Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-05-25
SPEECH OF Mk. CLAY,
.@ " OF kESTUCha,
On the Pending Measures of Compromise
Is SENATE. MAY q. 1850.

being the bill dGit California State into the Unior
establish Territorial Governments for Utah and New Mex
co.. and making proposals Texas for the establishment
her and northern boundares-and Mr.. SouLE ha
ing addressed the Senate
Mr. CLAY. Mr.. President, the debate has been conduc
ed in this with great egulariy single poposilo
before the Senate and that of aDandment part
cular section, relation the prohibition Legislation
the Territorial Governments the subject Of African slavery
And although this the sole question pending before h
Senate Senators have launched out upon the broad
and embrace, in the Of their arguments the sub
ect Sir feel constrained, in vncation Of the of th
committee of which was humble member to meet som
of the arguments of the honorable Senators and will begin
with the last who has jus: down. The Senator from
Louisiana finds himself unable TO n the scheme
compromise which has been proposed. Will that Senator
condescend TO present cone pct of his for the salts
faction and reconciliation of the people Of this country Will
be tell what he wants Sir this finding of fault, and,
with the aid of magnng glass, discovering defects des
crying the little anmaIcus which upon the surface Of
matter and which indiscehe the naked natural
is task and may be pracsed without any practical
benefit profitable result is the duty Of the Senator who
has jss addressed us-t the duty of all who assa this
compromise 10 give their and better proet tell
how they would reconcile the Interests of this country and
harmonZe its distracted parts. And venture to say that,
upon every subject Of which the learned Senator has treated
he has done great injustice the of this committee
do to follow him throughout the whole Of his
remarks but will take rapid notice e his objections the
various features of this report.
Sir he began, if | am not mistaken. with that which
ates TO the recovery and restitution of gve slaves; and
he said with air Of great dissatisfaction, il Of dersion
that the committee had brought back that bill with certain
embarrassmens instead OF improvements Sir beg you
recoect that the greatest objections made the amendment
relating to fugitive slaves from States which su
ferng under the evil of having fugitive slaves
stated here the other day, what repeat again now that
State perhaps the State suffering from this cause
while the State Louisiana among those States which suf
fer from the least And yet the honorable Senator from
Louisiana, when satisfied with these provisions,
in them objections which nsurmountabe. And what are
nf hac ~,
the slave owner, in the pursuit Of his fugitive property has
to carry with him record That instead OF carrying with
him, in pursuit Of his slave great trouble and expense
nesses and loose adav he is fortified by authentic
cord That, say, is advantage and protection the
sayehodera great advantage for that record will command
respect in the free States, ard will give him advantage
which oral testimony or loose adavs taken before justice
Of the could confer. The record moreover
cumua exclusive remedy leaving him free 10 en-
ploy the provisions of the act of 1898.
With respect TO the other portion of the report which
ates to this subec-ha Of trial by ury-where is the in
conven of such trial taking place in the State from
which the fugitive has fed In point of fact it will be no
disadvantage for there will be instance thousand
where the bond to allow trial by jury home will nco-
mode the slave owner since the fugitive will be found
asked tor II as petext; and when he gets back his
State be WILL beyond all question: abandon that pretext
Sir put il 10 the honorable Senator whether he does not
believe that this will he the and this YOU will fecoect
is proposed as substitute and satisfaction to the North OF
that trial by jury which they contend for distance from
home, and which have already insisted would amount to
virtual surrender of the constitutional provision Moreover
II is granting 10 the slave only the right which he ns.
putaby possesses in all the savehodng States of esorne
their tribunals of justice to establish his claim his
dom, if he has one.
Mr.. President, find myself in peculiar and painful posi-
tion respect to the defence Of this report find ysel
asssied by extremists every where by under currens by
those in high well those in low authority but believing
as do, that this measure, and this only, will pass
if any does pass during the present session of Congress,
shall sard up TO il and 10 this report, against all objections
springing from whatever quarter they may.
Sir, il but the other day that found myself reproach
ed at the North for conveying alleged csumny of their
sutiors by saying that the trial by jury in this patticua
description Of case could not be relied upon remedy
the master who had lost his slave; as had made any suc
charge Northern judges and uries in ordinary cases,
the Of reproach had not pauded the administration
of justice both State and Federal generally
But urged that, if in Massachusetts, you require Ken
uckian going in pursuit Of his slave there resort
ny jury on the question of freedom slavery of fugitive
j, would he requs e. in consequence of such assertion
privilege the part Of the fugitive, that the parties shou
produce testimony from the State of Kentucky that you nil
have to delay the tia! from time time that there b.
aPower TO grant trial. and that supervis y powe
would be necessary when yoI to final trial that dis
tant aud foreign courts would be called administer
unknown laws OF remote commonwealth and that, wher
you sum up The expenses and charges the end of the
although the may eventually recover his property h
coates, TO regain would have him more than is worth
that IN short, he might be largely pocket and that
would find be had better moved at all in the mai
ter That was the argument which used and yet, at th
North, am accused Of casting unmerited opprobum upor
the right OF trial ty jury aud the OF justice
while at the South in another and the extreme from
which should have expected any ting of the kind fine
that this amendment objected to as creating embarrassment
TO the owners Of fugitive slaves. Sir this is something k
the cid song ..,~"
" / do not like thee Doctor Fell
The reason why cannot tell
But this know, and know full well,
do not hkethee, Doctor Fell"
Such Mr. President, their objections 10 this rneaFure
Now, lei follow the honorable Senator from Lousan
little further tine Of his great objections the claus
which prohibits the Territorial Legislatures from posing an,
law in respect rcan slavery within the Territories D
the honorable Senator knew the history Of that clause D
he know that that clsise moved in the Of hr
by bis colleague DID he know that that claus
voted for Ivy every Southern member that cornnite
except myself i'll be denoninated, contrary ~ha
is my usual habit Of denornang myself Every Sou,her
on that Committee voe Tor The caue which the them
OF tie Senator's criticism to-day, against my opinion, an
that OF all the Northern members Of that committee, with be
Leve one solitary exception Aud yet, the moment II pre-
sents itself, although under Southera auspices il
objected to
Again, ask the honorable Senator from Louisiana if th
IS be rejected Tel! Us what you want put down in bsc
ana wht put down your project compare with that
the committee, and let know tie full of your d.
inand and then we shall be able pass Judgment upo
tneh, approving them can; and DO not restrict your
Ike he