The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-03-18
jury within the county or State where he

elected to the seat which he now fills He was
elected, because the Convention resolved that
the clause of the Constitution relating to fug-
tive slaves was ODIOUS IN ITSELF, and that
this fugitive slave law made it MORE ODlOUS
AND DETESTABLE: and because he, in his
reply, said that those were his sentiments, and
that such law ought not 10 remain on the
Stdtuc-bOok. Now, | do not think that the
question of protection excited quite as much m
terest in his district at this election, as 1t has
done at some other times. ! am therefore OF
the opnon-my colleague can set me right, If
| am wrong--that the issue which sent him
here was his declaration, week before the
election, that the fugitive slave law ought not
to remain on the statute-book Can the gen
tleman prove to this House that hundred men
in that district would have voted for him
can he prove that ten men in that district
would have voted for him-if they had believed
he would have declared here that he was OPP
posed to the repeal of statute which. in his
letter accepting the nomination, he said ought
not to remain on the statute-book! If he can,
let him do it. and give the House their names
That is a question for the gentleman to an
swer
think that the plea of the statute of limit
alton hardly helps my colleague here at all.
There is the position in which he stands. did
not pick him out for the purpose of holding
him I'D TO reproach in this House, for when
spoke before, | believed the opinions he ad-
yanced were the opinions which he honestly
and sincerely maintained, and gave him
fair opportunity TO get up and defend himself,
honestly and sincerely by one or the other OF
the courses have suggested; but he has not
chosen to embrace it,
recommend Northern gentlemen, who pre-
sent the spectacle to the country OF preaching
one set of notions at home and another here
to look little to the South; for we may find
! some good things there Southern gentlemen
who find themselves ina small minority main
tanning unpopular Opinions do not, as a gen.
eral thing so far as | have noticed, come here
and whine over it, and apologize for their own
past history and hope that Northern men
will stand up with little Southern spirit-ifl
must be compelled to go so far for the right
woodland say what they believe, as their
- =, 49,. 49,. 81, fsGst ~ eg'5s
Of ,,eR nejqhlqr Of the sixth district will be a
solemn warning 70 other gentlemen IN mat
quarter who feel an inward working, prompt
ing them to lay their hands on their mouths,
and their mouths in the dust and cry unclean.
when they have been guilty Of free thoughts.
The exhibition is not celebrating Laughter
while for me to follow further the private his
tory of my learned brother | pass from the
subject-whch it is disagreeable to me to have
had to notice-to the question which has been
raised here i'll regard to my own consistency,
one which | am quite ready to meet here, or
elsewhere whenever any man chooses to raise
it. Why, the gentleman has called me mod
est man | did not grow more modest while
he was making out for me character for con-
sistency. which think great many politicians
would rejoice TO have made out for them. The
gentleman has shown me as occupying.
great many years ago, identically the same
ground, on very many important questions, as
I occupy now and he has failed to show that
during the intervening time have ever uttered
one word in any public speech, or have ever
written n word in any printed letter or in any
document intended to be an expression of my
opinions he has not vet found, although
Massachusetts has been dragged with drag
net forty-two days to find it, any written word
of mine to convict me of inconsistency in pub
lie matters
Mr. Chairman, what have done for the
last ten years has not been done in n corner. |
have spoken in New England, in New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio Illinois, Michigan, and
Missouri; and challenge any man, who has
heard any public address of mine, to come for
ward and convict me of Inconsistency upon
any great national question. That is my chal-
lenge; and think it is quite broad enough to
cover all suppOsable eases But sir, ! know
perfectly well what | am saying; and | am
quite willing that all the other States shall be
dragged with drag-nets, as Massachusetts has
! been for my colleague has had Jealous and
! industrious assistants fitted by nature to he
scavengers, who have dragged every corner, to
| see if they could not hunt up some stale SLAM
der which could be used against me. | am
quite willing the other States should be exam
ined IN the same way; and if have been in
consistent upon any one Of the great national
questions. let the gentleman show it, But
until the gentleman does show some foundation
for his charge, shall not think it necessary to
20 very much into details of rumors to prove
conversations Or supposed publications, with
which had no more to do than my colleague
himself
What right has my colleague to say of me,
he made himself at an early period, distinct
ly understood upon both sides of that as well aS
MANN other questions which have been agitatcd
in Massachusetts for the last ten or fifteen
years - pronounce that simply and plainly
to be untrue have not been upon both sides
of that question, or any other leading question
! before tile country. l 90 not mean 10 accuse
my colleague of Intentionally falsifyiug the
record | do not believe he would do any such
thing. ! mean to charge him with simplicity
and creduity in allowing himself to be imposed
upon by others craitier than himself to breach
the calumnies they dare not utter in person.
That IL all
Mr.. DAVIS VIII my colleague allow me to
say that one thing which ! had in my mind
was that the gentleman did sanction, in 1888,
a doctrine of the greatest importance-that of
| interference with tho extension of slavery
understood also that he was a member of a
committee who in lS4S reported a resolution
declaring that Congress ought not so to inter-
frrc
Mr. RANrouL will ask my learned col
league whether he supposes that, because was
IN convention composed of eight hundred
men, | am responsible for all that is done in
that convention If am thus to be held
; responsible, will never 90 to conventions
again. am willing to be responsible for all
the resolutions that write. or all that sign
! rs president Of 4 convention, and for all the
resolutions in relation to which | express my
8 appreciation by speaking or writing. Bat if u
man rs to be responsible for several columns of
; resolutions written by lawyer who does
! nothing butwrlte resolutions, and passed by an
assembly OF eight hundred men. there is not a
7 man who attends our conventions who could
% not be proved to be inconsistent by such a rule
My colleague alleges. that in 1898 | wrote
; some very bad poetry ] have written good
deal OF bad poetry in my lite-most of 1t is
= burned, and the rest ought to be- But if all
= the bad poetry that have written, and twenty
t reams more that | did not write. were charged
r upon me here, it should not turn me us de
0 from the great issue before me. 1t is not n
question whether a man writes bad rhymes. oI
how many of them, or what music he can
> make from hugag. 1t is question which
Ln