The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-29

the shield Of the Constitution Why can yot
not still hold your property Because the power
Of your local law is exhausted. You have gon,
beyond its limit. AS reasoning man, tell m,
the difference between facing northward anc
westward, when you cross the line of demarka
ton for local slaveholding law.
The sentiment Of Vermont n sustained by
Southern authority, 1t is lound n the celebrated
Mississippi case, Groves ux Slaughter, tried in
the Supreme Court Of the United States Janu
airy, ls4l. That case had references 10 The inter
State slaye-trade. In the argument Of it, tbs
Hon. X. J. Walker assumed that Congress had nc
power to regulate the traffic in slaves, because
they are not property, but persons. They are moi
merchandise, subject to the general commercial
regulations, because they are not recognised Is
property out of the State where they are held
Slt was commerce in merchandise. regarded
as such by all the States, and not commerce in
persons, that was designed TO be regulated by
Congress. Commerce in persons, IL It may be
so called, was not intended to be regulated by
Congress, because II was peculiar and local. and
not acknowledgements 10 Petes'S Reports, col
Is, p. So.
II that doctrine be true it is because slaves are
property by local, and not by general law That Is
the sentiment of Vermont 1t is not new IL is older
than the thunder of Winthrop, or Webster, or
Wilmot The old battery, whence it originated
is still sound and sends forth Its annual charges
believe it has been found easier to pervert than
to answer it. 1t was declared thirty years since
In that time, FIVE new slave States have been
admitted She has demonstrated against them
all, and most earnestly against the last But they
have been admitted by the constituted authority
and she has submitted. A whole generation has
come and gone since that was proclaimed Il
was the utterance Of honest sentiment, and had
no reference TO political effect, the Senatorial
speers Of New Hampshire TO the contrary not
withstandine. Recents events lead us to suupose
that her sister s@,eSdo not accuse Vermont OF
putting her light under bushel, or smothering
her sentiments in her archives She does no,
spring upon YOU WIN Rsw principse S1oer The
territories were acquired. You knew beforehand
that if that territory was acquired, Vermont had
lien upon 1t for freedom. You took it with tina
mortgage She is not prompted by the flashy
and hippant zeal Of new political convert, bu
by long-settled and abiding principle Her choice
most unQuestionably, is governments for the ter
rtories with the Proviso that was first presente,
for adoption Ii that cannot be secured, there j
as little doubt that she will sustain the plal
Of the President. She regards the plan a
originating in patriotic motives and she es
teens its author as one Of the most impartial
and undetermined and natonalmi patriot
that has trod the Presidential platform since tn
organization Of the Government. But she cal
consent to no plan, to no action or non-acion ant
to no compromise, that does not give positiv
and permanent security for freedom in the terri
tories. You cannot change that purpose. Yol
may as well attempt to unsettle the foundation
of her everlasting mountains.
The third proposition of this bill is to purchas
the claim of Texas to the disputed territory be
between her and New Mexico. 1t was amusin,
to see the manner in which that matter frs
came before the Senate. A bill was reported
for the admission OF California, and for terrific
rial governments for Utah and New Mexico
For these the committee were responsible; anC
then there came trotting into the camp lcos
unbridled colt that no man would claim and m
man would own, a proposal to purchase for a bianl
sum the claim of Texas. The author Of thi
bill, with holder hand, has caught and har
dessed that colt whether 1t will add strength t.
the team, time alone can determine. He has a
least fixed the price; he proposes to pay tel
millions OF dollars. ! suppose it is already irrey
| ocably ordained that we and our children, an
our children's children, are to be taxed for Texa
trust that, as free agents, we may have vote
In determining whether that burden shall be il
creased. Many words have been wasted to sho
who is responsible for the anne xation of Texa
and the evils that have flowed from it, IL is ei
silly settled for the facts are recent, and any il
tellgent man can relate them withouta referenc
to documents | ask your attention to that poin
and do 80 with no design Of gathering material
| for Representing any man or party. C speak wit
the freedom of history, and without offence" /
April, 1874, President Tyler sent to the Senate
treaty of annexation, which was rejected by
vote Of 10 to 35, but a single Northern Senator
MIR. Woodbury., voting in favor Of IT, At tina
| time all parts and all parties of the North wer
| decidedly opposed to it, This is shown by tn
resolutions Of Conventions and Legislatures, ant
| the voice of the press. A Democratic organ ut
tered the general sentiment, when it said "rathel
than anne Ration, let there be an impossible gul
between Texas and the Union.n The matter wa,
taken into the Baltimore Convention, was in
serted and announced as part Of the Democratic
creed Then there was q change, a great and
sudden change large portion Of the party
wheeled TO cover their file leaders We went
into the canvass the Wings North and South
against annexation, the Democrats North and
South in fsvor of IT, In New York there was
small party which held the political balance OF
that State, when New York held the balance of
the Union. IL this is not clear, every one may
see parallel In eecting the Speaker Of this
House 10 both cases the balance was 80 man.
aged by design or accident, as to secure the tri-
umph of the Democrat and the stakeholder. We
came out of that canvass with 6fty-eight electoral
votes of the North for Mr.. Clay, and one hun
dred and six for Mr.. Polk This was regarded
as the popular decision. In the next Congress
Texas was annexed, by almost a clear party vote
throughout the Union. IL will be seen, then, that
30 far as power IL concerned, the gentleman from
Maryland Mr. McLane is right in his boast,
that it was done by Democratic power. But there
~ H.. shnrI nn L.. 81
power In motion in that particular direction Not
Northern men, certainly, nor Southern men AZ a
body, nor even as majority, but IT was done by
men from the South, having for their svowed OBJ
ject the protection, IL not the extension, Of
slavery The war and acquisition are the ac-
knowledged as they were the foreseen results
This is the history, and II shows us who are re-
sponsble for the present crlsis--w have brought
upon US our present dangers--why II 10 that the
waves are now dashing over us, while we are al
most helplessly wallowing In the trough Of the
sea II the tempest shall drive us to the cliffs,
every survivor 90 every floating fragment Of the
wreck will curse the plan Of annexation, and the
authors who brought II upon the country. Let
those who have caused these perils Of the Union
now come forward and remove them; let them ex.
oroise the spirit they have raised. They have
the power in both branches Of Congress--if they
will use il for Just and A. cradle settlement Of
this controversy Of their own creation, they viii
receive from generous country not only oblivion
Of the past, but gratitude for the future.
An important element in the campaign of 1874
was the impression made at the North, that If
Texas came into the Union, at least one.haf OF her
territory would be free, because the soil and eli
mate were not fitted TO sustain slavery. That
WAS the burden Of the press and the political ora
tor. Among numerous authorities to prove II, no
name was more frequently cited than the name Of
Henry Clay. But when Texas came in, covered
oil over with slavery, the people we're disspp0int-
sd because they have been dupsd. II was this
that causeda revulsion Of feeling, 10 large por-
ton, back TO the original point. This win solve
for my predecessor, MIR. Savage what appeared
to him great mystery, that there should be such
q vote for Mr.. Polk In the North, with Texas as
test, and still the men who voted I'm Con.