Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-05-12


never seen, il, the whole of my experience IN
Washington, but one single public man VINO
was wiling to confess that he really believed
,hsre was any danger Of dissolution OF the
Hmm. and thai man is one for whom have
the heiehest respect and of whom can speak
only in terms of kindness. | alude to General
Cass. TLaughte!.l General Cass says that he
really believes the Union was IN danger. nave
no doubt of it-not the least. But the fact IS
TINT the Generals fears 90 further back than
1850 lLaughle,.1 He has feared it ever since
the presidential election of 1913. wish 10 do
nj credit TO bis honesty. canddly believe
that he entertalns those convictions more firmly,
and has done so good while longer than some
more modern converts. Laughter and cheers'l
Was the Union really IN danger? | believe
there was Union in danger, and Will tell you
what il was. Il was Union of the Hunker
poititions and The public crib! There was dan
ger tina, that Union would be displaced. | have
no doubt it sent alarm and terror into many
hearts. But was the Union Of the States in dan
ger? Now, my friends, il 50 happens that his
tory has word to say on that subject. In 1913
and that is not great while ago-we had just
as much of crisis as in 1850; but we had Tor
gotten it. We had great Compromise Com
mite in lS4S, just as we had in 1850; and we
had great men on it-John C. Calhoun, Clayton,
ard some ohers-and they sat day and night
Sundays included laborng to save the Union !;
and reported Compromise bill. And what dd
they do In tba bill they abandoned the whole
matter and agreed TO leave the question of
slavery, as one of abstract law, to the Supreme
Cont of the United States But, my friends,
the North was not content to have the whole
oun nbnpod nplv enonk far
1 had the honor of voting against that Com
promise. did it for the very reason that
believed the interests Of liberty were so trans
cendent above all other interests that it should
not be lett to the arbitrary adjudictlon OF any
tribunal on earth. , had not confidence enough
in the Supreme Court of the United States to
to trust them with the consideration whether TINS
priceless bnon belonged to free men or not,
therefore voted against It We'll, the House
of Representatives rejected it, and they went on
and organized territorial government tor Or
goD. and applied the old antl-sluvery ordinance
Of 1887 to il. prohibiting slavery over every
inch of the territory What did the Senate do !?
They gave way, as they always have, and am
afraid will Tor great while longer. But the
House stood up and rejected the Compromlsr.
There were as loGd threats of disunion then as
in 1850. But the North stood up. and what
was the result? The bill became law; and
and when the South found that it must become
law, what did it say?
"Whv," it is said. "you are going to exclude
slavery from the Territory. Say that it is be
cause Oregon lies North OF 36 deg 30 min.
and we will be content" But the North said.
I'VE do no such thing. We exclude slavery
because we believe it is not right We believe
A. 8 r 4 he, ,fyht
of humanity and, therefore, we exclude il.
And we will assign no such reason as the South
wishes us to give'-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 anti slavery ordnance
And what did the Senate do? They did what
they always do when the House stands up
they gave in, and the bill passed Cheers.
Then it went to The President Who was the
President? James K. Polk. Southern slave
holder; and when they asked him to sign This
bill containing the ordinance OF 1887, he said
Il will do it once.-I never will again" Laugh
ter. And so he signed 1.-THE bill became a
law, and the anli-slaverv ordinance was applied
TO the whole territory.
What was the result of all the clustering.
bravado, and all the threats of dissolution with
which our ears were greeted during the mouths
and months that the discussion was going on !?
1t subsidized so quick you could hardly tell there
had been a shower. That same Congress passed
another act and that was The nc, TO change the
name Of the SC ooner Two Poles" to "Abigail."
That ac produced just as much excitement in
the county. as did the bill excluding slavery from
Oregon. That bill went INTO quiet operate n.
Laughter, The schooner Two Polles from
th,t, 1 1, H., H.. Il A H.,
and the anti slavery ordinance has been in ope-
ration just So Their is The whole history of the
contest. TIE battle was tonght the victory wns
won-the point was conceded, and it was es,ab-
} ilshed by Goth Houses of Congress and bv the
President that Congress had right, and that it
was the duty of Congress to legislate upon the
subject Of slavery within the territories and to
prohibit it, and there WIS no excitement about
it. What had the North to do after that Moth
ing-nothing, but to stand still. What was the
effect Of 1t? We had other territories the ter
rltores Of California, Utah. and New Mexico
Well, the people who inhabited these territories
thought (and, 0 God, what mistake J that The
North were i'll earnest, thought that they meant
to stand up: and Southern men, from South
Carolina and Mississippi, in the territory of
California began right speedily to conform
themselves to what they believed was the set
tied policy Of the country; and they anclpa-
tedCongless. and put The !anti slavery ordinance
into their constitution. Do you suppose. if
California were to frame constitution to-day.
she would put it in. No, my friends; we owe
1t to the perserverng honesty OF the represen
talves of the free State in the Congress of 1913,
that the an,islavery ordinance was adopted III
the constitution OF California Cheers.
Well, my friends, we we're, then. Congress
had Ieglslaled tor all the territory in which it
proposed TO organize government, and put in
the ordinance; aud the people of California an-
ticipating the action Of Congress, had put it
themselves into their Constllnl0n-and was that
the time for Northern men to faer and 90 back
Oh my friends. if we could but have stood a
moment longer, it seems as if the PRAYERS If th,
wise and great the patriots of all time, had
gone upto the ttrone OF he Almighty, filing His.
ear, until he bad al last determined TO hestov
the blessing and when the hour had come that
these prayers should be Answered beyond ven
our hopes, we had % faith to receive It Then
1t was that the North began 10 cover and quail,
and fall down and talk about the Unl,n BENZ
IN danger. The South never would have GOT
up that alarm, or attempted TO make that cry
again. Why, At had been uttered .av ar a cd over
agan-lf was not respectable bngbear to fright
en- children to bed WITH until Northern States.
men took it up and endorsed 1t. and gave it cur
rency And why did they give il currency
That question will not answer, because
cannot so impeach your common sense and dis
cernnentas 10 think ii necessary for me to answer
II. l leave 1t with you to answer. Why was il
IN that day, when the battle had been fouobt ,
the victory won, and the banner of opposition had
been lowered-why was it that at tha, time we
began to 60 back? My friends, AN eminent north
ern statesman has told lis, There was no North,
think 1t history ever gave confirmation to the
truth OF any assertion, the history of that day
gave it to that declaration, that There was M
North; ard, think if that same voice were to
be heard again. 10 speak from the results of his
experience he would tell You, that for recreapt
statesmen from the North, there was no South
either. Cheers.