The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1852-01-20

= characterized IFS original organization
I, provides ioramendmcnts. Nv Il,
i libcrate opinion is, ,8tliats ifSamcnI
s ments. My deliberate aoriiion is
S that il anendincnts.l,ad been made /,
answertlle cxigencics and progressive,
! Development Of this. country, ",
/, woaldsllayc been a happy Coufedc
ration Of Republics, under. 4 sunior
. having satisfactory guarantees for tlIs
rights and interests Of all; but, }iIi
I stead OF amending it according to tlc
!; origlual provision Of tie Constitution.
we have now got to a time Wien il
is declared that it Shall never bc
amended. And | would say to thc
gentleman frankly, that i can see i,o
occasion why he should wish it
Z amended. lIchas not said H,hathe
is in favor Of a consolidated GOV,
ernlnent, but he has maintained That
tins Government and the Con.
stitution, i'll all the difficulties Ml.icl
may be involved, may be overcome
by compromiscs-the compromises Ct
the majority: and if The gentleman
chooses always to act with the ma.
jnrity, he has no occasion for amend
mcnts.
MIR. Foote. Docs the gentleman
undertake to charge me w;thllaying
said, at any tine, that tile Con.
stituiion Of the United States could,
IN my opinion, be put down bv
compromises? R
MIR. Butler. No, sir.
Mr.. Footc. That is the way TIC
gentlcman's S remarks will be under
stood. l stated the other day, that
one of two rcasons Why l supported
the compromise was, that it Was not
only constitutional in itself, but that
none of the constitutional lawyers Of
tins body had attempted to make an
elaborate argument to this when they
wero challenged TO ATTEMPT it. 3ss.s
slals ilsa si=ss iiiatf as iof5 ii =
rs tie majority can lnalse these com
IInr4l. 20. !!s&s:-or give constructions to the
Constitution, it viii, lot be. amended,
and the gentleman is cmpllatically
majority man. Idid not say that
the gentleman would agree to What
he regarded as a palpable violation
Of the Constitution, but | said the
tendency Of this mode Of treating the
Constitution was to have these cxcrc-
SCIENCES in the form Of compromises
to giveit Il validity which it would
not otherwise have. l think wc
ought to meet the crisis and provide
remedy.
The gentleman says that | have
proposed no. amendment. True, !
lave proposed none, but there arc
amendments which | will vote for.
When the Federal Constitution vas
under consideration at PHILADELPHIA,
it was proposed that 10 measure af-
Icctiug the regulation Of commerce,
or the disbursement Of the public mo.
ncy, should pass Without a vote Of
two,thirds; and tell the gentleman
that | would now vote for such l,rc-
vision. II an amendment wts pro-
posed to afford new guarantees to the
s!avehol'in2 interest, requiring Con,
grcss TO give governments to Terri
tories, without restriction as to slave
ry, ! should vote for it. If we're
consult The security of this Govern
ment, | would vote for amendments
that would give enforceable guaran-
tees to the minority, and not leave
the majority to fritter it away by
construction, OF dcform it by compro-
misses. There are many sa!utary
amendments that nigh. be proposed.
In connection with this subject -
and | say it to the Senator from Mis-
sissipri, more i'll sorrow than in an.
ger-,l wish he had not thought pro.
per to allude, as lie did, with rather
snccr, to the book of my late dis.
lmsulshcd colleague, and to dcnouncc
the proposition contained inihat hoob;
, in a way which evidently showed that
it was under the ban Of his ccnsure.
| was not prepared for lhat. have
not read Nlr. Caihoun's book. His
, memory is not committed to me, nci
thcr are the works of his great intel
lect committed to me. | would not
be able to take care Of them; but the
least We could have expected oftlosc
, who often agreed with and admired
that distinguished man was, that We
should not assail him before the
, world, and the Parliament of the ma
ton, where the gentleman himsclfhad
50 many, and seeming kindly, asso
Citations with him.
alr. Foote. The gentleman does
not charge me with ever having
!, agreed with Mr.. Calhoun that the
II Constitution should be amended, SC
us to give additional constitutional
f ffgnarantces to the South? Isprotcst.