The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-09-15
From the Syracuse Evening Chronicle
SENATOR CHAsEs SPEECH,

From the Syracuse Evening Chronicle
SENATOR CHAsE's SPEECH,
At Mass Meeting ~ Syracuse, dug. 81, 1853.
Hon. SALMON p CHASE spoke as follows
l thank you, my friends and fellow citizens
for your presence here this evening. am here
by the invitation OF the State Committee Of the
independent Democrats of New York, for the
purpose Of extending TO them the greetings of
the Democracy of Ohio. Applause From
that State secured to freedom by the ordinance
OF l7S7-and she renewed that pledge to free
dom, both in her original Constitution and in
her new Constitution, by perpetual exclusion
of slavery from her broad limits--from that
State, say, it is fit that greeting should
come TO those whose proud motto INDICATED,
! trust by this days proceedings. is Excel
sior, Excelsior" In that State, too, it is my
satisfaction and my pride to say, the knee has
never been bowed to Baal, in the shape of /" Bal,
timore platforms" lApplause They are not
recognized as part Of the creed Of any party
in my State unless that recognition may DO in.
fcrred from the fact that the candidates nomi-
mated upon those platforms have received the
support Of their respective party organizations
So great has been the dissatisfaction of these
political parties, that from the day ON which
those nominations took place in 1852, down "a
the present moment, there has been no Conven.
ton of either party called, in which those plat.
forms have stood possible chance of approval
There was an attempt in Democratic con.
vention to approve of them, but the resolution
to that effect was laid upon the table by an
overwhelming majority.
But, my friends mere resolutions are of little
worth 1t is the spirit the determination, the
resolution, which animates the heart Of the
people, upon which we much rely to carry us
through the crisis which now impends In my
humble Judgment, there has never been a great
or political error committed, than was commit
ed 10y the preparation and the enforced adop-
ton of those platforms, by the Wing and by
the Democratic parties in 1882 Who does
not know that those slavery resolutions have
met with the hearty aud intelligent approba-
ton OF scarcely any portion of the free States !
Did the delegates from my own State, when
they went 10 the Democratic convention, aoqui-
esce in the platform because they loved ii :
Not at all. We know perfectly we'll with what
scorn and contempt it WAS treated throughout
the State. They aoquiesced from fear that
if they did not adhere to the platform, the
Wing party, under the banner of "Compro-
mise, would achieve a victory in the coming
election That was one reason. Another was
because leading statesmen had previously com
mitted to this platform, in the course of the
passage of the Compromise through Congress.
Now, at tho risk of being somewhat tedious,
! wish to traoS briefly the character ,f those
measures in their progress through Congress,
and the action Of the Baltimore conventions
upon them, and to infer if | can, intelligently
nationally, and logically, what may be expect.
ed as to the result You are aware that al
those measures were adopted during the perio(
of my services there The first of them VA
the assumption of the State debt of Texas w
know perfectly well that this old line Democ
racy, in its national creed had proclaimed owe
and over and over again, that the assumption
Of State debts was an outrage upon the maxim
of Democracy. And yet we have So 600, OO(
of the State debt OF Texas assumed in u single
measure. And we know that now, while am
speaking, this measure of tho assumption OF
this State debt is pressed to its legitimate con-
sequence and Congress is called upon to AS
sumo and pay the entire debt of that State
Here was a direct violation of the ancient DEM
ocratlc faith.
But that was not all When we annexed
Texas, we did it under a resolution, carefully
guarding against the possibility of the assump.
ton of this debt. When the United States ae-
quired the territory now constituting Ohio, In
diana, Illinois, Michigan, and other States she
took all the lands and sold them, and put the
proceeds into the National Treasury; but when
we annexed Texas, greater in extent than three
such States as Ohio, we declined receiving from
her the whole Of her public lands, and stpula-
ted with her that she should pay her debt her
self In the face of this stipulation, wantonly,
without excuse, and against principles regard
cd sacred by Democrats we assumed the pay
ment of five millions of dollars and, in add
ton to that, we took upon ourselves to pay
Texas five millions Of dollars for the rclinquish<
ment Of her claim to public land. Col Benton,
who is as thoroughly acquainted with the geo
graphical relations of that country rs any man,
declared from his place In the Senate, that il
one foot of New Mexico should bc coded to
Texas, she would not have a just claim upon
tho Treasury Of the United States, by way Of
compensation, for single farthng But what
did we do! We gave her 20 600 square miles,
and then gave her SIS, 900 900 for rcIinquishng
her claim to the residue. We did 1t under
menace too for Texas was then threatening to
invade the territory of the United States and
take by force the garrisons Of New Mexico !
recollect, when ! made poor speech in the
Senate against that measure, J was answered
by distinguished Wing Senator, that he would
prefer that the line between us and Texas
should be traced in yellow, rather than in red
that il that copious showers Of gold should be
scattered all along the line, rather than risk
an invasion from Texas. And what added much
to this remarkable speech was the fact that at
that very time Texas had "a memorial before
both Houses Of Congress, asking fora regiment
Of United States soldiers 10 keep of the Ca
manches
Well, we gave Texas FIVE millions, and this
is one OF the Compromises. | know the money
cannot be recalled, but il IL important h look
at the character Of this Compromise, for the
purpose Of determining tho merits of the actors
IN il The money is gone, and more is likely 10
follow; but it IL for you to determine whether
that shall be the case or not, and you can pass
your judgment upon the actors in this Compro-
mise upon those who violated tho principles OF
the Democratic faith, and paid this enormous
sum upon 10 shallow pretext.
Another compromise was in respect 10 the
territories New York was blazing all over IN
favor Of maintaining the freedom Of these ter
ritories. No man risked himself before the
people here, or ia the State OF Ohio, except up
on pledge tn maintain the freedom OF these
territories inviolate Well, We got together
Congress with majority in the Honsc pledged
10 the Proyiso, and with the Senators Of four.
teen free States instructed in favor OF the Pro
viso, with every prospect that IT would pas
both Houses Of Congress. But soon this thing
was changed. Gen. Taylor's plao came 10 y,
thought Of favorably by q great many. That
plan was not the plan which the people Of the
free States had anticipated, and for which they
had been voting and wishing What was the
plan the people wantedf 1t was that this ter
ritory should DO organized, and the Proylso |,
applied TO 10, ~ IL was 10 the Northwest terri
tory, and that these portions OF she territor,
should be created into States, from time y
time, until the whole was absnbed. We dif
not want States with 10000 square miles O
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