New-York daily tribune., 1854-05-27
mr.. SEWARD'S SPEECH
IN THE FINAL DEBATE
on THE
kANsAS.NEBRASKA BILL,
delivered in the Senate at Midnight on Thursday.

90 even delaying the passage 81 this bill Let its sd
80. have only little patience, and they will
~ the attainment OF the object for which they have
.trosrled 20 earnestly and long The has Get for
she last time upon the guaranteed and certain Liberties of
s The unsetled and unorganzed portions Of the Amer
cen Continent that lie within the jurisdiction Of the United
States. To-morrow's viii rise in dim eclipse
fhem How long that observation shal last known only
10 the Power that directs and controls all human events
For myself, know only this, that no human power car
prevent it's coming on and that it's passing of viii be
ksstened and secured by other than those here,
and perhaps only those belonging to future genera
tons Sir would be almost factious 10 offer further
resistance this hereiDdeed successful resist
anee never expected 10 be made in this hall-the
senae hanber old battle-ground which there have
been many contess and always, at least since 1870 with
adverse fortune the Of equal and universal free
dom We only few here that engaged ia that
in the beginning Of this contest AL that could hope
~ oo-a that did hope 10 dOvas to organize and TO
pretsTe the for the House OF Representatives, to
vheh The country would look for its decision author
tatve, and 10 awaken the country that IT might be ready
for the appeal which would be made whatever the decision
Of Congess might be. We are no stronger new Only
fourteen at the first, il will be fortunate If maintain
Hat nunter 10 the end But on the eve Of the
ummaiion Of great national transaction
which will close cycle IN the history Of counry-and
IL impossible not TO desire pause moment and survey
The scene around and the prospect before However
ebscUro may individually be- connection with this
great Iaacton will perpetuate names for the praise
he Of future egs and perhaps in regions far
hut tlat OF an honest dese for just fame we couo nor
be Indifferent that and that prospect But indi-
ydral iniciefs and ambition sink into insgnhcance IN
Wow of tie interests Of country and Of mankind
And flese awaken at lersi IN me- an intense soicfude
IL was raid by in the beginning and has been SAID
Ly oiLers later in this debate that IT was doubtful
wheher it would be the OF Slavery or the cause
Of Freedom that would gain advantage from ths
passaee of this bill. | do not find it necessary
H. be cen orious nor even unjust 10 olhers,
IN orser ilat my may be approved, am
that tie honorable Senator from Illinois Mr. Do,gss
did not mean that the slave States should gam an nVa
ee over The free States for he dscamed whep be IN
toduted the bill believe in all cando 'ia the honora-
kle Senator from Georgia, Mr. Toomb who came out at
the cose the battle Of the chieest leaders OF he
victorious party sincere in carng ms own opnon tat
the save Staes will gain unjust advantage over the
free States because he dsclams 1t as trininPh
m their behalf; and yet, Notwithstanding all tnis,
what has occurred here and in this country during
this contest, has compelled a conviction that
Slavery will gain something, ana Freedom vii, endure @
a severe, although | hope not All inetrevaDe, ioss
The tlavebodDg States are passive quiet, content ana
safed with the prospective boom and The ree states are
excited alarmed with fearful forebodng and apprehen-
sons Tie mpaence for the speedy passage OF the b ma
infested by friends bersys knowledge that TINS Is inc
condition Of public sentiment in thefree States Ihey thought
m the beginning that il necessary to guard the measuss
by inserng the Clayton amendment, which excluded un-
Baiurazcd foreign inhabitants OF the Territories IRON me
right Of suffrage And now they seem willing with al
most perfect uDanmy to reDqulsh that safeguard rather
than TO delay the adoption Of the principal measure Tor AT
most a year perhaps for only week day suppose mat
the Senate should adhere TO that condition which so lately
was thought 30 wise and important-what then The
bill could only 90 back To the House OF Representatives,
which eher yield insist In the one case or the
other decision in favor Of the bill would be secured for
then in Of disagreement the Senate would have
time TO recede. But the majority VIII hazard nothng not
even prospect 70 cerain as thls. they VIII recede
