The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1851-08-29

| least treated with great lndignlty. The pro
ductions Of those islands and slave Iabou
wero then of great importance to England
and the movement was looked upon as .
direct blow to her prosperity and commercial
| wealth. The proposition for emancipation
was secuted and received but slender suppor
in the British Parliament for years. Anc
yet Wilberforce lived to see the day when l,t
! bore down the common sense and talent O
England by mad fanaticism and wild philan
trophy. The deed was consum,nated against
the judgment of the thinking classes. And
the prime minister of England, in the same
speech, by which he carried the emancipa.
ton bill, congratulated the country that he
would thereby, finally be enabled to with.
draw troops from these West India stations
and place them in Ireland Emancipato
the black man of the West Indies and station
British bayouets to keep in slavery the white
man of Ireland ! What comment on Bri-
tish philanthropy J. And what has been the
results Ireland under the British bayonct,
in chains and perishing with starvation-the
West Indies free, yet poor, miserable, and
wretched, in degradation and ruin. And
this is what the world called humanity!
The movements for emancipation in
France and England were then transferred
to the United States. And as short time
ago, rs 1884 and '35, when first entered
Congress, it was talked of as belonging to
few obscure fanatics who were considered
madmen and utterly unworthy of all kind of
notice. They we're merely laughed at. In
1886 they began to send in petitions quite
frequently, TO abolish slavery in the District
of Columbia, &c. Gen. Hammond and my
sell, although very young members, at that
time, made the question of reception on
those petitions. 1t produced great excite
ment, and it was thought even by Southern
members that we were ultra and extrava-
giant in our views. l recollect we'll, in
speech I then delivered, denying the Consti-
tutional right Of the government to abolish
slavery in the District of Columbia without
the consent of Virginia and Maryland. l
said that there was danger from this party of
abolitionisln, and that the day would come
when they would hold the balance of power,
and overrun both parties at the North and
endanger the existence of this Union. I
was pronounced madman, and it was grave
ly put forth in New York paper that ]
ought to be expelled from the House of Rep
resentatives for such sentiments. A large
majority even of Southern members had
decided feeling against me on these points.
Things went on rapidly growing worse and
worse until 1887. Mr.. J. @. Adams pre-
sented petition from twenty three slaves of
Fredericksburg, Virginia-praying Congress
to. abolish slavery 6sc. -Thil produced great
excitement, and after much discussion, it end
ed finally in the House passing resolution
which was equivalent to affirming that slaves
had right to petition. Tho Southern
members called meeting and I proposed
that we would not again take our seats un-
til the obnoxious resolution were repealed by
the non-slaveholding members themselves.
After several days of excitement, my pro-
posi- tion was voted down and the resolution
was repealed by the assistance Of Southern
votes. refused to vote at all, and never
afterwards attended any caucus of Southern
members on the subject of slavery. was
rebuked as an agitator, and, in circular ad-
dressed by the delegation from Mississippi
to their constituents, was openly denounc-
ed as traitor to the Union, while others
were praised for saving the Union. mere
ly mention these things now, to show the
rapid progress Of events, and not to show
the humble part may have had in them,
for 1 only happened to be put in that posi-
tion from the deep interest I then felt 10 the
matter.
1t was about this period that Mr.. Adams
began to assume the doctrine that Congress
might have power over the whole subject of
slavery in the States-and used the remark
able language upon the floor, when asked by
gentleman from Alabama, what he would
do if abolition produced sluices Of blood, lie
exclaimed ingreat excitement, "Let it flow !!
Let it flow!P' mention Mr. Adams mere
ly because he was the great leadero agita-
tion-and gave form and consistency to IA
naticisn. His high position and eminent
abilities gave dignity and power to all those
movements which were started under his ad-
vice, and which will end where, Isincerely
believed, ho desired them to end, in disso-
luton of this Union Then came on the ex-
citement, as to recognition Of independence
and annexation Of Texas. A large portion
Of the North were enlisted against Texas,
simply on the ground that it might increase
the power of the slave States. They de
clared often and over in their resolutions and
through their papers that annexation of Tex
as would bs a dissolution Of the Union
This has been tbeirnfeeling ever since the
purchase of Louisiana. Mr.. Josiah Quincy,
an able and leading member of Congress,
from Massachusetts, when the bill for the
admission of Louisiana was before Congress
used this language: aIf this bill passes 1t il
/ my deliberate opinion, thatit is sYirtually+a
Elisssiatiou Of Che Union-that IL would free
6tatea from their moral obligations aud