Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-04-27
SPEECH OF Mr.. ASHMUN,
OF MASSACHUSETTS,
ON THE SLAYER CUES ST. o N.
HousE OF REPRESENTATIVE, MAaca u, 1850.

hour which the rules allow will out, nor how much
NAV be compelled TO omit abrdge the discussion Of
some Of the topics which belong the For this
reason desire to set with the declaration that shall
sustain the bill for the admission of California as State
which is before unemoarassed by ana disconnected
FROM all other propositions place this statement disllncly
in the foreground order that the House and the country
NAV know at the outset what my course is to be- Tbs
course is the of the President
the table, and Is IN my Judgment iounoed IN wisdom
and PATRIOTISM and demands the exploitation OF the country
shall therefore give my for this bill whenever the time
for taking the question shall arrive
But sir when the time shall arrive for voting upon that
any the necessary OF legislation cannot foresee
For what a spectacle do present
We assembled here the third Of December last and we
in The last week of the fourth month Of the session
We struggled through six weeks of dsorganzaiion at the
beginning before could elect the officers which are neces
say for the performance Of single for which were sent
here. And now have exhausted nearly four entire
months, and have done nearly nothing Il Is true ina' we
have passed BILL which absolute necessity compelled us 70
do to ensure continuance of the collection OF the revenue
and did act Of grace by passing bill giving ne rank
ing privilege Mrs Polk Beyond that, think may say
we have done literally nothing With an overwhelming
Democratic party majority in the Senate and win sumcent
Democr tic power in this House elect Speaker, and to
secure every important committee, the whole legislative bus
ness Of Congress is brought 10 stand still The President
has in his annual message urged the attention Of congress
OF the highest and most pressing moment the
protection Of the labor of the people the interests
of agriculture the improvement Of harbors and rivers
the reduction the oppressive postage the census for
are forgotten carefully And even the message
itself has been thrust aside with contempt without
suing the usual and respectful course OF referring the several
subjects contained in it to the appropriate committees and
slumbers upon our table
WHY is this so What has smiten this Congress with
this sudden paralysis The answer is obvious We are alb
sorbed by struggle upon tie result OF which depends
whether human slavery should be extended into ter
rtoy of the United States which not darkened by it.
And what has peciptaed into this strife The answer
a simple one, and the tale short
We have Just emerged from of conquest into which
the country was suddenly plunged begun rue upon
other but idle and goundess preex; but begun really for
the purpose Of conquest purpose hiny yelled al hfst but
afterwards openly ayowed and finally the subject OF boast
We looked with longing eyes upon the possessions Of neigh
bor weak sister republic had fair provinces upon our
Southern borders, which coveted We sent our armies
there and they returned with those provinces as the spells OF
war. Our soldiers made the world ring with shouts OF
triumph victories of unsurpassed spendor and laid at our
feet one-,hd of the territory Of Mexico We expended one
hundred millions of dollars throwing in by way OF small
change, thousand American lives. But the soil that we
acquired was merely moistened by American blood II
thick with quickly springing dragons teeth For
hardly have the shouts Of victory from Buena Visa and the
palaces Of Montezum died away, and the buge Of truce
sounded the Of recall squadronshady have our
eagles folded their returning wings when our ears are pierced
by shrieks within borers Of discord, dssenslon
and dsuno aud threatened civil more disastrous than
has stained historic record and called to the daily
contemplation Of dismemberment Of empire more in
glorious far than that with which have smen Mexico
These the first fruits of and to-day we eat them
Sir the conquests of Mexico heretofore have never proved
of permanent power or glory 10 the conquefos
History has chapter full Of its teachings Spain once sent
her egons here and they returned home laden with bar
barrie pearl and god For time she Haunted her gotten
wealth in the face Of the world But, dazzed and bewdered
by her sudden riches enevaed by the enjoyment OF Its lux
uries and swollen by pampeed pde she soon became the
prey of intestine bro and sunk from her high estate Hos
tile armies foreign foe in pundered her capital and
trod out her nationality The spoer was despoed and
she became the and contempt of the world And when
L. A.
monarchy the spirit of the Mon,ezumas whose she had
extinguished, is well imagined to have exclaimed to her
cart thou too, fallen, iberia DO we see
The robber and the murderer weak swe'
Thou that has wasted earth, and dared despise
Alike the wrath and mercy OF the skies;
Thy pomp is in the grave thy glory laid
Low in the pit thine ayarice has made =!
Sir, may Heaven avert from US similar reality But
does mans thoughts suggest parallel And IS there
within the sound Of my voice upon whom the startling vision
of the future does rush For perhaps, the
Mexican whom have just humbed and made 10 bite the
DUST whose eyes Just withdrawn from bchodng the last
files Of our retiring victorious legons erecting himself upon
his desoaed hearth one his face glowing with the fire OF
vengeu hope he Strife begins feel that he
may live witness the day when he exutngy taunt us
with the exclamation, that though they could not withstand
the prowess of they have given US Mexican soil
which shall prove utter destruction
Yes, sir this condition of public affairs is the direct
and almost inevitable result of Of conquest But what
may be the ssue have here to-day the rejoicing
taon that neither people, share any part OF the re-
sponslbilly OF declafa0n OF the war IN
outset against its continuance and policy, uniformly pro-
tested and voted And when the contamination came, and
called upon vote appropriation Of fifteen mil
don dollars sal the bargain OF acquisition, them under
the lead Of the distinguished gentleman from Georgia. (Mr
STEPHEss,) who planted himself upon high constitutional
ground, and who like the of US, foresaw the evils that
follow, voted against it. saw, thought saw,
that the present unhappy struggle Of and that
If territory to be acquired slavery would demand an en-
there and that consummaon the free States OF this
Union would never consent to- We declared and
mpored friends Of the South to from the sug-
gle. And not alone; for well remember the warning
voice of the gentleman from Tennessee Mr. GENTRr,
who coming he did from slave State, in most emphatic
terms cautioned his friends believe in what the
North then declared. The clear Of that warning still
ring in my and though at the moment subjected him.
remember much Democratic deson, live to see at
this hour his prophecy in the process Of fulflment
Sir, review Of the origin progress, and results of the
full Of instruction. and suggests reflections of the most
solemn character but cannot larry to dwell upon them.
have said that the peciptaed into this strife hut
he who wishes know its whole history go step
further back There Is spring higher up the BILL which is
the great fountain from which these bitter flow. refer
to the annexation Of Texas II that supcndous scheme
for the extension Of slavery, conceived inquy and brought
forth in SIM which fully aroused the sumbeing ami slavery
feelings Of the Northern people, Then germinatcd that
solve which is pened and deeply rooted Before thar
there indeed abolition societies and abolition presses
but they had but little connexion with political questions
The agitation m,iny confined to that class of philanhro
pists whose mission be inemedde with the regua
ton Of their neighbours affairs and whose efforts generally
suit in making matters much worse than they be-