The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-03-18

there is Federal and there is Democratic
! issue. Slavery will not last forever for the
seeds of its death are within itself Now al
most the whole civilized world have got rid of
it and that portion of the civilized world of
which | speak-for | say nothing of the bar
barians--whch still retains this institution,
retains a temporary institution and it must
look about to see how, with the least ncon-
venience and suffering to itself that temporary
institution is to come to an end That is the
great question for Southern men and if it is to
be pressed upon this Goyernment-and think
it ought not to be-then it is the great question
for Northern men.
And say there are two issues-a Federal
issue and Democratic issue What is the
Federal issue? That the Federal Government
be forced day after day to take more and more
interest in this subject of slavery, and to inter-
fere more and more with it, by at one time
making a fugitive slave law, to compel all of
my constituents to be the catchers of runaway
negroes, which is repugnant to my people
They do not like it. Or, by an arrangement
which they say is constitutional, and to give
the great capitalists of the North an opportuni-
ty to raise an amount sufficient for the exigency,
either by taking the national lands, or making
a great national loan, to build up great ma
tional debt, greater than that Of Great Britain
which they would delight to do to buy up the
negroes of the South. That is the Federal
issue Towards it you are tending now. By
and by gentlemen will see this tendency more
strongly developing itself 1t is of no avail for
gentlemen to try to shut their eyes to it, When
the Federal party see that slavery must come
to an end, they win endeavor to prevail upon
the General Government to buy itup, Against
that protest beforehand When that is done
it makes Il complete revolution in the whole
nature of the Government 1t builds up a
debt as great as that of England. 1t gives the
President power which makes the Republican
Empire, even though your forms remain I'M
changed, as France has been transformed into
an empire, from the great patronage existing
in the hands of one magistrate. But what is
the other issue! The Democratic issue is that
you take your stand sternly upon the Constitu-
ton, and say that the Constitution of the
United States does not allow-does not Justify
the Federal Government in touching the insti-
tuition of slavery in the States SLAVERY,
AND THE EXTRACTION OF SLAVES,
| MUST BE LEFT TO THE STATES. That
- the doctrine maintain at home. 1t is the
- - - 20 -roh "829A t,2iS 9neSsacG CIR %
saf,i&5 's;thaYt ore the other of two results
debt which would crush the freedom of the
| United States forever say, then, stand upon
| State Rights and say sternly and infiexibly,
that the General Government shall not NEEDLE
with the institution of slavery in the States ;
and ask gentlemen to look TO see if they have
not made fatal mistake in misconstruing a
clause of the Constitution with regard to fugi-
tives from labor. That clause no more allows
the United States Government to enact law
for the rendition of runaway slaves, to employ
its officers for the rendition of slaves than it
would allow this Congress to enact law to
send its officers into the port of Charleston to
rescue free men of color seized there, and sold
as slaves, because they cannot pay their Jail
fees. ask gentlemen if they would think
that was constitutional! | can make out as
strong case of constitutiOnality for that, as
any gentleman has yet done for the other
The principles you adopt in the one case
must cover the other. say, them if you have
already nfringed upon the Constitutional
you have already violated thereafter cease
to do so. You have already entered the point
of the wedge. Do not drive it home, by a
continual urging upon Congress this question
of slavery. What have we heard all of this
session! "Quiet agitation :" and quoting ag-
tation is the noisiest business we have-the
very noisiest; and also the most irritating.
Sir, agitation is not to be quoted by hard
words. Hard words will have very little sue
cess on either side. This question Of slavery
can be quoted only in two ways One way
will be for the South to let it alone; and then
if everybody at the North would let it alone,
which no man can promise, it would be quiet
ed. The other would be to talk about it like
reasonable men, Take it up as you take up
any other great national interest and try to
get at the merits of it, When you do that, it
will be then as quietly approached and treated
as any other subject and, by the blessing of
Providence on your honest endeavors, way
will be found to pass though that transition of
social system, through which most of the ma
tons of Europe have passed within COM
paratively recent period.
Here the hammer fell
After years of mathematical labor and me-