The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-09-19

great valley OF the West TO its depot, New Or
leans | am well assured that no civil officer
I would step upon their decks to inspect the crew,
that he might arrest any free colored man found
on board and am still more certain that such ar
rest would never be made to reduce HIM TO slavery.
But when the safety OF our towns Is endangered,
when the peace Of our citizens Is involved by the
free negroes sent among us as enssaries 70 inst-
gate the slave popuIationto insurrecuon, then the
highest law of nature, The law of Misrepresentation,
requires That the civil officer should nterpose and
arrest such dangerous persons n
do not know how far the sennfor from South
Carolina has considered this question: as connected
with the city of Charleston, bit II is a matter OF
history that the second delegate from Massachu-
sets TO South Crrolina was one who was sent for
the purpose OF counleracting those regulations de-
i signed to prevent the nstigaton OF the slaves to
arson and murder. The hrst was sent when
brave men, resolved toresist oppression by power,
unmindfuI or regardless Of right, sought for aid
in the generosity and fraternity of the Southern
II colonies The difference in the purpose and
spirit OF these missions is typical OF the political
and moral change which time and circumstances
4 have wrought.
4 Disregarding the necessity, to meet which this
police regulation was enacted they sent the second
ambassador to Charleston, TO see whether that
regulation could not be annulied, and to institute
private and insiduous inquiries INTO the domestic
institutions Of the city, for purposes which IT was
the part Of prudence TO suspect.
/ IT, Mr. President, these States united
one amily--if, indeed, we are TO view each other
as confederated people-itis necessary that this
hostility to Southern lnterests--tiis war upon the
! domestic peace and security--this constant out
! rage on the feelings of the South--should cease
4 Were we without the restrictions of the Constu-
tion--were we a people relying upon our own
hearts and hands for the preservation of our rights
these invasons would not probably have gone
i so long unredressed. Thus have sectional rivalry
and fanatic hate, instead Of restraint found shell
ter and pretext in our Union. The enmlty is rem
! dered worse by the fact of brotherhood. They
i would not have been able to do so much harm
! foreign a nation. As aliens, they must have OBJ
served the terms Of the treaty, or incur the re-
sponsbtes Of war; now they agrees under
the forms OF the Constitution. That which was
4 made 10 unite all for the protection of each is bent
to the purpose of The dominant party. They dis
\ regard the comfy of nations, instead of observ
/ ing the fraternity of consederated States. IL is
! time these things should cease.
! am sorry, MIR. President, that the senator
! from Massachusetts, ripe scholar and gentle
1 man. who knows what is due to others as well as
1 what is due to himself-has produced his private
| correspondence before the Senate, and without
/ being willing to adopt the statements, reads them
in reply to the remarks he had ecited by his
course on former occasion. Why bring forth a
| preserved letter, from, it appears an unknown
correspondent, referring my name TO asenaior, and
| bearing testimony in case much too important
to be thus decided repeat, sir, that have in
i
lbeen stated with regard to the arrest and sale
Of free persons in the Southern ports, is entirely
i untrue.
! Mr.. WINTHROP One word only Mr. Presi-
dent, in reference to what has fallen from the
senator from Mississippi, MIR. DAvls.l read
in the hearing Of the Senate, a few moments
since a letter from Captain Z. A. Ranlett of
Cbarlestown, Massachusetts. We have Just heard
the indignant Explanations of the senator on the
| u L N,4y no. limit
reading it. | showed it to the senator, and he
received it in the kidest and most friendly
manner He did not then think himself dis
honored by reading il, and examining it, and
commenting upon il, although he did express a
doubt ms to the accuracy of some Of the state
| nlents it contained. have nothing more to add
upon that point. I now turn to the remarks of
| the senator from South Carolina.
| Nh. DAVIS If the senator from Massichu,
sets viii permit me, before he leaves that sub
jeet, will say another word
MIR. WINTHROP. Oh, certainly.
Mr.. DAVIS. did not consider the senator
from Massachusetts, dishonored by receiving that
/ letter, any more than Iconsidered myself dis
honored by reading it. read it when it was
! handed to me, us the senator has just stated
! On that occasion | thought his conduct entirely
proper. ! made my comments, ms he has stated,
! in a friendly manner; but cid not expect that
| he would parade such poor testimony before the
Senate and the country.
! Mr.. WINTHROP. Why, really, Mr., Pre-
sident, do not know that | am bound to con-
i form myself in all cases to the expectations Of
the senator from Mississippi. do not know
that it is his prerogative TO control the cores
pondcnce which comes to me; nor do know
that am not as free to say what please, and
to read what please, in the Senate of the United
States rs the senator from Mississippi, even
though am a somewhat younger member Of
this body than lie is. As, to any improperly
!. which may be charged upon me in connection
with this subject, shall leave it to the Senate
and to the country to Judge, on the whole, who
has been most forgetful of what is due to this
BODY and to himself, here to-day, and who has
/ most nearly conformed TO the course which
courtesy and the rules of the Senate demand.
! Sir there is not one word in that letter which
! bears upon the senator from Mississippi-not a
/ SYLLABLE Even if had not read it privately to
/ him in advance, ! should have felt myself per-
feely justified in reading it to the Senate, either
before his face or behind his back. 1t calls in
question his opinion, it is true; but is he so
| authorized to pronounce er cdthedrd upon tits
subject, or upon any other subject that nobody
4 is to call his opinion in question! And IS an
honest Boston shipmaster-as have no reason
to doubt That TINS man 1S---WnO speaks WIFI ne
says he knows, and testifies to what he has seen
and experienced, not to be allowed to east any
doubt upon the accuracy of the opinion of that
senator, without being branded as a liar and
without having his letter denounced as false
Sir. have found this, that when we come to the
pinching point and when the testimony begins
4 to bear hard upon the operations of these South
ern laws, then the character of the witness is to
be assailed This is always the resort of des-
! perate case This plain-spoken sea captain
! whose very vocatonis guarantee Of his honesty,
tells us what has happened to Inn in the city OF
! Charleston--a city, let me say, for which have
the utmost regard, where have friends and rela-
tives whom | respect and love, AMI about which
would say nothing offensive or unkind.
Sir, the senator from South Carolina seems
to think that this man is to be disbelieyed, that
e his testimony is false, because he acknowledges
that he left these poor people in jail in Charles
ton. IT is true that he has given no explanation
of that matter; but dare say that when be
reads this debate, and learns the view that has