The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-12-30
THE IsEPU BLIC.
speech Of Hon. Robert Toombs.
MLLEDGEvfLLE, DEC. IL, 1850,
Wednesday Evening.


Wednesday Evening.
The friends of the Union, agreeably to the call,
assembled in the Representative Hall, at o'clock,
Il. NJ.
On motion OF Mr.. Russell of Lumpkin, Gen. ].
w, A. Sandiord, of the county OF Baldwin, was in
vited TO the chair, to act as President OF the meet
The Hon. RoBEnT TooMBs was then introduced
to the meeting.
Mr. TooMBs said:
Mr.. CHAIRMAN AND FELLOW -cITIzESs Ii gives
me very great pleasure TO meet this large and
1 lightoncd assembly of my oountrylnen upon this
OCCASION. Ii is not for the purpose Of reviewing the
events Of the last three months OF the ast thirty
days, that l now appear before you This is
unnecessary. The question has been argued it has
been submitted TO the grand inquest OF the coun-
ry-of the State OF Geor gia-1nd a verdict render
ed, ana see around me the agents oi the people,
the representatives OF the people, who have come to
record that verdict.
| think we may with some confidence Assure our
selves that the present is safe IL is to the future
we must now look and must look to the past
only ior light to guide in that future. The pre-
sent assembly Of Georgians is interesting upon
many accounts. Sixty three years ago our fathers
met together In order TO consider OF our federal re-
lations, to make a more perfect union, to establish
justice and to perpetuatc liberty for themselves and
their posterity. The result OF their deliberations
was the adoption of present constitution, under
which we have enjoyed 80 much individual pros
perity and acquired much OF national reDown;
and from that time TO the present there has been
no convention of the people of Georgia held for the
same purpose. This is the second time that such
an assembly has met. We have met to put
that government trial, determine whether the
convention has produced those beneficial results
which was expected from II; and whether Its work
ings has been such to require US to destroy 1t,
and again 10 enter upon the hazardous experiment
oil abolishing the old and adopting new system of
government, political alliances, and
constitution. In my judgment the verdict which
has been rendered is such as TO give hope to the
friends Of liberty throughout tins country and
i throughout the world. Our political system has
been weighed the balance by the people, and as
yet not found wanting While partakng of the
imperiectons and shortcomings of all human in
stitutions, under it we have enjoyed more of public
happiness, more OF private prosperity and secu-
rity, than any other government in the world.
The prosperity of our State is triumphant
demonstration the truth this proposition At the
time Of the first onvention oi Georgia, to which
referred, were less than sixty thousand inhabi-
tants; poor feeble. beleaguered by Indians, with
out security at home consideration abroad Now
the commonwealth has increased TO near million
of population, great, prosperous, and happy, with
a moral social, and intellectual progress, not only
equaling, but surprising the foremost in the
| see before now her hardy sons, the represent
atives of her freemen, who have come from her
mountains and her seaboard, from her rich valleys
and her fertile plains, from her palaces and her
cottages, record her verdict in favor OF the
tinuance and, trust, the perpetuity OF this Gov
ernment. There Is another interesting feature con
E nected with this transaction The time, the cir
cumstances under which this verdict mas been
dered, well as the verdict itself. illustrates the
American character in its most striking, its proud
est and most hopeful characteristics. We see mo-
thing like il in the old world There political dis
cussion is the usual forerunner OF revolution. There
ght 10 decide upon government Is Its rtain
condemnation. There government seems to bc
considered the natural enemy of the people. Theo
retically the purest government In Europe is anu
! must be sustained by five hundred thousand sol-
J. ders. Here all the powers conferred upon govern
: ment could do has been done by the will of the
X people. We have seen our countrymen for the last
two months peaceably assembling together 90 take
counsel Of each other concerning their common
rigbts and mutual safety gathered together at their
court houses in their peaceful groves and on their
. | common highways, and, face TO face, discussing
!, the policy of their Government the acts of their
n Government, and then marching calmly, unawed
% by power unseduced by attery, TO the ballot box
and declaring their Government yet worthy of the
| confidence of a free people.
