New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-10-06


the repeal or modification Of the Fugitive
Slave Law'-for that is the only one
among the peace measures which IS at all
likely 70 excite renewed agltl.Ion. But
will any man now averse to that law be con-
verted to a love Of it by this threat Of pro-
sc1jptior if he holds OUT Will more such
be coerced into silence BY this threat than
will be aroused from inactivity into vehe-
hemert denunciation and action! IN short,
if it had been the purpose Of these signers
to .omeut Slavery Agitation instead OF sup
pressing it. they could not have chosen
course better adapted to their purpose than
the PRONUNCIATION of this Pledge.
And now that We are IN the way Of 1t.
let us state 4 few home truths with regard to
this general subject of Slavery Agitation.
During the short Session of 1889.
when every hour was pressingly needed for
the dispatch of urgent public business, the
writer of this was often moved to indlgna-
ton by the perpetual waste fPrecious time
in the delivery and hearing of speeches,
pro and con, about Slavery, but decidedly
more against Free Soil doctrines than for
them. Repeatedly he was asked " Don
you want chance to speak on the Slavery
question 2 His reply was, No, why should
/ speak on that subject? | cannot hope to
influence votes by talking, while those who
care for my opinions already know them,
and | should be very unwilling to waste
the time of the House in speaking to those
who don't care" Finally, he was induced
to speak some twenty minutes one evening,
when few Members were present, it being
understood that nothing should be done that
night. Had his speaking absorbed any time
that would otherwise have been devoted to
action, he would have forborne.
The most eager then. as before and
since, to agitate the Slavery question
by needless speeches were the champions
of Bondage and its Extension In season
or cut of season, they kept up flood of
talking on that one threadbare subject. At
length, when the House went into Commit
tee on the Appropriation bill, and Member
got up and commenced, " Mr.. Chairman,
shall take this occasion TO explain my
views and define my position on the Slavery
question" Free Soil Wing rose and said,
d" Mr.. Chairman, object TO any such speech
as the gentleman proposes. 1t is clearly
out of order. Here he called attention to
the Rule which prescribes that 10 Member
shall speak on any other subject than that
embraced in the bill before the House or
Committee This bill has nothing to do
with Slavery nor the Wilmot ProvisO, and
| insist that the gentleman shall speak to
the question or desiSt."
At once there was fiuttering all over the
House. The Chairman decided that, by
the usage, any question might be discussed
while the House was in Committee of the
Whole on the state of the Union, and he
should therefore decide the gentleman en-
titled to the floor IN order. An Appeal was
promptly taken, and the House urged to
sustain il and put stop to those rambling
discussions OF things in general. The
Wings from the Free States generally sus-
tanned the appeal, but Slavery and Loco
Focoism rallied their forces agaiast it, and
the appeal was voted down, and the discus
sion went on, as it had gone on before and
has been going ever since. And it is our
deliberate Judgment that no set of men in
Congress would have been more annoyed
BY total suppression of Slavery Agitation
on that floor than those who protested the
greatest aversion to that same Agitation.
Congress has done more to foment Slave
nv Agitation than all other agitators COM
bined. BY its persistent subversion of
the Right of Petition, by its disgraceful
attempts to expel Members who had pre-
scented obnoxious memorials, and by its eff
forts to legisate Bondage into Territory
hitherto Free, the Slavery Propaganda has
been fomenting agitation throughout the
country for the last fifteen years. 1t Will,
doubtless, persevere in that course, and the
Union and Safety Committee is now follow
ing directly in its wake.
But there are some other agitators who
need talking to, and We shall improve this
occasion. Southern men, will you hear
and heed
A quiet, inollenslve colored man drops
into one of our Northern villages and goes
10 work steadily as barber, tailor, black
smith, or whatever he may be. He grad
ually wins customers, acquaintance and
friends ,na-ries ;oins s.,,a CL,-.L II