The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-06-06

| together; the brutal and outrageous treatment
colored citizens Of the free States who visit Sout
Carolina, Louisiana and some four or five oth'
Southern States the act Of 1893, which for nearl
fifty years compelled the State magistrates OF th
North to assist in the recapture of fugitive slave,
and the surveillance Of the Slave Power over th
post office, breaking open letters and debating
the carriers Of the mail what shall and what sha
M be conveyed by them. Passing over these topic
with this rapid glance, proceed to some kndre
considerations.
paragraph are condensed from the pamphlet edi
tiOn Of the speech, in which they are commented
| upon in detail. In order to find room for th,
| speech in the Era, and such other matter as de
handed our attention, Mr.. Julian consented Il
the abridgment mentioned, thus shortening the
speech about two columns
The slave population Of the Union in 1890
when the first census was taken, was about
seven hundred thousand; it has now grown tC
three millions, covering fifteen States, and more
than equals the whole voting population of the
Union. This, by the way surely cannot be
| Northern encroaehment The population of the
United States In 1910 was seventeen millions
The white population Of the South was four
millions seven hundred and eighty-two thousand
| FIVE hundred and twenty The number Of slave
holders does not appear TO be capable Of any ex-
| act sscertsinment, and has been vsriously esti-
mated from one hundred thousand TO three hun
| dred thousand II we take into the account the
actual number Of Slaue opHeTS, exclusive Of their
| families, fair estimate at present would prob
| ably be two hundred thousand and many Of
| these, doubtless are minors and women The
p8ita fetss sson 2S ~ sroe' 6iairs IN 1896 .Was
nine millions six hundred and 6fty -four thousand
eight hundred and sixty-hve. BY comparing the
| Shareholders with the non-slaveholders Of the
South, according to their number an here estima-
ted, it will appear that the former constitute only
about one tweaieth Of the white population of the
slavehoding States This is what we call the
slave power. This is the force which is to dis
| solve the Union, and before which Northern men
bow down TO offer up their homage. These
| two hundred thousand shareholders, composed in
part of women and minors, lord II over three
millions of slaves; keep in subsection four or
| five millions Of non-slaveholding whites Of the
South, besides the free blacks; and at the same
| time control at their own will, from nine to ten
millions of people in the free States, whose Rep
] resentstives trembe and turn pale ut the impo-
| tent threats of their Southern 0verseers. Now,
bearing in mind that the population Of the free
States is and generally has been, about double
that of the slave States let us glance at the mo-
nopoly which this slave power has secured TO
| itself of the offices of the Government. This
may serve further to illustrate the subject Of
| Northern aggression.
OF the sixty-one years the Government has
been in operation, the Presidency, with its i'm
mense power and patronage has been filed by
shareholders about forty-nine years, and by non
Shareholders only little more than twelve years
Seven of our Presidents have been slave own
! ers-four not and some Of these had to give de-
| cided assurances to the South in order to be
elected. The South has secured the important
Cabinet Offices in the same way Thus Of nine
| teen Secretaries Of State, fourteen have been
shareholders, and only five non-slayeholders;
the Treasury, the South has had more than her
share Of all the Cabinet appointments. The
slaveholding States have had the important Office
of Speaker Of this House for more than thirty.
eight years, the free States only about twenty.
three years. The South has had twelve Speak
ers, the North only eight. The same inequality
has prevailed in the foreign diplomacy of the
i Government More Of our foreign ministers
by about one-fourth, have been furnished by the
South than the North. Turn to the Judiciary
The Chief Justice has been from the slave States
about forty thine years and from the free States
only twelve years although much the larger por-
ton of the business of the court originates in the
latter And II Is o remarkable fact that ut no
period since the formation of the Government
| has the North had majority on the Supreme
| Bench. The South has received the appoint
ment Of thirteen judges Of the court the North
only twelve; and has, | repeat, always had the
majority Did the time allotted me permit,
might pursue this subject more in detail IL
seems, however, unnecessary for O distinguished
Southern gentleman Mr.. MEADE himself adj
mits, that although the South has been in nn-
merical minority for fifty years, she has man
aged during the greater part Of that period to
control the destinies Of this nation" What
more could she ask Why, even now, whilst the
cry of Northern aggression continually meets
us, the South has slsveholding President elected
by Northern votes, a slaveholding Cabinet, a
slaveholding Supreme Court, a slaveholdipg
Speaker of this House, with slaveholdng CON-
mittees In both Houses whilst slaveholding infu-
ences are increasingly at work in hushing the
anti-slavery agitation, and buying up one after
another Northern men, who are as mercenary In
heart rs they are bankrupt In moral principle
Sir, there is truth in the declaration Of John
Quincy Adams, that "the propagation, prsserpa.
tion and perpanatioa Of slavery Is the vital and
animating spirit Of the National Government"
Still, Southern gentlemen read us daily homi-
lies here on the encroachments Of the North and
the threat Of disunion Is the thunder with which,
as usual we are to be driven from our purpose,
and frightened into accomplishing silence. Mr.
Chairman, the time has come when Representa-
tives from the free States should speak plainly. 1
Shall blind fear Of dissolution of the Union
make us slaves ourselves7 The Federal Consti-
tuition was ordained, among other things, TO Sc
cure the blessings Of liberty. "The hour has
come when we are to adopt or reject the degra-
ding principle, that slavery and freedom are
twin-sisters of the Constitution, joined In 81
amese union, one and inseparabie; TINT our IA
Tiers fought to build up q prison-house and a
palace as the appropriate wings Of the temple Of
liberty that In the flag they rallied under, the
stars were for the whites and the stripes for the
blacks that the North Is to have leave for vir-
tuous prosperity only by maintaining the South
In q prosperity dependent on oppression and
crimer This Is the question forced upon us by
the South, and II must be met. There can be no
such thing NJ lodging II. four view Of the Con-
sttution and its objects be correct we have rights
under IL which the South should not withhold
II her view Is the true one, and slavery Is the
great concern Of this nation, 70 DO upheld and
fostered by sill It's power, then we should under
stand II at once. Sir, | entertain no such opin-
ion Of the Government under which We live, ]
have shown that our fathers entertained no such
opinion. We mean TO stand by the Constitution
az they understood It. We only ask our consti-
tutional righta We simply demand return OF
the Government to It's early policy In relation TO
slavery. speak frankly. ] am willing to sub.
nit TO wrongs already INFLICTED but II further
submission be exacted as the price OF the Union,
would say TO our Southern friends, take the pu.
trescent corpse Of slavery into your embrace, and