Washington sentinel., 1854-05-30

any of its departments, or during any portion
of our history. repeat that, with the excep-
tion OF the few officers have named, all others
sheritfs, constables, justices of the peace, Judge
of probate, and all other judicial, ministerial
and executive officers, are to be appointed in
such manner as the people of the Territories
through their legislature shall direct. This dis.
poses entirely of that objection.
Mr.. President, | do not intend to notice in
i detail the objections which have been made to
the bill. They have been so thoroughly ex-
4 amined heretofore that l think the measure is
becoming we'll understood by the country. /
shall be pardoned, however, for making brief
reference to the terrible threats in which sew.
eral senators have indulged towards the SUP.
porters OF the bill, and the awful personal con-
sequences which, they tell us, are to follow.
| Sir, the scenes Of 1850 are fresh in the mem
ories OF most OF us. 1t is only necessary TO
cast our minds back to that period in order to
| recollect that we then heard the same threats,
the same warnings, the same meanings from
the gentlemen who are now attempting to
irighten US by repeating what they then said,
but failed to execute. We have had notice
served upon us to-day that the cry of repeal
is to resound throught the land. The same
notice was given in 1850. "Repeal" was then
everywhere proclaimed, as the watch-word Of
4
sistance to the execution of the laws was boldly
advocated by those whose courage proved un-
equal to their purposes when the opportunity
was presented. Resistance was attempted in one
4 or two places, but it was soon discovered that
! those who were most offcious in stimulating
| rebellion and treason, were the least willing to
risk their own necks in the halter by taking
the responsibility of the overt act. Repeal
! was proposed in this chamber on one of the
measures of 1850, the fugitive law, which was
the most odious to those gentleman of the whole
series; and, believe that, out Of the sixty.
two members of the Senate of the United
States, they got four to vote for the repeal
/ Mr. WADE. We have increased since that
| time.
/ Mr.. DOUGLAS. I am not able to say
whether those gentlemen will have better sue
cess in their efforts now or not We have had
notice that there is to be combined and united
effort among the fragments of the different par
ties and factions opposing this measure; that
they are to make common cause for the repeal
of this bill, when it shall become law; and,
also, for carrying on war upon the institutions
Of the south. We have been told here that
war will not end when the repeal shall have
taken place, but that all compromises, the fugi-
tive slave law and all, are to be wiped out. The
senator from Massachusetts, Mr. SUMNER has
told US that the pulpits of New England are to
pour forth their denunciations against the exc
culion of an act of Congress for the return of
fugitives from service.
We are told by that senator and others, that
because we repeal law which has been upon
the statute book since 1920, and has been in
operative during the whole period, for the
reason that there were no people upon whom
1t could operate, they regard themselves as
released from the obligations resting upon them
| to support the Constitution, and from their
oaths to observe its injunctions. Men here,
who occupy their seats only by virtue of an
oath, taken in the presence of Almighty God,
| to preserve invioate the Constitution of the
United States, tell US that because of the pas
sage of this law, they will commit perjury,
they will violate the Constitution, they will re.
pudiate their oaths, they will defy God and
man IN resistance to the Constitution and the
law of the land And, sir, the senator from
Massachusetts, has told us tonight, that these
| protesting clergymen from New England will
engage In that work of per6dy, and perjury,
and treason, against the Constitution and the
Union. For myself, I think too well of the
clergymen of this country to believe that they
are capable of such crimes
Sir, wish to call the attention of the Senate
to the fact that gentlemen speak too loosely
when they assume that the clergy OF the free
States have entered into this violent crusade
against the Nebraska bill and its supporters.
The abolition confederates have not been able
to bring into their service, according to my in.
formation, one-ten,h Of the clergy Of this coun-
try. | understand that these confederates at
their club-room in this city, have lists Of the
names OF all the clergymen of the Union. ]
understand that they sent out printed remon-
strances to each of these clergymen, with re.
quest to sign, and return them Immediately for
presentation to the Senate. The presumption
is, therefore, that every name has been returned
that could be seduced into this political organ
| ization. If SO, then we find that the Judgment
of large majority of the clergymen of the
free States is against them; while the larger
portion Of those who signed the protest, doubt
less did it in response to the request, without
investigation Of the subject. For the greater
mass of the clergy / have the most profound
respect and veneration. A portion of them
must say have shown themselves unworthy
of respect, because they have acted in
char manner inconsistent with their Christian
acters. The portion to which ! refer is com.
posed of those men who use the pulpit only
as means to carry out their political designs,
men who care more for politics than religion,
and who hypocritically assume to be the follow.
ers OF our Saviour only as means Of proseeut-
ing more successfully the schemes of their po-
litical leaders in this chamber; mean those who
are in active correspondence with the abolition
confederates here, who act under their direc-
ton, propagate their ISLANDERS, and obey their
orders regardless of the duties which they owe
| to their church and to God. Those who con-
vert the pulpit into the hustings and profane
the holy Sabbath by stump speeches from the
sacred desk seem to have forgotten, if they ever
knew, the spirit and even the form of words ap
propriate to the place and the day. exhibited
to the Senate the other day some specimens Of
this political pulpit oratory.
undertake to say there was more vulgarity,
more profanity, more calumny, and more insult
contained in that one sermon than ever heard
uttered by any politician, Of any party, upon
the hustings. / think there is no senator on
this floor who would hazard his reputation as
gentleman by dissenting from this opinien.
have seen extracts from some FIVE hundred
sermons preached on one day in New England
by concert against the Nebraska bill, all of the
same character. For these clergymen who
thus, as mere political agents, convert their
DulDit he hustino fha,r fiay