The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-10

pose OF opposing his resolution. | VIII say ftr-
Their. that do not remember ever TO have listen
ed 10 a speech delivered within the walls OF this
chamber with more unalloyed pleasure aud salts
faction than did to the speech of the honorable
Senator from Michigan And. sir can truly
say, in the words of another Senator, delivered
on another OCCASION d" WAS more than satisfied
| was gratfodn And, sir, as in the hurry Of that
debate some Of the sentiments which were so cl-
oquently expressed and which do honor to the
Senator and to the Senate, have called forth much
appreciation, permit me, ut the risk Of b, ug lit
tie tedious. 20 call the attention Of the honorable
Senator and Of the Senate in detail to some OF
those emphatic expressions Of opinion which com
manded my most earnest commentator. and
which commended themselves TO my deepest sym
pathies.
Says the honorable Senator desire not to
be misunderstood" ! hope did not msundcr-
stand him; and | sincerely hope, too, that the
country at large has not misunderstood him. lie
says;
Z" | desire not TO be misunderstood | do not
mean that in all the revolutionary struggles which
political contests bring on it would be expedient
for other Governments to express their feelings
of interest or sympathy. think they should not
for there are obvious considerations which forbid
such action and the value Of this kind Of moral
intcrpositon would be diminished by its too fire.
Qutul recurrence IL SOOhlu De reserved Tor great
events-events marked by great crimes and op.
pressions on the one side, and great exertions
and misfortuues on the other, and under circum-
stances which carry with them the sympathes of
! the world, like the partition of Poland and the
] suhjugltjoD Of llnpgary We clp pt,ir ,,p)Ji,
! congratulations, AS We have done to people crown
ed by success in their struggle for freedom We
can offer our recognition Of their independence
| to others, as We have done, while yet the effort
| was pending
And then the honorable Senate, asks with an
emphasis which will thrill through the heart of
every man who reads the inquiry
Have we sympathy only for the unfortunate (?
| Or is cause less sacred or less dear because it
is Frustrated in the dust by the foot of power =
No sir; thank God that humanity is not so
constituted To every liberal and phihnthropic
| heart-to every humane and generous mind-the
cause is all the more dear all the more sacred all
the more cherished, for the very reason that the
foot of power treads its victims in the dust Aye,
sir; my sympathes will go thus low-down to
where the victim lies beneath the foot of power.
let it be whose foot it may an while he is down
| there, writing in agony, 10 that depth shall my
! sympathes go and thank most heartily thank.
! the honorable Senator for the emphatic cues
! tion he has thus put forth to the Senate and TO
! the country.
! Sir equally agree with another sentiment
! which WAS uttered by the honorable Senator from
Michigan, He says:
EeeIv Confess that slern II Is X; IN,
! pleasure when this Government rejecting the true
! sentiments Of the people shall express its sympa-
! thy for struggling millions, seeking, in crcum-
stances Of peril and oppression, that liberty which
was given 10 them by God. but which has been
wrested from them 10y man.
Aye, sir, "God-glven liberty is that with
which the honorable Senator sympathizes-" but
which has been wrested from him by man. Aud
now, sir, let me tell that honorable Senator that
there have been, in years gone by aching and
throhbing hearts that have been waiting. watch
ing, agonizing, praying for just such day as
this, when this Government. rejecting the true
sentiments of the people, should express its SYM
pa,hy with those people in their situation OF
peril and oppression. seeking. painting after the
liberty which is given by Cod but which has
been wrestcd from them by man.
Again, | most cordially agree with that honor.
able Senator when he says:
" | do not see any danger to the true independ
ence Of nations by such "A course and Indeed
am by no means certain that the free incrchang,
of public views in this solemn manner would not
60 far towards checking the progress Of oppres
sion and the tendency to WARP
Here, then, we have the sanction of the hoy Or
able Senator, and he tells us that the expression
of those liberal opinions will go far "toward
checking the progress Of oppression"
thank the honorable Senator for that expires
sion; it is true now, and always has been tru,
since the first existence of nations.
The honorable Senator says:
The very discussion in high places and fire
; plncesN-adding that here, in his Senate, is on
of them" even where discussion is followed b
no act, is itscfa great clement of rctrbutive jus
q. yt,y, 81 Ian,
and great element of moral power to restrain
{ wAem such deed is contemplated
And sir, most cordially agree with him agai
when, in the language of another Senator, h
says
3 . have no comuiscraton for princes My SYN
pathies are rived for the great mass of man
, kind "Selfgovernment is the natural govern
ment Of man
g. And again, upon another occasion, when III
honorable Senator observed 1t ought 10 ani
nate US to desire the redemption Of the minds AM
bodies of unborn millions from the brutazing eff
fecis of a system whose tendency is to stiHe tn
, faculties of the soul, and TO degrade man to tn
level Of beasts
Sir | thank both OF the Senators for these ex
pressions could not have given utteranceto then
myself; and even if ! had been able TO express
them with the same force and eloquencc it woul,
have been regarded as enthusiasm or perhaps fla
natism coming frommy mouth. 1t is very differ
ent matter now, sir
Again. spkeaing of those discussions which
have taken place, the honorable Senator says
There j. no American true to the political faitl
Of our fathers who does not sincerely desire th
renovation of the latter, and the restoration Of thu
oppressed masses to the rights and dignity Of hu
man nature"
Now. sir. that is out-spoken There are no 20
! ~. L.. 9 al
tional rights spoken Of there are no rights men
toned which are spoken of by the Constitution
! but the honorable Senator takes the higher The
| holicr view, aud looks at the relation which man
| sustans 70 his Maker, and speaks Of those rights
which have been conf rred by G cd but "wrest
ed " from many Of the human family "by man
! Now sir in all these sentiments most earnest
! ly most cordially agree and do hope that, un
! der no circumstances, and in no emergency, vii
| that honorable Senator, for whom entertain The
most profound respect and the greatest regard, un
der no circumstances in no contingency, hope,wil
he ever permit himself to turn TO the right or the
left Of the line which these sentiments most clear
ly indiclte And sir if he will stand by those
| sentiments, irrespective Of all extraneous cOnsd
rations; j. hc will to-day throw himself into the
scale and pledge his fortunes md his truth to the
sustentation of those sentiments, ! confidently
predic, that he shall procure for himself rrputa.
ton, with those "unborn Millions compared
with which bis present reputation, high as it il
! shall fade away into Obscurty.
Well sir, agreeing with the honorable Senator
! in the principles he has laid down, and being
! highly gratifed at the manner in which they have
been ayowed lei me ask what il is that the honor
able Senator proposes 20 dol lie proposes that
/ the Committee on Foreign Il Relations be instructed
! 10 inquire into the expedlency Of suspending di-
-
! some other word had been used there, rather than
,hn ~srd "erHR@enoyf IT aoes .. "a ,ps
I INA; fuI this great moYai scncme "expeiency y
! is exactly the word would rather have introduced
the word PROPHECY or necessity or duty or
obligation The word expectancy has a bad