Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-02-27

PAOosAg uCVAdleus'AlldI III hVAeii VI
Missouri Compromise line, "Slavery, or invol-
untary servitude, except for crime, shall be
prohibited 4
But do not dwell on these things. These
pretopses have already been refuted by Sena-
tors who have preceded me- 1t is clear, be-
yond all contradiction, that the prohibition OF
Slavery i'll this Territory has not been super
seeded or in any way contravened by the Slav-
cry Acts of 1850. The proposition before you
is, therefore, original in its character, without
sanction from any former legislation, and it
must accordingly, bejudged by its merits,a an
original proposition.
Here let it be remembered, that the friends
Of Freedom are not open to any charge OF ag-
gression. They are now standing on the de-
fensive, guarding the party intrenchments
thrown up by our fathers. No propositionto
abolish Slavery anywhere, is now before you;
but, on the contrary, proposition to abolish
Freedom. The term Abolitionist, which is
SO often applied in reproach, justly belongs,
on this occasion, to him who would overthrow
this well-established landmark. He is, IN
deed, no Abolitionist of Slavery; let him be
called an Abolitionists of Freedom. For my
self, whether with many or few, my place Is
taken. Even if alone, my feeble arm shall
not be wanting as bar against this outrage
On two distinct grounds, "both strong
against the Decd l arraign it : first, in the
name Of Public Faith, as an infraction Of the
solemn obligations assumed beyond recall
by the South on the admission of Mis-
souri, into the Union as a Slave State =
Secondly, arraign it in the name of Freedom,
as an unjustifable departure from the original
Anti Slavery policy of our fathers. These
two heads l propose to consider in their order,
glancing under the latter at the objections to
the prohibition of Slavery in the Territories.
And here, sir, before l approach the argu-
ment, indulge me with few preliminary
words on the character of this proposition.
Slavery is the forcible subjection of one human
being, in person, labor, or property, to the will
of another. In this simple statement is in
volved its whole injustice. There is no offence
against religion, against morals, against hui
manity, which may not, i'll the license of this
institution, stalk ''unwhipt of Justice" For
the husband and wifi ethere is no marriage; for
the mother there is no assurance that her in
FAINT child will not be ravished from her breast;
for all who bear the name of Slave, there is
nothing that they can call their own Without
a father, without mother, almost without a
God, the Slave has nothing but MASTER
1t would be contrary to that Rule of Right,
which is ordained by God, if such a system,
though mitigated often by patriarchal kind
ness, and by plausible physical comfort,
could be otherwise than pernicious in its in
fuences. 1t is confessed, that the master suf-
fers not less than the slave. And this is not
all. The whole social fabric is disorganized;
labor loses its dignity; industry sickens ed
ucation finds no schools, and all the land of
Slavery is Impoverished. And now, sir,
when the conscience of mankind is at last
aroused to these things; when, throughout
the civilized world, slavedealer is a by-word
and reproach, we, as nation, are about to
open new market to the trafhckers in flesh
that haunt the shambles of the South. Such
an act, at this time, is removed from all reach
of that pallliation often vouchsafed to slavery
This wrong, we are speciously told by those
who seek to defend it, is not our original sin.
1t was entailed upon u.s. so we are instructed
by our ancestors; and the responsibility is
often, with eXultation, thrown upon the
mother country. Now, without stopping to
inquire into the value of this apology, which
is never aduced in behalf of other abuses and
which availed nothing against that kingly
power, imposed by the mother country and
which our fathers overthrow, it is sufficient
for the present purpose, to know, that it is
now proposed to make slavery our own origi-
nal act. Here is a fresh case of actual trans
erosion, which we cannot cast upo the shoul-
ders Of any progenitors, nor upon any mother
country, distant in time or place. The Con-
gress of the United States, the people of the
United States at this day, in this vaunted peri
cd of light, will be responsible for it, so that
it shall be said hereafter, so long as the dis
NAL history of slavery is read, that, in the year
of Christ 1854, new and deliberate act was
passed. by which vast Territory was opened
to its inroads.
Alone i'll the company Of nations does our
country assume this hateful championship
In despotic Russia, the serfdom which consti-
tutes the ''pecuhar institution" of that great
empire, is never allowed to travel with the
imperial flag, according to the American pre-
tension, into provinces newly acquired by the
common blood and treasure, but is carefully
restricted by positive prohibition, in harmony
with the general conscience, within its ancient
confines; and this prohibition-th Wilmot
proviso of Russia-is vigorously enforced on
evey side, in all the provinces, as in Besarabia
on the south, and Poland on the west, SO that
in fact, no Russian nobleman has been able to
move into these important territories with his
slaves. Thus Russia speaks for freedom and
disowns the slaveholding dogma of our coun-
try. Far away in the East, at the egateways
Of the day" III effeminate India, slavery has
been condemned. In Constantinople, the
queenly seat of the most powerful Mohamme-
dan empire where barbarism still mingles
with civilization, the Ottoman Sultan has fast
ened upon it the stigma of disapprobation.
The Barbary States of Africa, occupying the
same parellels of latitude with the slave States
of our Union, and assembling them in the
nature of their boundaries, their productions,
their climate, and the peculiar institution
which sought shelter in both, have been
changed into Abolitionists. Algiers, seated
on the line of 80 deg. 80 min. has been ded-
icated to freedom. Morocco, by its untutored
ruler, has expressed its desire, stamped in the
formal terms of treaty, that the very name of
slavery may perishfron the minds of men; and
only recently, from the Dey of Tunis has pro-
ceeded that noble act, by which, sin honor of
God, and to distinguish man from the brute
creation I'll quote his own words-he decreed
its total abolition throughout his dominions.
Let Christian America be willing to be taught
by these examples. God forbid that our Re-
pubhc-"heir of all the ages, foremost in the
files of time should adopt anew the barbar-
ism which they have renowned
As the effort now making is extraordinary
in character, SO no assumption seems too ex-
traordinary to be welded in its support. The
primal truth Of the Equality of Men, as pro-
o1oir o1 s,,o noo -