The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-05-19

OF the oppressed, cneered on from stage 10 STA <
by the plaudits of the good-it seems as if CON
mon benedctions were too poor to pay the tr
butte which we owe to him. Ii seems as if W
could scarcely be content till we have come
our hearts and poured our treasure Of graf
tude and admiration into the welcome wit
which we greet his presence.
Francis H. Underwood, Esq then announC
ed the first regular toast, as follows
Our Guest, John. p HdIe.--In the House Q
| Representatives, party could not command hi
allegiance in the commission of national iniqu
| ty. In the Senate, the insolence of majorite
could never awe him to silence As an advC
cate, he has added to the learning of the juris
the merit of successful resistance to Executiv
and judicial tyranny. AS the champion of TIN
princip pies of the Free Democracy
"Our hearts leap forth to answer
| And echo back his words,
| AS leaps tho warriors when he sees
The fash Of kindred swords"
(Nusic, Hail Columbia")
In obedience to this sentiment, Hon. John p
Hale rose to the assembly, amid reiterated
cheers, the waving of handkcrchefs, and Other
demonstrations of applause, long continued
When silence was partially restored, Mr.. Halt
spoke.
After a few preliminary remarks, he pro
ceeded:
My friends, taking it as n fact, If you vii
allow me one single Latin quotation, and il
shall DO q short one per Sc, that the Free Sol
party is yet in existence, | have something t.
say Of its duties; and what are thesei II
seems to me that the first duty that we owe tC
ourselves, and the first duty that we owe tC
our common Countrywide first duty that we
owe to the truth of history, and the first duty
that we owe to the God to whom we owe all
duties, liz, so far as we can to disabuse the pub
lie mind of the grossest fallacy, and the most
ridiculous falsehood ever pamed upon the peo-
pie; and that ialschood is that those acts, call
ed the Compromise acts" grew out Of real
danger Of u dissolution Of this Union. NV
friends, believe the impudence of brazen false
hood never went further and | stand here,
pedgng whatever Of reputation ever belonged
to me- in the assertion that do not believe, ut
the very time that the Compromise was con-
coctcd in Congress, 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. "What do you think
OF the dissolution of tho Union ~ without burst
ing into a broad roar in each Others faces
laughter; and have never seen, in the whole
of my experience in Washington, but one sim
gle public man who was willing to confess that
no really believed there was any danger of
dissolution of the Union, and that man is one
for whom | have the highest respect and of
whom | can speak only in terms of kindness.
allude to General Cass. Laughter 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
go further back than 1850 Laughter He
has feared it ever since the Presidential cleo.
ton of lS18. wish to do all credit to his hon.
esty candidly believe that he entcrtaihs
those convictions more firmly, and has done 50
a good while longer, than some more modern
converts. Laughter and cheers.
Was the Union really in danger! believe
there was a Union in danger and ! will tell
YOU what it was. II was Union Of the Hun
ker politicians and the public crib! There was
danger that that Union would be displaced
have no doubt it 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 a word to say on that sub
iect In l8IS-and that is not a great while
ago--wc had just as much of q crisis as in 1850,
but we had forgotten it. We had great
Compromise Committee in 1913, Just rs we had
in 1850, and we had great men on it-John &.
Calhoun, Clayton, and some others-and they
sat day and night, Sundays included, laboring
to save the Union; and reported COMPROMISE
bill And what did they do In that bill
they abandoned the whole matter, and agreed
to leave the question of slavery, rs one of alb
stract law, to the Supreme Court of the Uni
ted States. But, my friends, the North was
not content to have the whole question aban-
doned. can only speak for one. had the
honor OF voting against that Compromise.
dld 1t Tor the very reason that | believed the
interests of liberty were so transcendent above
all other interests, that it should not be left to
the arbitrary adjudication of any tribunal on
earth. had not confidence enough in the
Supreme Court of the United States to trust
them with the consideration whether this price
less boon belonged to irccmen or not, therefore
voted against It, Well, tho House of Repre-
sentatiyes rejected it, aud they went on and
| organised Territorial Government for Oregon.
and applied the old Anti-Savery ordinance of
| 1887 to it prohibiting slavery over every inch
of tho Territory What did the Senate do
They gave way, AZ they always have, and | am
afraid will for great while longer But the
House stood up and rejected the Compromise
| There were rs loud threats of disunion then as
in 1850, But the North stood up, and wha,
was the result! The bill became law; and
when the South found that it must become a
law what did it sayi
"Why,' it is said "you are going to exclude
slavery from that Territory. Say that it il
because Oregon lies north of 80 deg. 80 min
and wo will be content But the North said
"We do no such thing. We exclude slavery
because We believe it is not right. We belicv,
it is repugnant to the laws of God and thu
rights OF humanity, and, therefore, We exclude
it. Aud we will assign no such reason as the
South wishes us to givcn--and they did a.
sign no such reason. Well, my friends tn,
House stood firm, and the bill camo back t
tho Senate again and again, with the old Anti
Slavery ordinance. And what did the Senat
do They did what they always do when tn,
House stands up--they gave in, and the bill
passed. Cheers Then it went to the Pres
ident Who was the President! James X
Polk, a Southern stakeholder; and when the
asked him to sign this bill containing the ord
nance Of 1887, he said, 81 will do it this one,
never will again" Laughter And 80 h
signed 1.-THE bill became a law, and the Ant
Slavery ordinance was applied to the Who'll
Territory.
What was the result of all the clustering
bravado, and all the threats of dissolution wit
which our ears were greeted during the month
and months that the discussion was going on
1t subsidized so quick you could hardly tell thel
had been shower. That same Congress pas
ed another act and that was the act 10 chang
tho name of the schooner 1.-TWO Polliesn I,
Abigail" That act produced just as niue
excitement in the country as did the bill e.
GLIDING slavery from Oregon. That bill Wei
, into quiet operation. Laughter The schoon
, 1.-TWO Pollies" from that day to this, has bee
called the Abigail and the AniSlavel