Washington sentinel., 1854-03-05

y
the north was safe at any rate under 1t, for
there was no slavery in the Territories; and
the senntor from Michigan held that there was
no power 10 legislaie on that subject; and
therefore he would be compelled to veto any
law or act Of Congress declaring that slavery
should 70 there. Therefore, until we created
IL or authorized the Territory to create 1t, sla-
very could not go there; and hence his views,
although not constitutional or legal, were new
ertheless safe for the north. fF
What now does my friend say? That upon
the slavery question he took as his text the
Nicholson letter Of the senator from Michigan.
That letter explicitly says--and this is the sen.
ator's interprcfaiion--that there was no power
IN this government 20 legislate upon the sub
iect Of slavery in the Territories. The con-
sequence was that the Nicholson letter held
that the Missouri compromise was mere cob
web. dead letter, direcs nsurpation and vio-
laiion OF the Constitution, and had no power.
lorce. or effect. because there was no power
then or now 10 legislafe upon the subject. My
friend in the other end Of the Capitol says that
he preached that doctrine from end to end Of
the State, not oaly in his congressional dis
triet, but 40 anxious was he for the success of
the senator. thar he preached ID all over the
stase--thai any legislation upon the subject
IN any Of the Territories was utterly null and
void; that II was an usurpation; that there
was no power here on the subject; and yet
find my friend in the other House in the awk.
ward predicament--I mnst be allowed the ex.
preSson--of fighting TO the death, warning TO
the knife against the repeal of the Missouri
compromise. which be himself has, over and
over, as he says, denounced as unconstitution-
al, as void, as an usurpation taking for his
text tho Nicholson letter. Now, ask. in all
common sense, aud all prudence, and all pro-
priety if there Is no power TO legislate on that
subject here, why Is II that we hesitate TO re-
move the shadow, the mere cobweb Of legisla-
ton, which stands in the way? If We do IT,
we shall save litigation. Sir, the only way 10
Set Il of, IL we do not repeal il, is this, Some
man will take his slave to this Territory; that
slave viii sue for freedom; the slave says: u
am free under the Missouri compromise" They
20 to Law about it, and the case is appealed
from low 10 high court there, and, finally,
TO the Supreme Court Of the United States and
there, after long delay, vexation, litigation,
trouble, and expense Of every kind, the SUI
preme Court decide the question according TO
the Nicholson letter, and say there is no power
consequently that the Missouri compromise was
null and void. What. then, have you gained ?
What calamity have you brought both upon
master and servant? How il is that man
can say law is unconstitutional and void, in
violation Of the Constitution, and yet protest
against its repeal and its removal, is an absur-
dity that cannot comprehend. Sir, it is the
same as telling me that the cobwebs mar the
fair proportions of the temple, that they have
no right there, and those who strung them
there are intruders but that you will not
sweep them down for fear Of violating some
right
Thus much for that view Of the question. If
that member Of the other House conscientious
ly, as he said he did, took the Nicholson letter
as bis text. preached the unconstitutionality,
and therefore utter nullity Of the exercise Of
power, why does he object to the sweeping off
the form when the substance never existed?
Mr.. President, / ask the attention of the
Senate for a few moments to the question Of
philanthropy whether the negro shall be a slave
or shall be a freeman? / have aready shown
to you, and spoken at length upon the impossi-
bility Of two distinct races living upon an
equality in the same territory or country. One
or the other must be the superior, and one the
and it is only in extent, and not in
kind. that servitude exists. The Almighty, in
his order to Moses, as ] said, foresaw the utter
of harlnonizing them, and he had
Moses TO exterminate all the an
cient Canaanitcs. being different race, know
ing that they could not live in contact with the
Jews.
Well, sir, as question Of philanthropy,
now say, if, after all have said, any senator's
believe that hold that slavery in the abstract
is beautiful and perfect in all It's forms and pro-
portions, they are very much mistaken. do
not hold that it is abstract right and abstract
justice; no such thing. What my individual
opinions are upon that subject viii say to
you, you need not heed They are of no con.
sequence or Importance. The only thing you
have right to ask me is, that shall, by my
action, my advice, and my votes, secure an
equality Of political right in the country. But
if were going 10 discuss the question of real
advantage and benefit, | should most unhesi-
tatingly and unreservedly say that the advan-
tage was positive one to the black man, and,
in my Judgment il is n positive injury TO the
white man but you are the judges Of that
and, by my vote and voice, you s. all not be
restricted in that right to judge. Sir, the blow
that is given does not always inflict Injury upon
the person or the thing stricken; there is
rebound both in physics and In morals. When |
you touch the tarpedo, you injure not it. but |
you benumb your arm. So il may be possible |
that, while you injure not the black man--and |
you do not in my judgment--you may injnre |
The white man, or the white race. Sir, very |
apropos to this is a verse from an old English |
doggerel in reference TO the dog aud tho man |
who at first we're friends, but finally the dog |
went mad and bit the man. All the people /
swore that the dog was mad, aud that the man |
must die.
"But soon n wonder came 20 light,
That showed The rogues they lied;
The man recovered Of the bite,
The dog IL was that died."
The dog was poisoned by biting. Indeed |
have heard the thing burlesqued so Car, as 10 |
have heard it said, that a rattlesnalxe on one |
occasion Il hope shall not offend any Of my |
fair auditors) bit lady OF such an utterly for
bidding appearance, that it killed the rattle.
snake, but did not hurt the lady. Iaughicr.l |
1t may be the case with this question ofslayery.
As to the question Of slavery, so far as the |
slaves are concerned, who does il not know; win |
not tho most ultra abolitionist admit, that the |
negro in this country, as class, Il infinitely |
better OH, more improved, and in better con- |