Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-05-07

tory, and the hEsi duty that we owe TO the God 10
whom we owe al duties, so far as we can, TO dlsa-
buse the public mind Of the grossest iallacy, and
the most ridiculous fllsehood eyer palmed upon
thepeople-and that ialsehood IS, that those acts
called The compromise acls,' grew out of a re-
al danger of a dissolution of this Union. My
friends, believe the impotence Of brazen false
hood, never went further,-and | stand here,
pledgng whatever of reputation ever belonged to
me, in the assertion that do not believe, at the
very time The Compromise was concocted in Con-
gress. that any two Of the most prominent men
that were pushing it through, could have met one
another in the streets of Washington, and asked,
" " hat do you think of The dissolution Of the
Union - without bursting into broad roar in
each others faces [laughier]; aud have never
seen, In the whole of my experience in Wash
lngton, but one single public uan who will
ling to confess that he really believed there vas
any danger Of dissolution Of the Union, aud hat
man 10 one for whom have the highest respect,
and OF whom can speak only in terms Of Kind
ness. | allude 10 General Cass. daughter i
General Cass says that he really believes The
Union was in danger. | have no doubt of it
not the least. But the fact is that the Generals
fears 90 further back than 1850 Laughter. -
He has feared it ever since the Presidential elect
ion of lS4S. | wish to do all credit 10 his homes
ty. | candidy believe that he entertains those
convictions more firmly, and has done SOFA good
while longer than some more modern Converts
ELaughter and cheers
Was the Union really in danger' | believe
there a Union in danger, and will tell y GU
what Il was. 1t was Union Of the bunker pol
itlcians and the public crib! There was danger
that that Union would be displaced. / have no
doubt 1t sent alarm and terror into many hearts.
But was the Union of the States in danger?-
Now, my friends, it so happens that history has
word 10 say on that subject, In lS4S-and
that is not great while ago-we had Just us
much of a crisis as in 1850; but we had forgot
ten 1t. We had a great Compromise CgmmCtee
IN 1913, just as we had in 1850; and we had
great men on it-John c. Calhoun, Clayton, and
some others-and they sat day and night, Sun
days included, laborlng 10 We the Union; aud
reported Compromise bill. And what did they
do? In that bill, they abandoned the Whole mat
err, and agreed to leave The question Of slavery as
one OF abstract law, to the Supreme Coutt OF the
United States. But, my friends, The North was
not cone0t to have the whole question abandoned
can only speak for one had the honor of
voting against that Compromise. did it for the
very reason, that believed the interests of liber-
ty were transcendent above all other interests,
ihi 1t should sst be left to the arbitrary adudica-
lion of any tribunal on EARTH | had not conf
States TO trust them with the consideration wheth-
er this priceless boon belonged 10 free men or not
therefore voted against it, Well, the House of
Representatives rejected it, and they went on and
organized territorial government for Oregon, and
applied the old antI-slavery ordinances Of 1887 to
1t, prohibiting slavery over every inch of the ter
rltory. What did the Senate do? They gave
way, as they always have, and am afraid will,
for great while longer. But the House stood
up and rejected the Compromise. There were
as loud threats Of disunlon then, as in 1850 But
the North stood up, and what was the result: -
Inc bill became law; and when lie South
found that 1t must become law, what did il say?
why Ii said, lyon are going 10 exclude sla.
very from that Territory. Say that it is because
Oregon lies north of 369 30i, and IS will be con
Tent But the North said, ssWe do no such
thing! We exclude slavery because we think it
Is not right. We believe it is repugnant to the
laws of God, and the rights Of humanity; and
therefore we exclude it. And we will assign no
such reason as the South wishes US. to veil
And they did assign no such reason Well, my
friends, The House stood firm, and the bill came
back to the Senate again and again, with the old
antl-slavery ordinance And what did the Sen.
ate do? They did what they always do, when
the House stands up-lhey gave in, and The
bill passed. [Cheers.] Then it went to the
President. Who was the President? james K
Polk, a Southern stakeholder; and when they
asked HIM to sign this bill, containing The ordi-
nance Of 1887, he said, 81 will do il this once
never will again!' [Laughter.] And so be
signed 1.-THE bill became law, and the anti
slavery ordinance was applied to the whole terri
tory.
What was the result of all the clustering bra
vado, and all the threats ofdissOlulion with which
our ears were greeted during the months and
months that the discussion was going on? Ii sub
sided so quick, you could hardly Tell there had
been shower. That same Congress passed an
other act, aid that was The act to change the
name OF The schooner " 1.-Two Pollies'' TO "Abi-
gall That act produced Just as much excite
ment in the country, did the bill excluding sla-
very from Oregon. That bill went into quiet on
Grafton. [t.augherl The schooner 81 wo Pol
lies, from that day to this, has been called the
"Abigall;" and the anti slavery ordinance has
been IN operation just so. There is the whole
history of the contest The baule was fought
the victory was won, the point was conceded. and
it was established by both Houses of Congress-
and by the President, that Congress had right.
and that II was the duty Of Congress to legisIate
upon the subject of slavery within the terrltorjles
and 10 prohIbitit; and there was no excitement
about it. What had the North to do after that2
Nothing-nothing bul to stand still. What was
the effect of it! We had other terrltories-the
territories of California, Utah. and New Mexico.
Well, the people who inhabited these territories
thought (and q God, what mislakeD that the
North were IN earhest-thoughl that they meant
TO stand up; and Southern en-, from South Caro-.
lima and Mississippi, IN the territory of California.
began right speedily to conform themselves To
what they believed was the settled policy of the
country; and they anticipated Congress, and net
the antl-slavery ordinance into their constitution.
DO you suppose, if California were to frame a
constitution TO day, she would put il in? No, nv
friends, we owe II to the perseyeriug honesty Of
the representatives, Of the free States, in the Con-
gress Of lS48, that the ti-sIaveIy ordinance was
adopted in the constitutional California TCheets
Well, my friends, here we were, h,n. Con.
gress had legslated for all the ieIritury IN which
II proposed 10 organize government, aud nut in
the ordinance; and the people Of California. an
ticipating The action Of Congress, had put il Them
selves into their ConsIllutioh---and was that the
time for northern men TO laller and 20 back, OH
my friends, il We could but have stood moment
longer, il seems if the prayers Of the wise and
great, the patriots Of all time, had gone up 10 The
throne Of the Almighty dlling His ear, until he
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