The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-29


designed 70 devote tew mepsepss. he could say
with the gentleman Who had preceded him, theA
he would rather be Gstsner thap speaker. u
Was not certain that he should have an 0pporlun-
ity to speak in the House Of Representatives, on
a subject W which reference had been made,
owing to the nature ofths rules Of thai body, and
which would have been announcement to the gen
tleVBan himself. Il was unnecessary for him to
add any thing, if be could. u the general reAec-
tons Oh the subject, which had been SO eloquent
" delivered here tonight, and therefore he should
abstain from trespassing the attention Of the
audience. lie should withhold the proposition
which he intended TO offer. Voices Lets have
i'm
What he had intended to submit was a resolu-
tion--shat the harmony ofthe States Of this Union
would be promoted by the voluntary emigration
Of free blacks, and il would be sound policy on
the part of the Government to adopt all efficient
measures within the range of acknowledged row
er for the encouragement Of African colonization.
la speaking Of this, he had intended some re-
Elections on the first part Of the proposition. The
harmony Of the States, the peace Of the Union,
and its perpetuity, would be promoted by the OBJ
ject which the society has been endes voring 10
carry out for the last thirty years. This would
have connected itself with the great questions of
policy and sectional disputes which have agitated
this country for some years, and hardly yet ceased
to operate on its peace and prosperity.
He had said that the proposition was somewhat
circumscribed, and he intended to con6ns himself
particularly and exclusively to the effect on the
subject which seemed TO have operated on the
minds Of statesmen and the country the surrender
Of fugitive slaves, and the Constitution which re-
quires this at the hands of the people Of this Con-
federacy. II is the existence of large number
of free blacks which causcs the excitement among
the slaves in the extreme Southern States, which
has rendered them unhappy, and excltes them to
escape, aud to commit numberless crimes in the
country where they are located.
He intended to show, further, that they are not
only the means Of exciting slaves to escape, but
that they afford the means Of concealmcnt, which
would not exist to the same extent If the free ne
groes were fewer.
He had intended to show that il was chiefly the
population of free blacks in the free States who
commit violations of law which has produced SO
much excitement recently in the attempts to res
cue fugitive slaves from their masters, and has
caused resistance TO the execution of the law And
il was the influence of "a large body Of free blacks
which gives rise to the sentiment Of abolition in
the Northern States, and ensts in support and aid
Of these excited mobs the assistance Of white
men, who, Of themselves, and without this ex-
element afforded by the free blacks, would not
exist, and would not participate in the attempts
to violate the law passed under the authority of
the Constitution. BY pursuing this course Of arr
gument he had expected to show that one of the
greatest evils and the petty Of riots arise
from this very population of free blacks in the
Northern and Southern States.
He remembered letter from the Hon. Rob-
ert J. Walker, on the subject of the annexation Of
Texas, in which that gentleman endeavored to
show that in 1853 there would be four hundred
thousand free blacks in the six States Of New
York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois,
and Indiana in 1865, eight hundred thousand in
1890, sixteen hundred thOusand that, including
the insane deaf, blind. and dumb, and convicts Of
that class, the cost Of maintaining them, &C.,
would be, in 1853, rec and third millions OF
dollars: IN 1865, six and wo-third millions; and
in 1890, thirteen and one-tnird millions Of dollars.
He had intended to devote some time TO the eu-
cidation Of his latter proposition, namely that
the Government has the power to do this thing,
encourage colonzation.) He thought that he
was able to show this to be competent, as a mat
ter of positive sef-preservation, and 10 deny such
power to the Government was to deny to the
Government that without which government
can exisl-the power Of self-preservaton.
The war power has been looked upon an in
strument Of attack or defe.ce; but phenomenon
has occurred in the physical world. That which
exhibits itself the jagged lightning, formerly an
object Of snpersitlous fear, has been adapted TO
, convey information thousands Of miles in mo-
ment Of time; no doubt it would be chained to q
car and made motive power for the benefit Of
man, and produce light and heat for useful pur-
poses. SO 1t will lie with the thunderbot Of war,
which has carried desoa,on in it's track, and
crushed nations Every sea has been crImsonel
by blood, and thousand argoses have gone
down by the destructive blast. BY the war power
under the Constitution, to equip and sustain d
navy, we propose TO establish line of steamers,
to ply to Of the most important nations of the
z ODE. We have established Geographic lines of
| ocean steamers, and need only one more-a ter
minus, or pole, to touch up Africa, SO that the
light Of commerce may be struck into her dark
I IL r..
light, but by that of disenthralmsnt and civilian
ton, for which the society has so long labored.
As 10 the establishment Of the line OF steamers
TO Africa, he had only this to say, 30 far as the
proposition was concerned that he had become
mixed up with it. He should not look hack, but
in the distance, until he should succeed or fall 4,
with the best energies which he possessed. Since
this had been presented 10 Congress, some at
tempts have been made at rival schemes, based
on the same idea, and not, in his judgment, sur
passing it in any Of Its features. With regard to
the individuals connected with this scheme, they
have intelligence, capacity, ard enterprise to car
ry it out, il the patronage Of the Government be
afforded. They have the merit of having been
the first to present the scheme, and they enti-
tied the merit of inventors, and should have the
precedence in this respect, if their proposition is
not inferior to those OF others.
Closing with the proposition accompanied by
lho IStliaths atcstuf gwen. ho Il tuoob prey
nant commentary on the supposed bearing OF
these measures and these remarks, no sooner
had Mr. STANTON concluded, than Hon. ID. S
REED, a delegate from Pennsylvania, offered q
resolution TO the effect that ~ " THE RErUB-
Lie OF LIBERIA ought to be treated as an indie
pendent STATE, and submitting to our Govern.
ment the erpediency Of establishing relations o.
commerce and dmity ,oih that nation"
This was also passed without dissent, and sat
isfed with its evenings work, the Society nd
journed
In our notice of these proceedings, we have
reversed the order in which they took place, for
the purpose of pointing out 70 our readers the
results aimed at, and the action taken-by the
light Of which the true scope and intent of the
exhortations and admontions of Mr.. Clay
the arch agitator, and subtle informing spirit of
the whole machincry-might be clearly appre-
hended. Taking these as the commentary, the