaration that where slavery
exists you ma the greatest degree VI civilization
refinement, wealth, comfort, and happiness,
pledge myself to abandon the Proviso, and oppose
| il here and elsewhere with as much honest ardor
as now support it. If slavery is blessing to
the slave, how is it that the great, the good and
the wise, Of every civilized land upon earth have
never learned the fact! This is a great age we
live in and it has been reserved for the keen per-
ceptive faculties of the honorable member from
Mississippi to make the grand discovery that
the true way to make a negro happy is to put