The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-06-04

| abused. Dut II 0On ulslulO U lHUs hoNU
not lost nights sleep for great many
years. ] have some talent for sleeping.
Laughtcr.) And why should we not ex-
pect TO be lioeled Is not the Constitution
of the United States libeled and abused
Don't some people call it the production of
| hell L? l. not Washington libeled and abuseJf ?
|. he not called bloodhound on the track
| of the African negro? Are not our faith
ers libcled and abused by their own child
rem :? And ungrateful children they are
| and | am afraid, in some cases their moth
crs rlsyed false. Naughicr.) How, then,
shall escape? don't expect 10 escape,
but knowing these thiogs ! impute no bad
| motive 10 any one,
The great settlement measures Of the last
| Congress are laws. Many respectable men,
| representatives from your own State and
| from othe. States, did not concur in them.
| | don't impuie any bad motive 10 them.
| am ready 10 believe they are Americans all.
| They may not have thought them necessary
they may have thought these laws would
be passed without their concurrence. Let
all that pass away. If they are now men who
will stand by what is done, and stand up fnr
| their country, and say that these laws were
passed BY a majoriy The whole country
we must stand by them and live by them,
will respect them all as friends Gentlemen,
allow me to ask of you today, what do you
| think would have been the Situation OF tho
countr, at this time in your Judgment, Il
these laws had not been passed by Congresss
If the question OF the Texas Boundary
had not been settled, New Mexico and Utah
had been left as desert places, and no Gov
ernment had been provided for them and
if the other great measures, to which State
laws had opposed so many obstacles in tho
restoration Of fupitives, had not been settled
| ask what would have been the state Of this
country now? You men Of Erie County
you men Of New York; allure you 10 go
home 10 night and mediate on these sub
iecls. What would have been the state OF
| this country-now-at this moment--if these
laws had not Been passed | have given
nv opioion that we should have had a civil
war. refer il to you, therefore, for your
consideration mediate on it; do not be
carried away BY notions or ideas OF meta
| physics think practically on the great 9ues-
| ton Of what wonld have been toe condlton
of TIE United States at this moment If We
had not settled these agitating questions
lhave stated that in my opinion there
would have been civil war. Gentlemen, will
you allow me for a moment to advert t0
myself? have been long time in pub
lie life Of course, not many years rema'iT
to me. At the commencement OF 1880
saw something of the condition OF the coun|
try and thought the incv able consequences
would be civil war. saw danger in leaving
Utah and New Mexico without any Govern.
ment-a prey to the power of Texas
saw this condition OF things arising from the
interference of some of the States, in de-
feating some of the operations OF the Cons
siitu,on in respect 10 the restoration OF fu-
giIive slaves; and, gentlemen, | made up
my mind to encounter whatever might be-
tide me, and allow me 10 say, something
which WAS not entirely unexpected. A MEM
Der of tho House Of Representatives told
me that he had made a list Of | 10 speeches
which had been made in Congress on the
Slasry question. That is a very large
number my fiend, | said, but how " that
Why said he, Northern man gets up and
speaks with considerable power aud fluency
until the speakers hammer knocks him
down then gets up a Southern man and hs
speaks with more warmth he Is nearer the
| line, and he comes out against the North.
He speaks his hour and stops, and so it has
gone on until have got one hundred and
forty speeches on my list. Well, sald II
|
was a Northern man, he held forth against
Slavery; and if he WAS from the South. he
abused the North and all those speeches
were sent bv the members to their own To-
caliies where they were the cause OF tho
local irritation which existed at he time. In
this way the other side OF the question was
not heard-that is the way of it. thought
that in this state Of things quiet was neces-
You ,at,'t supnnsp that | was india
f.rent to the danger. am Massac huse'ts
mar, and know what Massachusetts, lisc't TO
be- ! am Massachusetts man. Massachu-'
selts has kept me great while in Congress
will honor her. respect her, and mean
10 do SO as long as ! live (Applsuse.)
Well. gentlemen, suppose that on that occe'
sion ! had taken a different coursc ffom
what did II may ailu,ie 10 ANYTHING 80
insignificant as myself--suppose that on thr
9TH OF March, instead of makirg speectr
that would reconcile the country, had JOIN
cd in the general cldmor of the party-sup-
pose had said will have nothing 10 do
: with anv aecommodations-we will admit
no sa.isfaciion-we will let Texas invade
New Mexico-we will leave New Mexico
and Utah to take care Of themselves. ami
we will plant ourselves on the Wllmot FRO
{ vi-o, and let the aeSi take the hindermoH.
5 Now, gentlemen, / don't mean 10 say thnt
: great consequences would follow from that :
but suppose had taken such q course, how
= coul be blamed for it? Was ] not a
, Massachusetts man ? Did moi know Mas
achnsetls' sentiments and prejudices? But
= Whist of that-I am an American. (Great
e appianse) / was made a whole man by
God, and d,nt mean TO make myself half
e one. Tremendous outbursts OF ar
plause) felt had duty TO perform 10
my country-to my own reputaiIon-ior l
l hattered myseli that service Of 40 years
Md given me some character. ! thought II
= was my duty and did not care what was Ia
b give way. felt it to be my duty TO come
l QUITO 90 for my country and my whole
country. and to exert every power | had TO
: keep that colntry together. (GreAt ap-
} plause) cared for noihing-l was afraid
Of nothing-b 1t meant to do my duty. l)u
e ty performed makes man happy--duty
I. neglected makes man unhappy as well al
? those around him. q. /, therefore, gentlemen
: in the face of all circumstances and danger
was ready TO GO forth and do that which INV
!. coun,ry-your couniry--demanded Of me
: and, gentlemen, allow me TO say here to-day
hat if the fate of John Rogers had been
] presented to me-if bad seen the stake
If had hcar,l the thorns cracking by the
I. blessing Of Almighty God would have gone
on and discharged the duty which though,
my country called eTon me 10 perform.
would have become a martyr 10 save ns
country. y
> And now. gentlemen, srewell Live
: and be happy. Live like patriots Live
like Americans Live 10 tn enjoyment ol
he inesiimable blessings which your father.