The daily union., 1854-10-24


conclusion of this will remain on MS long will be
made heavier and heavier till rights shall revive or
expire in a conyulsion.
From The Charleston Mercury, Oct. II.
SPEECH OF HON. l.. NJ. KEITT, OF SOUTH CARO-
LIMA.
MEssRs EDITORS see in the Barnwe Sentinel, and
published in the Charleston Standard synopsis of ad
dress of the Hon L. NJ kett to his constituents at Barn
well courthouse the I'd instant and that report
does quite clearly and accurately define his position
certain points send you for publication the following alb
stract of his speech on that occasion
A CONSTITUENT
Mr. Keitt divided his remarks under three general heads
lst. What Congress had done; I'd What Congress had
failed to do ard 3D. What prospects in future
Under the first head he said Congress had passed the Ne
braska bill the Gadsden treaty. the reciprocity treaty with
Canada the insane bill, and river and harbor bill,
To the Nebraska bill he had four grave objections lst
Squater sovereignty ID Alien suffrage; Sd The Badger
provso, congressional Intervention and 4th The ag
grandzement of the federal court
That squatter sovereignty lurked in the bill he much
feared General Cass Judge Douglas, and every northern
advocate of the BILL affirmed that il there while its
southern friends only denounced the unconstitutonaly
of this doctrine while they generally admitted
that the provisions of the bill broad enough to
it. There three parties in the United States upon this
subject lst The State-righs party of the South which
maintains that neither Congress the inhabitants of the
Territory exclude the STAKEHOLDER and that this only
be done when the Territory has acquired sovereignty
and organizing itself into State. The second party
holds that Congress is penpotent in the Territory and
establish exclude slavery in other words the party
of the Wmot provso. The third party denies any power
in Congress touch the subject of slavery in the Terrto
rie but airms inherent spontaneous, and seorig-
mating sovereignty in the inhabitants of Territory to
tablish or exclude the institution of slavery. In truth,
this party only substitutes the squater proviso for the
Wmot proviso which, he said Mr. Calhoun had denounced
grossly unconstitutional and more dangerous to
the South, than the Wilmot proviso.
The bill gave to the 'inhabants of the Territory" the
power to form and regulate their domestic institutions in
their own way When2 VIII not the territorial legisla-
H. Ap,r, 10 tp
control its territorial organization with view to exclude
slavery southern fockng there TO obtain the like
control establish it, Thus both sections that the
struggle in the territorial legislature and not in the for
nation Of a State constitution.
Suppose the territorial legislature of Kansas for none
looks Nebrska) excludes the stakeholder what will be
the eect2 Look at the Missouri restriction of 36 deg 30
min. 1t excluded slavery north of that line By what au-
thory? BY authority Of Congress Has not the Missouri
restriction this act of Congress- practically excluded
the STAKEHOLDER north OF 36 deg 30 min All admit THIS
Now one of two things be true-eher Congress had
the power exclude slavery north of So deg 80 mn and
consequently south of it, il did not have the power
If had the power it has devolved upon the territorial
legislature if it did not have it, unconstitutional act of
Congress excluded it. If them unconstitutional act of
Congress excluded the stakeholder would not an unconst
tuona the territorial legislature practically exclude
him also? When it is passed. if the South humbed her
M the first would she not humble herself TO the last?
lie said it not correct to say that the South had
equal chance control the organization of the Territories
In the first place. the STAKEHOLDER moved much
brously and slowly than the non-saveholder man in
South Carolina could not close up his business make his
and with his slaves with as much de-
spatch as the non-slayeholder.
In the second place. the North had much larger popu-
aon than the South and in the third place. the North
receives annually four hundred thousand emgants which
she could throw upon the Territories. This grab game
in the Territories was therefore, grossly unjust to the
South while squatter sovereignty the substitution OF
the numerical majority for the constitution. Thus, he
objected the BILL because he feared its provisions would
bs wested to the purposes of anatcs and be tortured
into sanction Of squatter sovereignty.
ritAnt p1innG Ihn
ed every foreigner vote who had declared his intention
become natralized. foreigner might vote in Kansas
in twenty days from the time he left Liverpool Thus the
southern STAKEHOLDER might be excluded from territory
which his blood had been given to wn and his money to
purchase by European anaticsm.
His third objection the Badger provso II provided
that law recognising slavery prior to 1920, when the
Missouri restriction adopted, should be revived.
He sad that prior to 1920 the civil law territorial statute
law and congressional law all recognising and protect
ing slavery had spread the Territory. 1t
tended by that these laws at least the statutory
would be revived by the repeal of the Missouri restrc-
ton" Others denied this. One OF two things was true
either these laws would be revived or they would not be-
II they would be revived it intervention against the
South; if they would not be revived it Intervention
with the subject of slavery although the proviso was sur
pusage.
His fourth objection the aggrandzement of the fed
eral court II RENTED to the Supreme Court TO de-
teync the of Congress in other words the pow
of the oea government of which it part These
grave objections lay against the bill.
lie then said he had four reasons in support Of the bill
First the chance OF acquiring Kansas tor the South Ihs
was highly important it defended us in vulnerable
point Second il would strengthen slavery in Missouri
This of the greatest consequence to and was worth
many sacrifices Third, it repealed the Missouri line
which was n badge of ineriorty to the South and an
odious and sgmatzng discrimination against her, This
insulting mark of inierority had done much lower the
serespect of the South and its obteraon of great
importance Fourth it had strong tendency to unite the
South This the most important of all considerations
The State had ordered her public TO work for the
union Of the South and that mandate he bad bowed TO-.
Al I
win back her lost rights and vndicate violated consti
tuition lie knew that when the South had been united
her march had been the march of the conqueror-with
monuments and trophies all along her pathway.
Regarding it in this light as containing more good than
evil e had cogcuded 20 vote for it, u was Objectionable
all the southern men but choice OF eys they de-
iermned almost unanimously vote for it Judge Harris
of Mississippi true and fearless Stae-righs man, who
had stood by Quitman and Davis and bravey breasted the
of so had concluded reluctantly vote against the
bill choice of evils His splendid intellect, high bear
ing and great sagaciy entitled his opinion to much weight
II very desirable also that there should be as few
southern votes against the bill as possible
The North could, he said count upon only minority al
the Sohtn while i vas the object OF the North TO make
that minority as large as passble ard the object of the
South 60 make II as small possible beiieVing IN the
same political creed with Judge Harris and revering the
same authorities and also anxious that there should be as
little division among the southern members ms possible as
Judge Harris reluctantly voted against the bill MS choice
of evils and he r ~ reluctantly for it. he agreed with
Judge Harris that neither of them should vote, and thus
left esnlt tie same eiucel the southern vote upon the
record against the b and diminished the division and dis
traction et home This course was also warmly seconded
he said by the friends Of tha bill who had il in charge
He for the BILL mainly, he said, to unite the South
and his subsequent TO prevent MS far as he
could, division among southern men,
lhe dndFaen treaty, he said, he supported for three