Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1850-03-21
The slave Question.
SPEECH OF
MIR. william III. BisSeiI, Of Illinois,


IN THE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES,, FEB. q, 1850.
the Resolution referring tbs Presidents 4nnua Mes
sage to the appropriate Standing Committees
Mr. BISSELL said
Mr.. Chairman Our discussions in this committee
have already produced profound and painful sensation
throughout the Union. The public mind has become
agated and anxious and oppressed with apprebens0ns
of impending calamity. This of things, sir, ought
not TO continue or, al any rate, that uncertainty which
makes the future terrible than would perhaps the
realization of fears, ought be removed. If
this government of is really its end gen.
temen here declare it to be, If It's longer continuance
depends upon contingencies so uncertaIni were well
that we knew IL now, that might make timely pre-
paraton. II, the other hand the apprehensions |
have spoken of groundess the people ought in
cy, be undeceived. They ought be undeceved at
once, SIR in order that they may have that repose and
conscious security which they entitled under
Government created aud sustained by their hands
Reluctant as | am 10 add 10 the public anxiety, yet
do not feel liberty withhold the expression of my
opinion upon the absorbing topic of this dscussion
and of the day. And do hesitate to DECLARE my
settled convctun that unless Representatives who have
assumed speak for the savehodng States have greatly
mistaken the purposes and intentions nf the people of
those States aud boodshed consequent upon at
tempt TO overthrow this Governmenf are inevitable.
This declaration desire shoud GO furih the country
and with il tho upon which my opinon is based
These reasons are found IN The extracts which shall
qnote first, from the speech Of the honorable gentleman
from Mississippi, (Mr. Brown) Hero the extracts:
"wha you heapng outrage upon outrage, adding
suit to insult people have been calmly calculating the value Of
the Uni The question has been considered in all its bearings
friends Of freedom throughout the world to warn you That we IN
tendto submit no longer"
rights have awakened in every Southern feeling
Think what you will, say what you wiII
again again. you w OF awes tyranny the day
and the hour hand when southern win rise rebel
Go hume and tell your people the made they
one side, and dissolution of The Union other"
you fancy that devotion TO The uo'Gn viii keep as n the
sit
justice of the Union We cannot love hug tyranny
'I tell canddly, calculated The value of the Union
ay DISCUSSING the value Of the Tnon snd DO 50 e and
feressy Your press your people, and your pulpit may dnounce
well BRUSH lords called treason i our faSsrs when they
gums British oppression, they
saw the hand that aimed the blow and resolved to resist The re
stout hearts for ihs eOnsequencesn
The South afraid Of dsolving the Unonwhy should fear'
What there 10 alarm awaken appehsnsons Are we
able maintain ourselves: Shall eight millions of eemen,
position the nations of the eanh With our cotton, sugar.
hundred millions of dollars need fear the Owns Of
Have any reason fear dissolution OF the Unions
the question dispassonaey and TO yourselves the o
en Do NOT deceive at things as they
are FOr MYSELF can say with clear Conscience we do not
dsunion but we do no, fear we know our position too well for
anything you the dissoIution'
lile sasconade, and sometimes threat or two"
ton have not thought at all probable You complain Of your
the Unionto dissolve the unpleasant association VIII you seek
amid blood and This osthse sssOc
point to The record OF the past Ind warn you by lis blood
ed pages, that we shall be ready to meet you"
These extracts from the speech Of the gentleman from
Mississippi (Mr. Brown sufficient for our present
purpose.
The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Clingman)
tells US ohat IS the ciec presented an prospect TO many
the highest inteitecs of the South " and IT is substantially
this that a separate confederacy the sayehoding
States sfmght exper much the United States
did in time OF peace up 10 the beginning OF Gen jack
sons Administrations and still have hand twenty hive
millions of dollars devote the making OF railroads,
opening harbors and rivers and for other domestic
poses The same gentleman has thus disposed, IN ad-
vance, of little matters pertaining to the interior
regulations of The "Souihern Confederscy" be: "The
northern tier of counties in Kentucky said he, "would
perhaps be obliged their slaves to the SOUTH
But there would be her advantages in the change,
similar to those of Maryland. Kentucky supplies The
South with live stock to great extent; but she has to
encounter the competition of Ohio and other Northwest
States the productions 81 these States acere subject
TO a duty, she might for lime have monopoly IN the
trsde."
| doubt not that il will asoni.h the people of the
great West and Northwest find that the fathers of the
"Souern Confederacy have disposed of the navigation
OF the Mississippi with such celerty much as II VIII
the people of Kentucky learn that their slaves are
henceforth to be removed South-instead Of North The
same gentleman Mr.. Clingman) has dvuged his plan
for removug-though not quite gently-ali those IN
Kentucky and the other slaveholding States who hes
tate abon swearing allegiance TO this Souhern Confed
hang them as il did the "Tories IN the Revolution.
think, MIR. Chairman, that have given extracts
enough justify the opinion expressed at The outset "f
my remarks We cannot fail that if the feelings
purposes and intentions Of the people of the savehod
ing States correctly represented in these speeches.
countrymen may well apprehend tho most fearful
calamites The subject has been calmly considered by
the highest iutelects OF the South. Ii has been
ianed by calculation that if the Southern States
separated the Northern, only would they escape
from "Norher aggression in future, but they would
m nso odprIy M "
per annum. And though il does not appear that the
duty be paid by the people of the West and
Northwest The ssSouthen Confederacy, for the priy
lege Of navigating the Mississippi river has yet been FIX
ed nevertheless does appear that such duty is 10 be
exacted allude these things sir, TO show the mi
calculations that have been entered into in reference
the altered condition of things upon the
medit ted dissolution of the Union They show an ad
vanced stage in the progress of this movement which,
i'm my judgment, will asound the country.
Now, sir, let f glenn from these gentle
mems speeches the shadowing forth of any plan by
which this is be commenced and carried
first quote from the speech of The gentleman from
Alabama, (Mr lnge y
swin the Of the North by the Of
Outrage the Con and dssae 5s os m BY hs
equivalent suggest them remember that
the Constitution. and could scarcely sit in tame
tempted such
are here as The Repsnistvss Of the People but
are our 70 The and the south less nan mos
We additional obligations when Representatives
individual opinion s that f the southern oe oug TO resist
oaggson, consummain here under The
higher obligation resist its consrmmaon. These
mness Of the North As of discretion
always proper that antagonist firm even IL The fac,
s @ m B @ @ IN ANY
follow path Of honor
which by those who older and wiser trust
that shall stand together as one and present oar breasts az
shield of Constitution
This language, sir, scarcely admits of doubtful Coz"
strucon. understand II to mean this That the gen.
ileman considers himself and other Southern Represen
taves acting here in double capacity irs as Rep
rcsentayes, in which character they TO resist the
passage Of unconstitutional law for instance