The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-11-23
From the ouachiia tl.a.l Register, Oct 81.
spss ch Of Gen. y. w. Downs,


From oaachi,s tls) Register, octal.
Speech Of Gen. .. w. Downs
On tho Compromise oaa Sesson delivered public meeting
IN Monroe, Oct T. 1851.
tcoscLuDgD.1
But now lei us come back 10 the main pointihe rule
Of the majority. Can free government exist wilhou.
III No. not for day Ii is only another name for the
power Q. sovereignty Of The people There Is and must
where. which is final. and from which there is no ap
peal Where does reside in our county, not IN the
people and bow can i manifest IT'S strength except BY
the antagonist OF monarchy and or the other must
exist everywhere government exists. Where there
is neither OF these. there is government, bat anar
chy 1t must exist in aristocratca government, how
small the number OF the privileged order. every
where, where the power IS not in one person Mr. Soue
finds himself IN minority, and will not submit! Well,
suppose yield to him. and The minority shall rule:
how do you ascertain the will Of this minority except by
the principle Of the maior!y' Well, you divide again,
and he falls into second minority and refuses to sub
init again and SO he must continue TO descend until he
finds person left but himself and then, indeed, but
not I'LL then. will be get clear OF Ibis eyi-its 'at Of the
Majorty. tie becomes a monarch, and then his evil
genius ceases TO follow him. In no other way he
get clear Of IL Therefore, he who opposes the majority
rule must necessarily from the nature of the case, be in
Oh, no! this will not do You might as well expect
TO see ocean without wacr-a connagration without
hreor q world OF vedure and beauty without sun--as
10 have any kind OF government excep, pure despoc
monarchy without the rule OF the majority governed
US in our natal day OF Independence, and every day oil
hearts and souls that il may never leave us-NEyER,
NEVER, NEVER
Mr. Soale was greatly puzzled. i seems, to know
what motives influenced my course on the Compromise
and at last he made the discovery in my New York
speech The first inquiry that this proposition suggests
is How happened ii to be the peculiar province OF my
colleague to py into and watch my motives One
would have thought he had enough 10 DO TO be sure the
motives OF one oil Lousianas senators were with
out taking charge OF both. II is against the rules OF the
Senate to mpute improper motives 10 brother senator
and shall impue none 70 my colleagues but if ne never
trbuled to himself for bis that measureso
very suddenly and Unexpectedly takenl presume he Is
almost the only senator that did not
York speech "Convlnced al Washington by The patriot
of their Representatives. that the northern people
sound pledged mysy 10 NE support IF The Compromise
And again thus as .Ni,o York goes goes III. North, and
the North goes goes The South and in the end shall all
50 egeh<r." The last understood. he dwe and re-
almost s,song OF il, used no such language. have
seen II in any report OF my speech, though have
many. There are no such words in correct copy
have OF the speech published first in the Journal OF Com
merce. and republsbed in the Union; and do not be-
lieve il is to be found in any fair report made and pub
lished in good faith. anywheremat any ra,e i il is
short, and delivered without preparation; and
was in Washington before il was published next morn
ing in the New York papers, and consequently had no
under such circumstances any objectionable mater,
such as that quoted, had appeared, might well have
been excused for il.
will now re he only IRIS The speech that al
all resemble Tho quoted, aud you will see they arc
very different; and what wish 10 call your attention TO
quoted BY Mr.. s do. the argument which is basel on
thcm-hat OF New York much against
the South You will find said nothing about the rep
resentatives but based my confidence altogether upon
what had derived from northern senator's Here the
true extracts without the least change By me. Speak
ing OF the aPprehcn'ons Of some Of The people of Loui
siana. as to the disposition OF the North, I said
conradcted these misgivings in advance. did not
see the news from the North, but though, knew your
people, knew your distinguished senator (Mr. Dickn
SOM [chcers]-l knew the late from Msssachu-
sets MI Webster)-l knew the senator from Michigan,
INT Cass,) the senator from Illinois. tMr DougIas)
and numerous others from the free States. had con-
vesed with these senator's and they assured that the
people OF their several States sound the question:
and in orn STATE Ipteded myself 10 The tlah II their Stale
nenl"
Again, I said:
One OF The most decided statements ever made this
point was in my own StaeIn Baton Rouge, the seat OF
government pointed TO the example of Judge Douglas
Of Chicago-to the example oil Cass aud Webster and the
President Of the United States Loud cheerog,l told
them that had faith, and that they ought 10 have faith
IN the North Yei was told by some and The press at
New Orleans, tina, dared not repeat there what bad
said ten days before did repeat it in their ieeih and
glad this day see tina, everything then said in
your behalf correct The feelings that ac,uae you
will acluate Others. and the sentiments you have ex
city Of New York possessed OF wealth and intelligence
beyond any other city OF the Union Never both
TO this allimporian, subject Alta critical period in the
late Congress, all must recoect with gratitude that Pc
tition, signed by 10000 of the citizens of New York,
came TO relieve and cheer Applausc Go on, then,
with the good work. None can do II mere edeciually
than you. None can be more interested in IT,"
made no aluson TO representatives. There Is moth
ing in my speech at all like these words quoted by Mr.
Soule "tha abollionism longer 10 be preached
and practised in the North that aggression upon them
put end to from that quarter" All the express
slons oil confidence 10 northern senators, such
have noticed and 10 the city of New York and submit
10 you now. when you take into consideration The pa
Otto course OF these Senator's aud the noble stand which
the city OF New York has taken ever since her great
meeting the Battery, after the Compromise passed
the fact that grs Stare captured her borders has
been delivered according 10 law, and many OF the an
noying expenses to claimants betrayed by her-wbe,her
not justified in all The confidence | reposed, and
whether there much TO despair OF the execu-
lieve when reflect that il has been executed IN Bos
ton, Buffalo Chicago, Detroit and other placeshe very
hot beds OF abolionism-wbee, before the passage OF
this law. such attempts would have been laughed 10
scorn. Even the late unfortunate affair in PennsyIva
has proven the efficacy OF the law for when before the
passage OF the law, another citizen OF Masy land
murdered in similar Affair." the offenders remained un.
punished; whereas already, by the energetic
measures, both by the State and federal authorities civil
and military, the offenders, white and black, the late
oursge have been arrested and committed to prison. and
there every reason 10 believe will be punished accord
ing TO law. Where did the Stale authority the mill
tary interpose in such before the law
The letter OF the committee which invited me to adj
dress this meeting requested my opinion The cons,u.
tlona right Of State to secede peaceabIy from the
Union and on the resolutions passed at the late AexaD-
Ora congFessiona convention. Considering that both
heterogeneous involve substantially the question:
shs consider both together do believe that State
bas the constitutional right peacesby secede from the
Union shall not discuss the subject al length having
ma ~ m nm q, ,.x