The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1850-03-01
MR.. ROOTS SPEECH.

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Mr.. Roof made some pretty good hits in his
speech, Feb. Is. Speaking of the reason given by
Northern Wings, who voted to lay the Wmot pro-
wise on the table, he says
First, they say the resolution was premature
Was it any more premature the ctherda than ii was
month before? Why did not they vote to lay it on
the table when it was first offered; Is it any more
premature than the last session of Com
gressf and yet at that session similar resolution Aas
passed by the House, and it called forth two bills
one for California and the other for New Mexico
Was bill any more necessary for New Mexico then
than now? 1t is little singular find these gentle
men following in the footsteps of General Cass so
closely In all respects He, you may remember, was
vociierous for the proviso in August, I846, at the
close of the first session of the twenty-nnth Com
gress, when he regretted exceedingly that Gov. Da-
Wis defeated it by his ill-med speech, as he called
it. At the next session it was premature, and at the
next it was unconstitutional When will these gen.
temen arrive at that point aso Shortly sir, if they
keep the course they have started upon.
Next they say it is unnecessary. Unnecessary?-
Why was not this found out in 1913? That was one
of Gen. Cass's excuses then, and nobody denounced
him for 1t more than these same gentlemen. | have
already stated my views on this point If gentlemen
have any other reasons to give, they may give them
themselves. l have mentioned their two best-no
not theirs, for they borrowed them both, or rather
picked them up after the owner had thrown them
away.
In conclusion, he paid his respects to the Disun-
ionlss at the South, and thus portrayed to them the
visitation they might expect, should they attempt
anything more than clustering talk
Dissolve the Union How will it work? Suppose
you meet IN Convention and resolve that the Union
Is dissolved, will that absolve the President from his
official oath VIII he not stand there still clothed
with the authority, armed with the power to execute
the laws of the land? And would they not be exc
cuted? Well, they would There is no doubt about
1t. 1t would be right in his line of business And
let me suggest to you another thing that would follow
as an inevitable consequence, the star-spanged ban
ner, the spread eagle, and so forth with flies and
drums and all that sort of thing would be paraded
through your States. Let me suggest one thug
more, as mere matter of opinion of course that
you have Frederick Douglass on every plantation
OF the South ecturng upon the sGod-given rights of
man, than to have this kind of military fuss and par
AIDE among you. 1t would mt be favorable to your
peculiar Institution. Laughter 1t would 90
great way to enlghten your slaves of the real not
market, value of weak hands and strong arms-the
very material for mobs and instructions. And if
there is any institution the face of the earth-not
excepting the despotism eff Russia-that should be
conservative-that should scorn anything like civil
war; Instruction, mob violence; that should avoid
everything which goes TO teach men with arms that
they can, if they only make the right kind of an issue
overcome men with brains; it is your institution of
slavery And it may be, or rather might be, if we
were now to have the will of the majority of the peo
pie OF this country carried out, and you were to re-
nam IN your present frame of mind, that you would
rush upon crisis that would make it necessary for
you TO speedily execute in part what is evidently the
decree OK God the determination of slavery through
out the world. You might bring on state Of things
which would make it necessary to bring about so far
as this country is concerned this result by your own
means; ave, you might arouse and bring into action
the war power-which is almost unlimited by the
Gonstitutlon-the rpower-the military despotism
that would use your slaves Just as it would fuel or
fodder, to promote its own success. When opposing
armies should be marching and counter-marchng
through your land, do you suppose that you could
keep all your slaves quiet Would they be likely to
remain neutral in a civil war?