at once without moment further struggle from the con-
dion and secure the passage Of the bll now tonight
Why such haste Even the question were TO go To the
country before final decision here what would there be
wrong in that There living who Will say that
the country anticipated that he anticipated the agitation
Of ihis in Congress, when the members OF tins
Congress elected even when II assembled III De-
conbor ast Under such circumstances ana IN inc
midst Of agitation, and excsem' nj ana asoa.esi
sony that the country certainly has not decided
in favor the bin The REFUSAL then, to let the question
40 to the country Is conclusive proof tat the siave
Sates represented here expectrcm the passage OF 'hs
h what The free States insist that they will lose by IT. an
a ateria sntage and moi abstraction
1L,re ore men in the slave staes, in the free States
who insist always too pertlnacionsiy upon mere aosac
ton But ha, s not the policy of The slave States to-day
They are in earnest seeking for and securing object
and an important one believe they are gong to have
it, do hot know how long the advantage gained VIII
last, how great comprehensive II wiIl o. Every
Senator who agrees with me in opinion must feel a. do
that under such circumstances he can forego nothing that
be done deceny with dse respect to difference OF
opinion and consistently with the constitutional and settled
rules of legislation, TO place the tue merits o me
question before the country. Questions sometimes
occur which TO have two rIght sides Such
we're the questions that divided the English nation
between Pitt and Fox-such the contest between the as
sailant and the defender of Quebec. The judgment OF
the world suspended by Its sympahlts ana seomeu
ready descend in favor of him who should be most gal
conduct. And when botl el On
the field the survivors united in raising common
nonr ment 10 their glorious but rival memories of None
and honcalm But this contest involves moral ques-
tion. The slave States present It, lhey MAINTAIN tna'
African Slavery not not unjust not ncons'-
snt with The advancing cause OF human nature Since
they regard it, do not expect TO see statesmen
senting those States Indifferent aboua vndcaon VI tn
system by The Congress OF the United States on us
other hand we of the free States regard Slavery as eene-
ous upiust and absolutely inconsistent
With the principles Of the American Consuto, and GOV
trnmeni Who will expect us TO be ndncfen' 10 he uc-
con of the American people and of mankind on such an
suef Again there suspended the issue OF this con-
test the political equilibrium between the free ana The
slave States Ii ephenera question no idle question,
whether Slavery shall 60 increasing its influence over
The central power here whether freedom shall gain the
ascendancy do not expect TO see statesmen OF the slave
States Indifferent momtnous question: ana as hits
can il be expected that those of the free States VIII
betray the great cause. And il remains for
me 10 declare in view of the decision OF this coa-
trcversy so near at hand, that have seen ncthns
and heard nothing during its progress to change ths
opinion which at the earliest proper period dehoereiey
expressed. Certainly have the evidence then
promised that the States would acqucsce IN the meas
ure As certainly too may that have not seen the
fu6meut Of the promise that the history OF the last thirty
years would be revised corrected and amended, ana
hai would then appear that the country daring all that
period had been eeng in prosperity and conenment aud
peace, not upon valid, constitutional and irevocabs
Compromise between the slave States and the free STATES
but upon unconstitutional and false opinion and even
infamous act OF Congressional usurpatoR On the con
trery am possible than ever satisfied that sf
ter all this debate the history of tho country Will 90 down
20 poserty Just stood. before carrying 70 them the
that until le2o the Congress oil the United
States legislated to prevent the introduction OF
slavery into new territories whenever that object was
practicable and that in that year they 50 lar sdhsd ha'
pocv under alarming apprehensons of civil CONFUSION,
ss 10 admit Missouri slave state bat upon tho eA-
press condition, stipulated II iayer OF the iree >es a'
slavery should be forever prohibited IN all that par oi me
existing and urorganzed territories OF the United states
l,,, of paralel so north auiu0c. Ger