The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-08-05
THE SLAVE QUESTION.
SPEECH OF
w. s. FEATHERSTON, OF Mississippi,
In the House Of Representatives., March 6, 1850.

w. s. FEATHERSToN, OF Mississippi,
| In the House Of Representatives., March g. 1850.
The House being in Committee of the Whole on the
state of the Union, on the President Message
| communicating the Constitution of California.
Mr.. FEATHERSToN said
| Mr.. CHAIRMAS 1t is not my purpose on this
occasion to engage in a general discussion of the
slavery question. shall eonfne my remarks
chiefly TO the admission Of California State
But before i proceed with my subject, must
digress for moment to notice briefly what trans
pired here few days since, when the gentleman
from Illinois Mr.. BrssELL. concluded his speech
II is known to you, Mr.. Chairman, that sought
the floor on that occasion TO reply to so much OF
his speech, at least had reference to the battle
Of Bueno Vista, the Mississippi, and Illinois reg
| iments. The floor was awarded TO the gentleman
from Massachusetts,, MIR. WINrHRoP,] and by
his kindness and courtesy, at my request, yielded
to me for a moment, to enable me to announce TO
the House that | would take the earliest oppor-
,unity of replying u that .i,oItso,t Of .he gentle
man 8 remarks to which l have already alluded.
| Since that time his speech has been published.
find in it no reflection on the Mississippi regiment.
| A correspondence has also taken place between
the colonel Of the Mississippi regiment [Hon.
| JEFFERSON DAVIS, and the gentleman from Hi
terminated satisfactorily to both parties. Since
this adjustment of the affair, with the colonel of
the Mississippi regiment, ! do not feel authorized
to make the reply which Iannounced to the House
on former occasion, | should do, on obtaining
the floor make this statement that my own
course may be understood,
shall now, Mr. Chairman, devote the balance
Of my hour to the admission Of California, be-
cause it is the first question, growing out of the
momentous subject of slavery, to be settled by
Congressional observation-disclosures its vast magni
tude and importance, involving, as believe, the
| Af II. tn.
for if California be admitted at this time, with her
present boundaries, and constitution, and attend
ant circumstances, precedent will be set, prin-
cple established, which will force all the terrific
ries into the Union as States, prematurely, I'M
justly, unconstitutonally, and to the entire exclu
| sion Of the Southern States trust then, before
this, or any other measure, involving consequences
Of such vast importance, shall be forced through
this House, an ample opportunity will be given
for the widest latitude Of debae--for the fullest
and freest discussion. This, sir, is no time for
hasty legislation on these questions Great are
the responsibilities resting this Congress
greater than on any one that has assembled since
the adoption of the Constitution; yes, sir, will
not except the Congress of 1776 that declared the
independence of the colonies. Upon the legisa-
ton of this Congress, believe the very existence
Of this Union itself depends-that Union, formed
by the purest patriots and statesmen, uniting, as
it now does under one form Of government, thirty
float in triumph. 1t is now in imminent peril.
When before, in the history of this Government,
Mr.. Chairman, have you known such discord and
angry debate, to characterize the proceedings in
this and the other end Of the Capitol? When
before, since we have had national existence,
have you known Union meetings called In North
ern cities and States At the same time, you see
the Southern States all moving to one common
object, Southern Convention called to determine
upon their policy and future course, in the event
that the measures of aggression, urged by the
North, shall be consummated
The people are aroused; intense excitement
pervades every section Of the Union; the great
American heart is excited; its pusations are quick
and unnatural. These are but few of the evil
dences of the dangers which now surround u.s.
Let no one, therefore, deceive his constituents or
any portion Of the American people. Let them
know the true state of the case. IL is upon them
that / rely for settlement of these questions
upon the honest masses Of the people, whose
Judgment upon the second, sober thought, is al
ways right They have no private purposes to
accomplish; no schemes of personal aggrandize-
ment to build up; nothing to serve, but the best
interests of their country. Unfortunately, poll
ticans sometimes have, and from them expect
but little. In considering, Mr. Chairman, the
question of the admission of California, frankly
admit that my vote would be controlled by what
now consider to be the well settled policy of the
Northern States, to admit no more slave States
into the Union, il no other reason existed for OPP
posing its admission. To restrict slavery within
its present limits---to admit no more slave States
into the Unon---seems to be question, on which
there is now but little difference of opinion in the
Northern States. 1t has been repeatedly declared
upon this floor, and in the other wing of the
capitol What said the gentleman from Pennsyl-
vania, Mr. Stevens,) but day or two. since' /
will give his own language:
s'Yes, sir; this admitted result is, to my mind,
one of the most agreeable consequences of the le-
gitimate restriction Of slavery. Confne this
malady within its present limits, surround it by
Gordon of freemen that it cannot spread, and in
less than twenty five years, every slaveholdlng
State in this Union will have on its statute books
law for the gradual and final extinction of sla-
very. Then will have been contaminated the
fondest wishes of every patriots heart. Then
will our fair country be glorious, indeed; and be
to posterity bright example Of the true princi-
Piles Of the government-of universal freedom"
But we are not left alone to the declaration OF
gentlemen on this floor in arriving at this conclu
sion. The resolutions passed by the Legislatures
of the Northern States, furnish unmisakable EVIL
dence of this policy The expression of opinion
and feeling by meetings held at the North, as well
as by the public press tends but to establish the
same fact. And, above all, sir, the journals of this
House, within the last four years, will leave no
room for reasonable doubt on this point. The
Wilmot Proviso forced through this body
pending the late war with Mexico, and before any
territory had been acquired, for the avowed pur-
pose Of excluding slavery from any acquisition
which might be made at the termination Of the
war j need not remark that was done by the
votes of Northern men. True, there were some
Northern men who voted against it, and for whose
defenceof Southern rights, that occasion, as on
all others, they are entitled to much credit. How
often has that measure passed this body since that
time And what is the object of Northern men
in seeking to apply the ordinance Of 1877 to all
the territoryi If slavery be excluded from all the
territories BY positive enactment, then they must
necessarily come into the Union as free States
The object, therefore, of this measure cannot be
disguised-the policy of the Northern States, can
not be misunderstood This policy not only pro-
poses to exclude slavery from the territories, but
to abolish the institution in the States where it
now exists, by surrounding them with Gordon,
of free States, and, in the language of the gentle
man from New York, Mr.. Dix, Starring Out the
institution" What, sir, is to be the policy
what the actionof the South, in this aspect of af-
farsi If she yield to this policy, the overthrow
of her institutions is inevitable. 1t is well de-
vsed scheme for the accomplishment of this OBJ
iect by the North. .,.