The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-28

trict, either to be sold therein, merchandise
10 be transported TO other markets without the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Z. Rssolvsd, That more etfectual provision ought
to be made by law, according to the requirements
Of the Constitution, for the restitution and delivery
Of persons bound 10 service or labor in any State
who may escape into any other State or Territory
of this Union
8. Rssolvsd, That Congress has no power to pro-
hibit or obstruct the trade in slaves between the
saveholding States, and that the admission
clusion Of slaves brought from one into another Of
them depends exclusively upon their own partcu-
lar law.
[Gen. Scott here entered and was received with
loud cheers, and took seat behind the Chairman:
the band struck up 'The Bold Soldier Boy."l
The Mayor then put the question on the resolu-
tons, which were responded to with the unanimous
shout of ''Aye," not single No being uttered by
the many thousands who were present.
JAMES De PEysTER OGDEN, Esq.,, next addressed
the meeting.
FELLow-cITIzENs This is a meeting irrespective
of all party considerations, to consider and settle the
question which nowagitates the Union, on the basis
OF the resolutions proposed in the United States
Senate.
The treaty with Mexico gave US great extent Of
territory, and the consequent admission of
States raised a question Of excluding slavery and
itnow comes before us with all the force and grave
importance which those circumstances could give
it. Weshould also soon have another census taken,
and the number of members in the Congrcas OF the
United States would be increased. A question,
therefore, comes before US, in which not only our
rights and interests are at stake, but the Union it.
self is in danger.
Fellow citizens, in contests OF this kind political
supremacy is gcneralyat the bottom of all ques
tions; and, we all know, from that cause arise
political broils.
There is in this country political party called
the AbOlitonists. He asked any man to tell him,
was there any step, measure, or proposition, that
they ever made, which could ever come to any
practical RESULT He did not speak of the purity Of
their motives, but the want Of practical results to
many of their acts.
When the political sky was thus charged with
clouds he would hail that star which rose above the
tempest; and looked to the resolutions Of the Sena-
tor from Kentucky. He would propose to extend
the olive branch on the principle of compromise;
| and say, We, of the North, would meet the South
halfway, What is the spirit of MIR. Clay's reso-
iutions! he says no power on earth can ever make
him vote to plant slavery where slavery does not
exist already; and on that platform, men of the
west and north stand beside him. He proposes
| that slavery in the District of Columbia be left
without any interference, until the State from
which it was detached shall abolish slavery. He
says that the owners of fugitive slaves should be
enabled to recover their property.
| Slavery has been stgmatzed by some of our le-
gislative bodies as great crime; and our breth-
rem in the South, being thus insulted, must natu-
rally become alarmed for their own rights. If
| slavery ia crime, it was introduced by accident,
| and perpetuated by necessity,
The first question to be considered, in this crisis,
was, that this Union is now in danger. He would
| not attempt to foretell what might be the conse-
quence to this Union he would not attempt to
calculate what would be the cost to ourselves, to
others, to our common country, and to humanity.
But If II was to be dissolved, it must be by nigh
| tier events than now control And if it was to
be dissolved, the fathers of the revolution would
hover over us, and mingle their laments with the
elements OF the gathering storm. This was not a
contest between the North and South; but the
mighty mass arising and struggling for the Union.
| New York was the centre of the commerce of this
country and would be the last to leave the Union.
She might well be called the key stone of that
mighty arch, which time may destroy, but nothing
! else can do.
JAMES X. WHITING, esq.--Fellow countrymen,
| it was no ordinary occasion on which they were
| now called together. II was not as party. II
was not as Democrats-it was not as Whigs-not
as Abolitionists-nor as factonists of any sor-but
| ms Unionists, and Unionists solely. They
| were called together on the first platform which
all the various parties in their common country,
except the Aboltionsts, Could meet, and give each
other the right hand of fellowship responding from
the heart which beat in one and all of us for the
| Union, and the Union only; and, under that
Union, We shall all die. A black cloud had arisen
over us in the southern hemisphere, bewildering
ms with the aspect of widespread ruin and carry
ing unto distant shores the dreaded prospect that
Freedom, Equality, Liberty and Union are coming
TO an end. That several stars about TO fall
from our emblazoned banner, and all for some in
justice that we have done the South. He stood
there to speak word of truth, and would, there
fore, admit that the North had failed in its duty
the South; and it was high time that they should
grid about their loins the panoply of justice, and
mete out TO the South that which was due TO them
under the Constitution under which we live, and
that Union which we so much prize. Let them
but do justice, even handed justice, TO the South
and when that was DONE all the cause Of quarre
would be removed, and the South must then s
down under our fig tree, the Constitution of our
common country. One instance of injustice wal
the violation of the compact Of the Union by which
H ss.l -
returning them their slaves, when they came with.
in our Jurisdiction.
by the fanatcism, as IL was called, Of Abolition
ism, but which might be called by other names
such as robbery, felony, fraud, burglary, and vii
lany, some OF our States refused to carry out the
law in relation TO that part Of national compact
which first brought us together. 1t part and
parcel OF our agreement in our original compact
and we are bound 10 stand by oaths, that wher
slave escaped, and when the owner proved hi
property, we should yield them up. We hsy,
not done 30; and until we were Just, we could no
call on them TO be either generous or Just. w,
have seen, in this city, men claiming and proving
their property, and prove the laws Of Maryland b,
= man who has seen these laws in operation Blu
he elected from court, because he had not seei
the identical book there produced in their court
G OF justice. he would go as far as any 10 re
: lieve men from bondage, but he would not violat
the principles Of the Constitution, which enrolle,
in its original provisions, and made il the dut,
Of the States, that they should give up slave
+. VIC expect justice we must also do IL, and carr,
4 out the law which had been passed, TO permi
= owners 10 claim their properly whenever the,
r could prove IT, He had defended several case
c of this sort, and from the experience which h
4 derived from his intercourse with gentlemen fron
q Georgia and other slavehoIding States, ne neve
: found one ri them who was unwilling 10 par
, with his slaves on terms which man could oh
e ject TO- He had defended one colorcd man, si
feet high, as fine looking man az he ever saw 4
> Broadway, and he defended the ground that n,
o,cn father claimed him a slavel and on the proc
Of that fact being given, the jury found in his avoi
y and North Carolina found no FAULT with IL and 3
viii Georgia and South Carolina act ALSO II we Civ
y them but even handed justice. He had been cor
o cerned in another case, in which Mr.. Lee,
> Maryland, as high minded and az chvslrous a ma
n as ever lived, came TO New York, and found her
= his body servant, whom he permitted 70 go ever
where, and who had been treated better than man
J. men in New York who claimed 10 be free. Som
d free negroes had persuaded him 10 run away, an
J. In nine out Of every ten IL IL the infu
J. ence which causes slaves 10 abandon their MASTER
J. The slave was willing to return with him, bot
writ OF hnbeas corpus was taken out by some of N
y Abolitonists, although had made an arranremer