The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-02-28

you may rely upon. And my friend from North
Carolina MIR. Clingmau would get his ideas
good deal enlarged upon that subject H. instead Oh
going to Saratoga and Newport, laying bats Tor
avslentinesn Ia laugh, he will comeSout TO the
Northwest, il he will look at our rivers, ana
scrutinize closely the lads who navigate them III
he would 20 to the wharves of Pittsburg or Gin
cinnati, if he will 20 to any Of our Western river
towns, he will conclude at once that it would be
the most difficult thing in the world to prevent
the w estern boys from going the whole length OF
the Mississippi river and back agsin-out and
back, sir. at their own will and pleasure. Not
that doubt the chivalry, the galantry, and cour-
age of the Southern people. Not even the vaunt-
ing of that gallantry OF which we have had a
specimen, can bring it under suspicion with me,
Why would not own them for fellow-citzens, If
did not think them brave But must say that
a less gallant people might have their courage
brought under suspicion by some OF the talks we
have heard. Ii is not the way folks conhient In
their own strength ordinarily talk But then it
depends good deal upon how they have been
brought up A laugh
Dissolve the Union! How will il work ? Sup
pose you do meet in Convention and resolve that
the Union is dissolved will that absove the Pres
ident of his official oath 2 Will he not stand
there still clothed with the authority, armed with
the power to execute the laws of the land +! Ana
would they be executed? Well, they would
There is no mistake about it. 1t would ne right
in his line of business And let me suggest to
you another thing that would follow as an newt
able consequence--the star-spangled banner the
spread-eagle, and so forth, with flies and drums,
and all that sort ofthng would be paraded through
your States. Let me suggest one thing more, as
a mere matter of opinion of course, that you had
better have Frederick Douglas on every planta-
ton of the South, lecturing upon the "God-given
rights Of man, than to have this kind Of mill
tary fuss and parade among you. ltwouldnt be
favorable to your peculiar institution" Laugh
ter II would go a great way to enlighten your
slaves of the real not market value Of weak heads
and strong arms-the very material for mobs and
instructions. And if there is any institution on
the face of the earth-not excepting the despotism
of Russia-that should be conservative-that
should scorn anything like civil war; instruction,
or mob violence-that should avoid everything
which goes to teach men with arms that they can,
if they only make the rigb. kind of an issue over
come 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 people of this country carried out, and you
were to remain in your present frame Of mind,
that you would rush upon o crisis that would
make it necessary for you to speedily execute in
part what is evidently the decree Of God-the
DETERMINATION OF slavery throughout tue WoTiu
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; aye, you might arouse and bring into ac-
ton the war power-which is almost unlimited
by the Constitution-the war power-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
countermarching through your land, do you sup
pose that you could keep all your slaves quiet? :
Would they be likely to remain neutral in civil
war?
Mr. Chairman, / find that, without touching
upon some topics to which had intended to al
lude my time is almost exhausted. | regret as
much as any man can, that the North-the free
States, by their Representatives here-have fallen
lin their works. so far short Of the faith they pro-
fessed But avow it as my opinion, as my de-
cided opinion, that those Representatives have
mistaken the will of their constituents And,
though | certainly make no threats and would
not, if had the power to execute them, believe
that those gentlemen who have found it consistent
with their sense Of duty to vote down the Proviso,
OF evade voting upon it at all, will get more light
in one week after they reach their homes than
they did in eight weeks after they arrived here
and that was great deal
My time is so nearly out, that will detain the
committee no longer.