The southern press., 1851-12-29

that message | have always approved and my
friend to the right, the Hon. Mr.. Freeman, knows
that he and read from Jackson's proclamation,
his nullhcation message, and his farewell ad-
dress, on the stump all over Mississippi and our
adversaries did not dare to do it, Those gem
tlemen dare not read such docuYents The devil
would as soon be found setting on a fence, on a
frosty morning, reading the Holy Scriptures, as
those gentlemen would be found reading from
Jaekson's proclamation, or his nullihcation mes
sage, or his farewell address, am not ashamed
to confess that ] am Jackson man always
was. | agree with Jacksons views, as stated in
his messages. II that makes me consolida-
ZIONIST, am consodationist and should not
envy the man who is not in favor of this SORT of
consolidation; for it is the consolidation of
Washington, who thought lhat the consolidation
of the Union was a most capital thing.
The gentleman says that have been unfor-
tunate in the language have used, AS he has
been, because | introduced TO the Senate some
time ago the resolutions of the Mississippi con
vention, and approved of them. Why, on every
stump in the State of Mississippi--n every
Union speech which had the honor Of making
lin every Union speech which my friends had
the honor Of making, (and many of them made
both mastery and eloquent speeches,) I'VE put
ourselves on the ground of that October CON
vent,on; we referred to its address and resolu
tons with pride and pleasure. We declared
among Union men, with the appreciation of
Union men--with the appreciation of the mem
bers OF the convention aud the president of that
body-that those resolutions never looked to
secession but merely looked TO such disunon
as might be forced upon us by resolve to ruin
the South. II was merely meant to say that
revolution would be forced upon us by the
adoption Of the Wimot provso-by the aboli-
ton of slavery in the District of Columbia--by
the States, or by continued Withholding of our
constitutional rights, which have now been So
cured by the fugitive slave bill, which the gem
tleman seems to consider unconstilu utona
This, and other things which were mentioned
would be looked upon necessarily as evincive
Of such hostility on the part Of the North to
our ns itutions as would call upon us to some
extent to take counsel together, to know what
we were to do; and then, after exhaus,ing all
constitutional means of pacfcation, we would
do the best we could if disunion were forced
upon US. But certain it is, that we always
wished to maintain the Union nvolate. We
believed that the only safety for our domestic
institutions in this world, is under the American
hag-under the protection of this great govern
w.
and the gentleman will find that the institution
of slavery cannot be sustained as nobly as it has
been sustained. have done with that point
The gentleman says am responsible for the
Southern meeting which was held here about
three years ago. am proud to acknowledge
that am in some degree responsible for that
meeting. When the Southern representatives
assembled on that occasion there was not one
word of treason uttered There is not word
in the Southern Address which | do not stand
by now. You, Mr, President, signed it, Is it a
secession document! Certainly not Is i, a
notification document? Certainly not. We
related our rights, and made an appeal to our
w-citizens--a calm, dignifed, and mastery
appea-the object of which was to save the
Union, by having fraternal understanding with
our brethren Of the North. If had thought il
looked to disunon, would have hesitated long
before signed that document.
The gentleman has referred to proceeding in
the other House, which has been very often re-
terred to, sometimes for the purpose of ridicule,
and sometimes for the purpose of denunciation
| shall be very brief in my notice of it,. have
no sensibilitv on the subject. did state here,
that feared serious proceedings would occur in
the House of Representatives, and deemed il
my duty to state that such might be the case
A member off the House OF Representatives, who
is also now a member, informed me that. a mem
Der from the North had assured him that plan
was on foot to vote Speaker Cobb out of the
chair, in order to drag California in as a separate
measure That member declared that in the
event of any such movement taking place, he
should look upon il as n revolutionary proceed
ing, and should act accordingly. lie inquired
Of hat 4 .f; :, 1 al.
what he proposed to do was nothing but right
He asked me if | had pistol. told him that |
had not one that would suit his purpose, in case
any contest of arms should arise. lie then asked
me what sort of one would suit | rec mmen.
ded him to get Colts revolver ! said that if
such a revolutionary proceeding as that was re-
sorted to, after solemn warning; if contest
of arms was to occur, we should save our con.
stituents and fight it out here. had conver-
sation with the venerable Senator from Ken.
tucky Mr.. CLAY upon that subject This was
at time of great excitement 1t was proposed
to force California into the Union, as a separate
measure, under circumstances very disrespectful
as ! thought, TO the South. Such being the
case, did fear that bloody contest might occur
somewhere, and that if il did occur anywhere,
we had better fight it out here and be done with
it. Under such circumstances, came into this
body and urged some early action on the sub
lect AS Union man, as n man of peace
urged some early action on these great questions
wished them to be equitaby settled, with
view of preventing such scenes from occurring
Was that an ostentatious exhibition of desire
on my part to bring about such scenesl And
If the gentleman would look back, perhaps he
would find that that warning had more or less
effect, not in the way of alarming out in the
way, to some extent of opening the eyes Of true
patriots and philanthropists to the consequences
likely to ensue if we did not settle these ques-
tions speedily. The Texas boundary question
was then open. Speeches had been made upon
it, which ! denounced at the time-speeches
which thought calculated to incte the United
States troops in Mexico to shed the blood of
Texan citizens There were men in Nashville
as Mr. Henderson has shown, who gave him the
assurance that if Texas should hold the ques.
ton unsettled, they would send military force
to aid her. A collision of arms was almost in
evitable. Nothing in my opinion. but the sea.
sonable interposlIion of the President of the
United States, in message which has been so
much censured by many, and cooperative action
of Others, who did great deal more than has