The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-07-09

pie Of the North and put them on the defensive Thew
regarded the law Of South Carolina al an aggression
their rights and believed tito be unconstitutional and all
they desired to do to lest its validity before the Judi
ciaI tribunals OF the country.
Mns, s.s as could the people q South
Justly with the North, the arrangement proposed by
Massachusetts, Il their law turned out % be constitu-
Roas o, S,S wosil stand ought 70 tall
upon northern rights and the rights Of northern rsemen
December,lS24 another law passed depriving all
coloTed persons imprisoned under her Of 1884, OF
the writ OF habeas corpus So you see sir that inn
rsoned seamen have remedy for the grevons wrongs
inflicted upon them No process be sued out by them
under which they restrained OF their liberty Hope
less bondage their condition. unless redeemed by the
master q consgnse Of the vessel to which they belong
But Mr. President. South Carolina is not alone in her
acts OF aggression on northern rights Lousiana and
Alabama have laws OF q similar character; and, il
nave not been nslnfomed an agent sent from the North
70 New Orleans to make some arrangement TO test the
OF the law of louisiana was Obliged to
Leave the city % save himself from personal violence.
The South, know, contend with great confidence, that
these laws constitutional and The North with equal
condolences contend that they unconstitutional Here
them an issue formed between the two sections OF the
Union upon great constitutional question And how,
ask, can be settled but by the judicial tribunals OF the
counrys And is too much for the North, in the spirit
OF kindness, 10 ask for such settlement
But pass, SIR, to notice briefly other grievances of
which the North complain. The great right of petition,
BY the constitution to the people Of all the States
has been not only abridged, but virtually denied to the
people Of the North by standing rule of the House Of
Representatives adopted By southern votes. No pe,.
ton 1ouchng the subject Of slavery or the slave trade in
United States. could under the rule be received read or
referred. This proceeding in the House Of Representa
ves was regarded BY the people Of the North direct
no people can be free fhsy knew hat petitions touch a
ing the subject Of slavery and praying the exercise Of all
received and considered ID The House Of ives
from i7s9 up to the period Of the adoption Of the rule
AND they knew too that Congress had in numerous in
Territories Of the United States mi "A. ~ -
No wonder then. that the attention Of the North was
directed e g the ne subject Of slavery and s power IN the
agitation followed the denial Of right dear to the peo
pie. Mr. President, if the wise men in the South had
tate and provoke the people Of the North and force
them into the discussion Of the slave question: they could
not have hit upon plan well calculated accomplish
to which have referred II was bold attempt not only
human rights. but 70 close the only channel through
Of grievances And, like every other attempt silence
me complaints oi the people against what they regard to
and i them
thousands OF sober minded who, up that time. held
no sympathy with the little band Of abolitioniss the
North, rushed to their standard in vindicat0n of the
great right Of petition. well remember the excitement
that prevailed in my own State when the arrived
that petitions praying for the abolition Of slavery and the
slave trade in the District OF Columbia, and in the Terri
tories OF the United Sates had been excluded from the
halls OF Congress Public meetings held, exciting
addresses were delivered and resolutions were passed
declaring that the aggessons OF the slave power had be-
come ntolerable and must be resisted. M rs
But Mr. President. the aggressons of the South upon
the rights OF the North did not stop here The mails OF
the United States were violated to search for what the
South called ncendary publications. Yes sir an espon
age was established over the post Offices Of the country,
TO prevent the circulation OF such publications and CON-
municatons did suit the taste OF Shareholders
n ~ the highly penal laws for the security
he ua hrnl .lo L..
royed before they reached the persons to whom they
were directed The North protested in the most solemn
terms against thus violation Of their rights. and claimed
the protection OF the law for their correspondence But
in vain: slavery had parayzed the Of the govern.
men and no remedy for the evil could be applied These
the rights OF the free States But we have no idea OF
flying into passion and threatening to secede from the
Union because injustice has been done No, sir we
mean to remain in the union and under its flag contend
for our rights. FL
And now sir it, in the contest that has been for wears
going on between the two sections OF the country sa
provoked the quarreli Who made the first assault
Who struck the first blow Southern senators should
seek Tor truthful TO these questions before utter
ing another complaint against the North for agtang the
subject Of slavery
pass Mr. President. to what the senator from South
Carolina INF Calhoun says may be regarded as the
great and primary cause OF discomfort the OF the
South that is, the fact that the equilibrium between the
two sections IN the government, as il stood which the
constitution was ratified and the government put in
lion, has been destroyed not by the operation Of time
but by the Legislation OF Congress This sir the great
reason Why IN the opinion OF the SENATOR the South can
no longer remain in the Union with safety and honor
With all respect for the opinion OF others, must be al
lowed 70 say that no equilibrium existed between
The two sections OF the governments that's between the
free and the slave States The statistical statement pre-
sented by the honorable senator himself shows that the
free States have had majority of the population and
majority in both branches of Congress from 1859 up
the time the senators from Texas took their seats in this
chamber, in February, 1896 Now, Mr. President strange
as II may seem the slave States, all the while in the mi
norty in Congress and in the electoral colleges have
controlled the legislation OF the government and directed
the destiny OF the country from 1900 up the present
time They have had the President and majority OF the
the House OF Representatives woihrds OF the time since
the government went into operation They have always
bad majority OF the judges of the Supreme Court and Of
oregn ministers, and much larger share of the officers
oil the army and navy than their population entitled them
to- and they have also had, and still have, more than
their share OF the heads Of bureaus and clerks in this
city But this Is not ALL sir they have been from time to
time increasing Their power in the halls OF Congress
They have created four new slave States out of territory
within the jurisdiction Of The Old Thrteen-to wit Ala
bama. Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee-now repre-
sented on this floor BY eight senators, and the floor
the other House by thirty 1.-TWO representatives.
But sir, with this increase OF strength the slave States
were not contented They looked beyond the iurisdic
ton OF the United States for foreign territory TO increase
their power. Louisiana was acquired from France in 4
1908, and out OF II three slave States have been created
noy represented this floor by six senator's and on the
noor Of the other House by ten representatives Next
came Florida from Spain in 1873 and OF that Terri
tory another slave State has been created adding two
senators to this body and one representative 10 the other
branch OF Congress WE'LL sir, have we no free States
created OF territory acquired since the Of l7s3