Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-07-01

dependence construction
have given t. is an evident selfevident, palpsble
lie What is the languages That al created
equal" Are they created equally tall, equally broad
equally long, equally shortf Are they created politically
equalf Are they created physically equalY Are they
created mentally equal? Are they equal
say, in no one Of these several instances all
created equal You cannot 60 beyond the moment when
they frst resprc their native air. At that time you see
presented to you the imbece in mind weak in body,
awarf In size; while, beside him, the days BIRTH
see power greatness strength wisdom, and beauty
no one instance therefore, is there perfect equality
aiuons mun you regard them individuals. As ma
20 coections OF men, they have right to perfect
equay as 70 the formation Of their and the
.sn.s anu uomesuc duties that shall be established
anong tnem. ask that Senator-you who to-day have
stuitihed yourself you, who have said that the solemn
oath which You took at that stand ad,uiuistered Nv
naa q TINS oody upon the holy Evsugess Of
God Kissing the book giving seal sanction to your
asseveraton you who have said to-day thai Won wonld
spit upon that OATH would disregard s "ouiu
Mr.. SUMNER. Neserl never!
MT. PETTIT. You, who denied II; denied its nova,
to bind you; you, who said you would not maintain the
Constitution Of the United States 80
Mr.. SUMNER. said recognised no obligation IN
the Constitution Of the United States to bind me to helm
to reduce man to slavery.
Mr. PETIT ask you, do you claim to be the equal
of your Revolutionary sres?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator must adj
dress the Chair not the Senator from Massachusetts
Mr.. PETIT ask the Chair them whether the Sc
naor from Massachusetts, with this odium on his Inns il
the equal of his Revolutionary sres do not know that
he had any, properly speaking, but take it in State
point OF view Is he the equal Of Adams of Hancock Of
Warren who the first martyr in the great cause Of
liberty, OF freedom, and union whose blood the first
to the Union Of these States on Bunkers HILL 10
which he has referred Are you the equal of those men
Is he sir, the equal Of those men? had rather ask
you, Mr.. President for think you would answer no
and he might answer yes
Now,Mr PresidensI come down to later times There
is no distinction between moral physical political and
mental equality if you take the language literally it
reads. ask that Senator, then or ask YOU sir whe
Tho al
Webster who preceded him here long years ago. and it
would have been well for the country If he had remained
mentally, morally, physically, regiously Of that de-
ceased and ilustrious man? When will the Senator get
to himself the proud reputation of the Expounder Of
the Constitution godike Daniel the mighty giant
intellect OF Webster? He will get to himself instead the
odious, wthering bghtng and blistorng Of
temner and despser of the Constitution who refused to
maintain, support and endorse it, Does that Senator
pretend to say that mentally there is difference? You
might as well interpoate "mentaly" as POLITICALLY
You might well say that oil are created mentay
equal to say that all created politically equal
Neither of these words is in it, and therefore it applies
as much to mental as it does to political equality.
Sir, men come to the EARTH they make their appear
upon it with mental powers but with political
rights and may therefore say with proprey that
Jefferson intended to say they created mentally in
stead Of politically equal AT the earliest creation there
evidences of mentality without any political rights
whatever Then is the Senator the equal Of Webster
who has left name, monument and fame, will
not say unsupassable but unequalled in strength and
power, and durability by any other American Senator
believe that as mere mental mainland speak of him
in no other had not his equal this
continent if he had IN Europe, upon any other cont
nent Is that Senator his equal? He might well say
that the ackal is the equal Of the on that the buzz
Yard is the equal of the eagle.
When you sir, addressing Mr. SuMSER,) find no man
beneath you; when those who are you, your own
class Of men, can find no man beneath you; when you
shall claim your equal the who rolls in tho gutter,
whom God has deprived in his own organization and
ton Of all mental power and capacity; when you shall
claim that he who wallows in the gutter with the yilest
and most worthless is your equal then your nterpreta
ton Of the doctrine is true Let go further If the
Almighty intended to create the Senator the equal
with the mighty and amented Webster must be allowed
say thathe made gross blunder and most egregous
mistake How, then, is it that all equal and
created equal? When first them they unequal
They unequal They have not equal political rights
Will that Senator say that this equality consists in poti
cafrhts Then he says that the serf of the auocrat of
Russia is his equal in every thing and he the scrfs equal
If SO, they ought to change stations, perhaps. say
they not equal and were not created equal
Was that Senator created free-born citizen of Massa
chuses created as such member Of this great Republic
and Confederation and yet he created than
equal with the Southern slave upon Southern planta-
ton Was he created precisely equal with the ig
of the ignorant hordes that nhab any portion Of
the habtabe globe Was he created only equal with the
voriest and lowest serfs Of the Emperor Nicholas When
the time shall come when he ayows that there is de-
gradaon weakness ofintellect physical moral or
mental development beneath hisown then he may assert
the truth of his dogma and his declaration. Sir in
cllneu 70 point view,
cannot find one beneath himself taking hs decla
ration to day. He who will here in this body, APP
peang God for the truth Of what he says support
the Constitution Of the Union and then boldly proclaim
that he will not do it. has sunk, in my estimation to a
depth of humiliation and degradation which it would not
enyabe for the veres er the lowest of Gods
alton to occupy may be in that point of view the SEN
ator regards all others his equal but there are somc
who are willing to regard that Senator their equal
md who will never be coerced into any such admission
Mr. DIXON obtained the foor but yielded at the soli
citation of several Senators and
The Senate adjourned.