|. The events which gave rise 10 this action Of the
= people were of no ordinary character. In my OPT
, / MON the country "a danger. There a
= res Of events which IL u necessary 10 DIV ell
but which require TO be mentioned before we shall
p be brought 10 our main point. The western boun-
dairy VI our country mad been CARRIED by successful
war TO the waves of the Pacific. IL became the
duty Of Congress 10 provide proper government
NJ for acquisitions. This brought the slavery
question 10 a practical issue. The question OF do
inestic slavery is not question. IL existed IL
the Revolutionary vaf; indeed, II existed in tb'
: colonial government. IL entered into the counse
;" Of our fathers in the convention which framed tn,
. Constitution, and more than once threatened tS
" break up the friendly relations which existed
- among then but the counsels OF wisdom prevailed
and they agreed 10 cOnlprOinisc the question, ant
they planted that compromise IN the heart OF tho
-, convention. The acquisition OF Louisiana agar
: impcrilled the Union. In 1920 the voice of Mr.
Jefferson sounded the cry thai the Republic ia
n danger; bat the question was settled by compro
y mise which all now admit ought never 10 have beer
=. demanded, aud should not have been surren
y corcd.
" The question has since assumed a still more for
j midablc appearance. The people Of the North, ia
'46 "a, and rs demanded that there should be n,
p slaves carried into the ncw Territories which haS
T. been acquired, and passed act 20 prohibit j
through the House Of Rcprescuiatives-that coun
try already free should remain free that thcrl
should be more slave States admitted into th'
8 Union. Such was the declaration Of the North
The enomcs Of social order at the North who cvcrJ
day pray for the downfall Of this Government, a
v the important Crisis, threw other questions con
A. nectod with slavery into the great caodrOn Of agi
tstiOn. When the North declared, through four
v teen Of their Legislative assemblies, that they had
q night 10 exclude you from those Territories, by
positive prohibitory legislation you told them yoI
,e ready 10 resist IL. agreed In this doclsra
r ton Of the southern States When they declared
that they would exclude you from those Terrific
rice you declared that II they did you would resist
. When they asserted that they would not surrender
fugitive from labor; that they would not give you
an efficient measure for recapturing hm, declaring
that II against their oonscences, and that there
}, was higher Law than the Constitution OF the Uni-
4 ted States which governed them, you said surren-
der our property or will separate; endorse IT,
agreed with the Southern States IN each Of their
: then positions, that II Congress should abolish
I
grcss should refuse 10 pass efficient fugitive
slave law-that II she should pass law excluding
our property from the Territories, that VIC would
c resist tue Government held my party allegiance
subordinate To the maintenance of these positi
e ! and aba ndoned il for their maintenance. When
4 the friends of the South and Of the Union at tho
n North found that the positions which the North
r. assumed upon these questions pcrillcd the exist
y cnce OF the Union, backed as they were by party
;. organizations hacked by public opinion -bsc ked
/. by clergymen and by lsymen, these friends who
4 were favorable TO the Union seeing their country
!. was in danger, came 20 the rescue. After eight
j. months of angry discussion, Notwithstanding their
declsrations, they passed Wilmot proyiso.
There lees than sixty votes for Il in the House
where the Northern States have majority Of forty
nine. The question Of the abolition Of slavery in
the District Of Columbia Jared worse. The Fugi-
tive Slave law bad some tvonty-sir Democratic
d and three Wing votes from the Northern States.
This could scarcely have hoped; yeti found tina,
q the love OF the Union s stronger than fanaticism
After reviewing the events of the last sir eight
months, before God believe that there is act OF
Justice which the people OF all portions of this Union
r. will not render whenever the Union i In danger.